An alternative Jewish school for Melbourne

“Are we raising joyous, wise and courageous children?” That was the question posed to parents during a recent information night for a new alternative Jewish school planned for Melbourne. More than 20 children are already enrolled for the school, which plans to open next year in St Kilda East.

Beit Hillel Community School will be different from other Australian Jewish schools in several ways. There will be no uniforms, barely any screens, and weekly “Workshop Wednesdays” with extra-curricular classes and excursions. There will be a strong emphasis on self-led learning and the outdoors.

Founders Adam Hyman and Elinor Hasenfratz are confident they will deliver rigorous education, holistic development, and a joyful school environment for students and parents alike.

Inspired by their varied experiences working across different schools, inside and outside the Jewish community, the pair wanted to combine the alternative education model with a strong connection to Jewish identity.

Named after Rabbi Hillel, the new school aims to instil his virtues of respect, community, and striving for wisdom. “His teachings are very peace-focused,” Hyman said. “They're very much about fraternity, community building, love for your fellow Jew, love for your fellow person, and a love of study and learning.”

Beit Hillel’s curriculum takes a “back to basics” approach, focusing on fundamental learning skills. There will be almost no screen time, in favour of students developing their literacy, numeracy, penmanship and more, without becoming overly reliant on technology. Lessons will be interactive, with Hyman and Hasenfratz teaching classes hands-on, in addition to running the school.

Classes will be small, with a secondary school model of teaching, meaning subject-expert teachers for specific rooms. Rather than only having single-level classes, there will frequently be mixed age groups. This model encourages older students to take on a leadership role, setting an example of good behaviour for younger students. In saying this, there won’t be any formal leadership roles, such as school captains.

Every student at Beit Hillel will know every teacher and vice versa. Regular morning meetings, with tefillah, will bring staff and students together. Students will also be given time in their day to explore hobbies, socialise, and take a break from lessons in favour of self-led learning. There will be daily sport too, with a strong focus on being outdoors. 

On “Workshop Wednesdays”, students will engage in out-of-the-classroom learning such as sports, creative arts or science activities. This time will also be used for excursions, nature walks and participating in intergenerational experiences, such as visits to aged care facilities. 

The culture at Beit Hillel will teach respect, responsibility and connection to community. Rather than eating packed lunches, students will cook together and share meals. This is intended to teach life skills and autonomy, with students preparing meals and cleaning up after themselves.  

Students will also be expected to clean up the school at the end of the day, again instilling a sense of personal responsibility. Independence and resilience will also be taught through extracurricular activities, with the ethos that “young people belong in the world”. Outdoor camps and activities will connect students to nature, while excursions in the city will teach skills such as using public transport.  

Community involvement will be highly encouraged, with family members and friends invited to join school activities and meetings. Affordability is also a high priority for Beit Hillel, with fees described as being amongst the lowest of the Jewish schools.

Instead of distinguishing itself by a specific religious denomination, Beit Hillel will take a “pedagogy over ideology” approach. No matter their level of religious observance, all students will be welcome in an inclusive and warm school culture. 

“I think the way that denominations usually operate in the educational sphere is they dictate what you can’t teach, rather than what you can and should be teaching,” Hyman said.  

“And I think having a pedagogy-first approach, rather than ideology-first approach, means that we ask ourselves the question, ‘How is this lesson beneficial in raising a young person, so they can be competent, confident and empowered about their Jewish life?’” 

Jewish studies will focus on two streams – classical Jewish education and experiencing Jewish life. The former will cover mitzvot, chagim, and Jewish texts including the siddur, haggadah, chumash, and mishnah. The latter will consider spirituality through Israeli and Hebrew music, meditation, and nature, and teach stories through parsha, midrash, and theatre. There will be traditional tefillah, as well as student-led shabbats. 

A major priority will be teaching Hebrew, from reading and writing to speaking. In addition to Hebrew lessons, the school intends to teach other classes in Hebrew, such as sport, to better immerse students in the language. Israel will be celebrated as the centre of Jewish life, but from an apolitical perspective, appropriate for primary-aged students. 

“Israel is the centre of the Jewish world, and the most populous Jewish country, the only Jewish country,” Hyman explained. “We need to be educating our kids to have a connection to that place and to speak the lingua franca of not just Israel, but actually, the global lingua franca of Jews, Ivrit.”  
 
“As kids get older and can handle more complicated, nuanced, sophisticated conversations around political difficulties, I think that's important to have, but I think it's very important that the school is not a political place.” 

What is most important to the founders of Beit Hillel is creating an environment where children receive a good education that is not only matched by a connection to their culture, but informed by it.

“The primary goal of a school is to create well-rounded, happy, courageous kids who know how to be in the world and treat their fellow human beings,” Hasenfratz said.  

“And we happen to have this incredible history behind us, this ancestry and this inheritance of all of Judaism and all of Jewish text to inspire us and inspire our kids. It’s just an incredible gift.”