Engaging Parents and Families

Parent and family involvement is an essential component to creating thriving Jewish cultures and traditions through the generations. Therefore, we offer experiential learning for the whole family. To learn more about our Sunday Family Program, please click here.

Looking ahead: Your Child's B'Mitzvah

Once in 7th grade, students join our Or Shalom B’mitzvah program. To learn more about this program and its curriculum, please click here.

Learn the Alef-Bet as a Family

We have designed a Family Alef-Bet class. To learn more about this program, please click here.

Meet our Community School staff!

Sarah Moss Yanuck
Head of Youth & Family Education
sarahmoss@orshalomsf.org

Sarah Moss Yanuck (ze/zir/zirs & she/her/hers) is an educator, facilitator, and songleader in Jewish and secular spaces, both in formal education and in community. Born and raised in Durham and Chapel Hill, NC, ze came of age in Philadelphia, PA, and moved to Oakland in 2022. Since 2014, Sarah Moss has taught in K-12 classrooms, racial literacy courses for adults, Hebrew Schools, and outdoor Jewish education programs. She is thrilled to be joining Or Shalom as the Head of Youth and Family Education, both to steward the community’s vision for the school and to support the students, families, and teachers. Ze is personally interested in the meeting points of justice education and spiritual education, and is excited to explore Judaism alongside young people!

Sarah Moss is currently a master’s student in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco School of Education. Ze graduated from Vassar College with a BA in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Education. In her free time, Sarah Moss loves to explore forests and rivers, engage Jewish holidays and rituals, learn about reparations and teshuva, sing with loved ones, and write. According to her former 6th-grade students, Sarah Moss always wears warm sweaters.

Raq Dunoff (they/them)

Raq (pronounced: rock) Dunoff (they/them) is an educator, weaver, and organizer in the Jewish community. Raq studied Experience Design at Olin College of Engineering with a focus on hands-on learning and maker education. After a brief stint as a product manager for an educational technology startup, Raq moved out to the Bay Area for the Urban Adamah fellowship to deepen their connection to Judaism.

Since then, they have immersed themselves in Jewish community working for various earth-based Jewish organizations and organizing with Jews on Ohlone Land, hosting a monthly havdalah ritual at the West Berkeley Shellmound. They are excited to bring their skills and experiences with Jewish hands-on learning to the Community School and share many more havdalah rituals with the youth!

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Or Shalom Community School (OSCS) embraces the wholeness of each child through education and a kid-centered community of Jewish life. Our learning program engages our students with joyful and dynamic experiences. Children will learn age-appropriate curriculum on the themes of Jewish food, music, and ritual objects, explored through the lenses of diaspora, Earth, and liberation.

You don’t need to be a member of Or Shalom to join our school.

Enrollment for 2024-2025 is now open!

The Community School is open to students from 1st–6th grade. You don’t need to be a member to have your child join Or Shalom Community School.

For any programmatic questions before then, please contact the Head of Youth and Family Education, Sarah Moss, at sarahmoss@orshalomsf.org. Please complete the enrollment form first before requesting financial aid.

How to Enroll

Curriculum and Details

The curriculum for Or Shalom Community School is experiential, hands-on, and inter-age. Students across the school engaged with the same content and ideas in developmentally appropriate ways, making ongoing conversation and learning possible for the whole family! This year, children and families will learn about Jewish food, music, and ritual objects, explored through the lenses of diaspora, Earth, and liberation.

Classes will be held in Bernal Heights (both in the office and outdoors)

Or Shalom Community School Calendar 5785 (2024-2025)

OSCS meets on Mondays from 4:30 – 6:00 pm. A light snack is provided.

4:30–5:00 pm: Tefillah (Prayer) and All-School Programming
5:00–6:00 pm: Class-Based Learning

We also have Fall and Spring family Shabbat services, and a closing youth programs celebration on Lag B'Omer!

September 2024

September 16
September 30

October 2024

October 21
October 28

November 2024

November 4
November 18

December 2024

December 2
Friday, December 6: Family Shabbat Service
December 9
December 16

January 2025

January 6
January 13
January 27

February 2025

February 3
February 10
February 24

March 2025

March 3
Friday, March 7: Spring Family Service
March 10
March 17
March 24

April 2025

April 7
April 21
April 28

May 2025

May 12
Thursday, May 15: Lag B'Omer Bonfire & Closing Youth Programs Celebration

Cost of Program

The cost for the Or Shalom Community School is $1050 for members and $1,350 for non-members. When you pay the non-member rate, your family is provided with a complementary membership package for your first year of participation. If you need financial aid, please reach out to us AFTER completing the enrollment form. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Or Shalom Community School