By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
For Torah High dean Ari Hoffman, the biggest challenge in providing after-school Jewish educational opportunities for teens isn’t getting kids to show up. It’s convincing them to keep showing up week after week.
“Our biggest problem last year was regular attendance,” he said. “There was nothing keeping them.”
So for its second year, Torah High is offering a new incentive for students — actual high school credits.
Starting this fall, Torah High, a Jewish studies program run by the National Conference of Synagogue Youth and based at the Bikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath and Sephardic Bikur Holim synagogues in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood, will allow students to take classes that will count toward graduation from their regular high schools.
Torah High is accredited through the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools as a supplemental institution. So, as Hoffman explained, any course completed through Torah High can earn students credits at other schools, just as it would if they were to take courses from a local junior college or a foreign exchange program.
The Torah High program in Seattle is modeled after a similar program in Canada that has proved successful at attracting and retaining students in several Canadian cities over the last five years.
Rabbi Stephen Berger, director of education for Torah High Vancouver, said that between school, sports and other extracurricular clubs and activities, religious education for teens often gets pushed to the side. Programs that offer real academic incentives are a good way to draw in kids who might not otherwise be able to find the time.
“Kids are so over-programmed, you have to have something special to offer to get them to take a look at their heritage,” he said. “This gives them a grade and one less class they have to take in school.”
And it’s working. He noted that the Torah High in Ottowa, where the program first got started, reenrolled 500 students last year.
Hoffman isn’t quite so ambitious as to expect those kinds of numbers in Seattle, however. Last year, 30 kids participated in Torah High. Hoffman said he hopes to see that number double now that students can take Torah High classes for credit.
“Honestly, I’d like to see as many kids as possible sign up,” Hoffman said. “If 1,000 enrolled tomorrow, I’d find a way to accommodate them. We’re even offering free transportation from other neighborhoods, because Seward Park isn’t the easiest place for everyone to get to.”
As an added bonus, any students who enroll for the fall will be entered into a raffle to win an iPod or a 42” HDTV. Kids who convince their friends to sign up get extra raffle tickets.
Of course, prizes and free rides mean little if the classes themselves aren’t engaging. Hoffman knows this and worked to put together course offerings on a variety of topics including “Jewish Philosophy,” “Culinary Arts” and “Rock Band Jew.0.” Last year, Hoffman said, Torah High’s most popular class (and one that will be offered again this time around) was a course on Krav Maga, the style of martial arts used by the Israeli army.
“So this isn’t just sitting in a classroom hearing about Jewish history,” he said.
Hoffman has also made efforts to enlist popular teachers in hopes of drawing kids in with familiar names.
“I asked kids, ‘if you had your pick of teachers, who would you want?’” he said. “We’ve got people from SHA, TDHS, all over. It’s like the cream of the crop from the Jewish schools.”
Torah High is supported financially by NCSY and the Jewish Student Union, as well as a grant from the Samis Foundation, which, according to grants director Rob Toren, has been a longtime supporter of NCSY programming in Seattle. The cost to attend is $350 per student per semester.
Students must be Jewish to participate in Torah High, but Hoffman stressed that kids from all denominations are welcome and that there is no required level of observance.
“Last year we had a good mix,” he said. “We had kids who had been going to day schools their whole lives, and some who had never set foot inside a synagogue before. So it really is for everyone.”
For more information, visit www.torahhigh.org or contact Ari Hoffman at 206-295-5888. Classes begin Sept. 14.