Winner of the 2025 Best of Jewish Philadelphia Award for Best Hebrew School by the Jewish Exponent, Shorashim is our award-winning Jewish learning program for children in grades K-7. Centered around outdoor nature education in our Ya’ar (Woodlands) and an innovative curriculum grounded in Torah and Jewish values, Shorashim offers fun and creative experiences designed to help children connect with their Jewish identities, culture, and roots.
Shorashim weaves together multiple elements of Jewish learning and community. Students spend time learning and exploring in our Ya’ar, participate in Tefilah (prayer) with our clergy, engage in Hebrew learning, and practice hitbodedut (quiet, personal reflection in nature). Learning is experiential and embodied, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and a sense of responsibility for one another and the world around us.
Shorashim meets on Thursday afternoons from 4:30-6:30pm and Saturdays for Shorashim Shabbat from 10:00-11:45am.
Contact our Education Director Liat Rosov at 610-667-1651 or education@bethamisrael.org to learn more about our Shorashim (grades K-7) program.
Our Families Love Shorashim!
“Shorashim combines community, Jewish learning and nature. I love that my kids’ Jewish identities are being strengthened by experiences…that connect their spiritual and physical spaces.”
“Every week at Shorashim, my kids are building and baking, singing and praying, crafting and performing. It’s such a joy to see them learning about our beautiful tradition with all their senses!”
“My son loved being out in nature and learning in a way that felt more like camp than Hebrew school….It was the perfect mix of fun, meaningful community, and Jewish learning.”
About Our Ya’ar (Woodlands)
BAI is fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful woodlands, or a ya’ar in Hebrew. We take our stewardship of the earth seriously, as reflected in the design, creation, and maintenance of an indigenous natural habitat. This curated outdoor space allows for our members to explore their spirituality and our children to experience outdoor Jewish learning through our Jewish by Nature education program.
Working with the student leaders of our Jewish Youth Climate Movement, we created a space that includes a pollinator garden — planted in memory of Pecki Witonsky — which is also a certified way-station along the Monarch Migration Trail. In addition, BAI is proud to be a certified wildlife habitat, providing food, water and shelter for local wildlife.
