Religious School Assistant Director
Job Description
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue is a historic Reform synagogue located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We are a warm and vibrant Jewish community made up of diverse families. Our staff have a strong work ethic and believe in making our space one that is comfortable and enjoyable for all employees. Our Religious School has roughly 200 students, with goals to grow. Our teen program engages about 100 teens each year and we are seeing growth each year in this area.
Our Youth Education Team seeks to hire a new Religious School Assistant Director (RS AD). This individual reports to and is directly responsible to the Director of Youth Education (DYE). The major responsibilities of this position are the successful oversight of the Hebrew program, Grades K-5 and our Portals Program, including the organization and execution of curriculum, programming, and teacher supervision. When the DYE is unavailable, the RS AD will be expected to oversee all elements of running the religious school. Specific duties outlined below are subject to change. In addition, the RS AD is expected to maintain a professional and friendly demeanor with all students, parents, and Stephen Wise staff.
Hours:
-The workweek when Religious School is in session will be Sunday through Wednesdays, and Thursdays or Fridays (depending on when there are family Shabbat programs).
-The workweek over the summer will be Monday through Friday.
-Attendance will also be required at Teacher Orientations, Faculty Meetings, and a few other larger synagogue functions throughout the year
-Serve as staff at various synagogue holiday celebrations/worship
-Serve as the Religious School representative at some Bar/Bat Mitzvah services (Saturday mornings) throughout the school year
Responsibilities:
-Oversee the implementation of the curriculum our Hebrew curriculum and ensure all elements of the program run smoothly
- Create informative and interesting content for the monthly newsletters for the religious school
-Manage, create, and run all aspects of the Family Programs for Grades K-4
-Hire, manage and supervise Hebrew & Judaica teachers with Youth Education team
-Secure and contact subs, and ensure that these subs are fully prepared with a lesson plan and any other vital information they need, as well as maintaining the sub list (including contact information and available days) for the entire Religious School.
-Create and run all High Holy Day children’s programming/activities
-Work with the DYE to develop and implement a new Professional Learning structure for Religious School Teachers
-Supervise and manage the Portals Program, with specific duties including connecting Portals families with their teachers and assisting portals teachers with curriculum implementation
-Work with the DYE to manage and develop the Madrichim program
-Interact with and manage parent communication as necessary
-Manage student issues, inside and outside the classroom, as necessary
Ideal Candidate Will Have:
-Desire to be part of a synagogue community
-Interest in a career as a Jewish professional
-Love of Jewish learning
-Experience writing and implementing curriculum
-Experience working with children and parents
-Comfortable in a Reform Jewish setting and knowledge about Jewish life
-Bachelor’s degree in a related field
-Master’s Degree in Jewish Education or related field
-Teaching experience