Midtown Workmen's Circle School is affiliated with the Workmen's Circle, a nationwide Jewish organization founded in 1900, whose mission is to foster Jewish identity and participation in Jewish life through Jewish culture and education, friendship, and the pursuit of social and economic justice. Visit circle.org for more information.
The School itself was established in 1990 and is run, as it always has been, by the parents themselves aided by professional classroom staff. Located in midtown Manhattan, the School shares many of the goals of the Workmen's Circle, while retaining an independent mission and independent leadership.
Midtown Workmen's Circle School is a once-a-week three-hour program whose mission is to teach students ages five to 13 the fundamentals of their Jewish heritage.
We focus on the Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi tradition of Eastern and Central Europe, from which most American Jews originate. Our curriculum is supplemented with frequent outings to museums, concerts, and theatrical productions, and by regular holiday celebrations in which families take part. The program of study culminates in a cultural bar/bas mitzvah tailored to the interests and ideas of each graduating student. Our school community is diverse and comes from all over the greater metropolitan New York area.
OUR PROGRAM
We consider our program a rigorous, cultural Jewish curriculum with appropriate expectations of all students, including study in the following:
History
Through books and discussions and documentaries and projects, students learn the story of the Jewish people, from ancient times to the present.
This includes the earliest origins of the Hebrews and the land of Israel, the Babylonian Diaspora, the appearance of the Jews in Europe and their long history there, the emergence of Zionism, the Holocaust, the birth and complicated saga of the state of Israel, and American Jewish experience. Along the way, students meet many of the major figures of Jewish history, from King David to Golda Meir, from Moses Maimonides to Betty Friedan.
Cultural Arts
In a hands-on learning environment, students are immersed in the rich legacy of music, literature, drama, dance, and art of the Ashkenazi cultural tradition.
They read the stories of Sholem Aleichem, listen to and learn to play Klezmer tunes, engage in Jewish folk dancing, watch and perform in Yiddish theater productions, and make their very own Chagalls.
Traditions
From the kosher laws to Shabbas dinner, from Pesach and Yom Kippur to the common blessings, students learn about the many traditional Jewish rituals, practices, and ceremonies, and discuss their origins, their meaning, and their place in modern society.
Social Justice
Helping develop in students an appreciation for the many challenges facing communities across the country and the globe is a central part of the school's mission.
In and out of the classroom, students are introduced to the struggle for justice in age-appropriate contexts through teaching of Jewish ethics and philosophy, free-ranging discussions of injustices small and large, and participation in social justice activities.
Language
Students develop a working familiarity with Yiddish, the language of Ashkenazi Jewish culture, and are exposed as well to the Hebrew that is part of so many of that culture's traditions and celebrations.
Students learn to read the Hebrew alphabet, which is used to write Yiddish, and build a substantial vocabulary of words and phrases that make a solid jumping-off point for more intensive later language study. As a celebrated leader of Jewish language and culture, the Workmen's Circle national organization provides distinguished leadership in language learning for our staff and is an important resource for graduating students.
A word about religious observance:
The mission of Midtown Workmen's Circle School is to provide a Jewish cultural education; the religious part of the equation is left to each family.
Although, as mentioned, students are introduced to many traditional Jewish rituals and celebrations, religious instruction and practice are not part of the curriculum. It is in precisely this sense that we consider ourselves a secular institution. Families of every type and level of religious engagement are welcome here, and should feel at home.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Program Highlights Our weekly school program for children 5-13 years of age Sundays, 10am-1pm Workmen's Circle Building, Manhattan:
Students
CLASSES — from 23 to 25 each year
Jewish culture, history and tradition— humanistic, intellectually engaging and fun
Yiddish literacy, art and music classes, including:Yiddish culture led by , one of the leading klezmer musicians of our day.
Age appropriate social justice instruction, community projects and spring social justice benefit.
Concert, theater and museum outings, such as: The legendary Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre, the Jewish Museum, Jewish Family Museum, and the Guggenheim.
Student musical performances, on behalf of cultural organizations such as (Institute for Jewish Research) and the , among others
BAR/BAS MITZVAH
Secular Bar/Bas Mitzvah, with a unique community, cultural and social justice project for each student
Parents
CLASSES & EVENTS
Full roster of programs in Yiddish language and culture, book discussions, guided topical discussions and evening concerts and theatre events throughout the year.
STAFF
Classroom Staff Classroom staff consists of instructors and their assistants, whose credentials range from to graduate degrees at Columbia and Harvard Universities. This gifted staff is led by:
School Director/Yiddish Culture & Arts Instructor, , is an acclaimed klezmer instrumentalist who tours annually the Jewish centers of the world, including Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Canada and throughout the U.S. She leads dance and music workshops in academic settings, such as Oxford University, and popular settings, such as the annual Yiddish festival in Krakow. Ms. Strauss is multi-lingual and has led many popular educational programs for young people in both Workmen's Circle, and venues. Additionally, she has authored many holiday celebration guides and theatrical adaptations for young people.
Yiddish, Jewish History & Culture Instructor, , is beginning her second year with MWCS. She is a musician, speaker of Yiddish and has been the President of the Jewish People's Philharmonic Chorus for the past ten years. She was formerly on staff at , the sponsor of KlezKamp among many other programs, and is now coordinator for (Youth for Yiddish). She has a BA in Political Science and an MA in Film History and Criticism from the University of Maryland. She also worked professionally in the theatre for fifteen years.
Jewish History & Culture Instructor, , is multi-lingual, and fluent in Yiddish, Hebrew, Italian and German. She is a native of Israel, studied language privately in the U.S. and Europe and a talented interpreter of secular Jewish history for young people. She is a prominent professional musician and graduated from Mannes College of Music in New York City.
Yiddish Culture & Language Instructor, , is a native Yiddish speaker and a literacy specialist. As a Yiddish singer she has performed regularly in the New York area. She is an instructor at Brooklyn Friends lower school, and a graduate of both Sarah Lawrence College (B.A.) and Bank Street College of Education (M.S. Ed) in New York City.
Bar & Bas Mitsve, Yiddish Culture & Language Instructor, directs educational programs for Yiddish students of all ages at The Workmen's Circle/Arbiter Ring. He is a recognized scholar and published author in several Slavic, Germanic, and Jewish languages. He has lectured extensively and developed and taught a wide range of courses for Yiddish and Jewish programs and conferences in universities and cultural institutions throughout the U.S., Canada, and Russia. He has supervised and conducted specialized reference library cataloging and research collection work in print publications and performng arts media preservation, especially in the areas of Yiddish culture and Russian and Slavic Judaica. His educational background includes a Master's from Columbia University in Yiddish, and a Bachelor's in Education for English and German languages.
CURRICULUM
Curriculum Our curriculum incorporates three areas of study—Yiddish Language and Culture, Jewish History and Traditions, and Social Justice—which lead to a final year project, designed for each student, which culminates in a secular Bar or Bas Mitzvah.
Our curriculum follows these basic principles:
We continue the traditions of Jewish scholarship.
The teachers and parents of MWCS prize the long tradition of Jewish learning and have developed a challenging curriculum, wisely researched and engagingly executed. We view our curriculum as serious, fun enrichment for young people.
We engage students in language & culture.
The core language component of our program is Yiddish, as standardized by YIVO, the world leader in research of Yiddish language and culture. Through literature, music and the arts, we explore the nearly one thousand year old Yiddish language developed by the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe.
We explore 6,000 years of history & tradition.
Beginning with the simplest of holidays and ending with the most complex of modern dilemmas, our Jewish history and tradition component provides an appropriate vista for each age group to engage with the full sweep of their cultural legacy.
We celebrate with modern perspective.
For millenia, the Jewish holidays have been a constant reminder of our unique past, a sweet memory of family and friends and a high point of our year. The modern secular perspective provides us with the opportunity to experience our traditions anew and incorporate the whole family within that expression.
We introduce the practice of social justice.
We follow the history of social justice in America and highlight the many challenges facing communities across the globe who suffer from cultural or civil inequities and abuses of power in all sectors of society. Students are introduced to these issues in age appropriate contexts and create multiple projects throughout the year, some may incorporate full family participation.
We steward students to their Jewish identity.
MWCS strives to aid each student to discover their own understanding of Jewish tradition. It is the goal of our school to make this passage to a conscious understanding of modern Jewish identity as fulfilling as any available in the city.
Cultural Arts
Social Justice
