Preparation for Bar and Bat Mitzvah begins in Religious School with Hebrew and Judaic Studies. When students are 12-18 months from their Bar or Bat Mitzvah date, the family will be invited to attend the B’nai Mitzvah Family Orientation, which is held in the fall. Students will also participate in B’nai Mitzvah classes on Sunday mornings during with Religious School with Rabbi Smiley.

Students have the opportunity to select a mitzvah project as a part of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah process. Our community and Religious School is supportive of each effort to meet our Jewish obligation of tikkun olam and tzedakah. Students find this aspect to be engaging and very meaningful personally, within our community, and often globally.

Our Sunday Morning Religious School follows an organized curriculum based on age-appropriate content that includes Jewish holidays, values, life cycle events, G-d, Torah, Israel, Hebrew, music, and more. The school is a setting for animated discussions, dramatic role play and creative artistic expression. The joy of being Jewish is present not only during holiday celebrations, but each Sunday as our dedicated faculty members share their own appreciation of the depth and meaning of what Judaism encompasses. Our learning experience often extends beyond the walls of the classroom to our expansive outdoor campus where students engage in a magnitude of multi-sensory activities. The responsibility of the Jewish person as part of the greater community is also reinforced at all grade levels through our yearly mitzvah theme and on-going activities related to tzedakah, righteous acts. Our goal is to provide learning opportunities that will spark the love and commitment to life-long Jewish learning.

Students that are Preschool (potty-trained and 3 years old) through 8th Grade attend Sunday morning classes from 9:30am-12:00pm during the school year.

Beginning in the 8th Grade, students have the opportunity to study with Rabbi Smiley in the Confirmation class. Confirmation is a three-year program that consists of a broad-based discussion of Jewish values, current events, theological ideas, and social issues relevant to high school age students. The class includes a trip to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., which is made possible by a generous gift from the Lee Berg family. Confirmation concludes each year with a special Shabbat service led by the class.

Religious School Calendar →

Religious School Handbook →

Tuition outlined below is applicable for members of Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge. Please contact Heather Bourgeois with questions regarding non-member tuition.

Grades Preschool-4: $380
Grades 5-7: $700
Pre-Confirmation: $370
Confirmation: $370
M&Ms: FREE

Tuition can be paid in a one payment or over the course of the school year. 

Financial Assistance

We are in a time of increased unknowns. Many families are facing financial situations that they had not planned for. If Religious School tuition has become an undue burden during this period of uncertainty, we are here to help. Please reach out to Heather Bourgeois (Heather@ujcbr.org or 225-924-6773), and know that any conversation regarding financial assistance is handled with the utmost confidentiality. The cost of Religious School should never be a barrier to anyone in our community.

Register for Religious School →

By completing this registration form, you agree to the following:

• to encourage Jewish Education by making the effort to bring my child(ren) regularly and on time to United Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge Religious School,
• to support Jewish values by helping my child(ren) to treat students and teachers with respect,
• to keep their hands, feet, and all objects to themselves,
• and to keep all electronic toys (ie: iphones, games) at home during Religious School hours (unless asked to bring them for educational purposes).