Temple Israel Religious School
TIRS is Ottawa's only Reform Supplementary School. We provide a strong Jewish identity through Jewish values and ethics, Torah, T’fillah (prayer), Holidays, Music, Israel, Hebrew, and most importantly FUN!
At TIRS, we embrace the values of inclusivity, respect, and learning, creating an environment where every student is empowered to grow, explore their Jewish identity, and build a meaningful connection to their Jewish Community and Israel. We strive to provide a learning environment that is supportive of the diversity in our student's learning needs. Join us on a journey of discovery, where we celebrate the richness of our Jewish diversity and culture.
WHAT WE OFFER
Elementary School: Gan (JK/SK) -Grade 6
Our grade school program focuses on Chagim ( holidays) Kehilla (community), Jewish & Israel Culture and Tefillah & Hebrew. We strive to ensure students have a strong sense of belonging not only to the curriculum material but to our community. Our commitment to educational excellence, community involvement, and spiritual growth. We don’t just teach Jewish knowledge—we teach Jewish values that inspire students to live purposeful lives, grounded in ethics, compassion, and a sense of justice. Our program offers field trips, outdoor education, and hands-on experiential learning.
SUNDAYS 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM EXTENDED HEBREW 12:30 PM-1:30 PM
High School: Grade 7-Grade 10
TIRS High School's offering includes life cycle Mitzvah prep, social justice projects, guest speakers, class trips and music. Students will have the opportunity to look at Jewish History through art, food, and armchair travel. Understanding who we are as Jews, where we came from and where we are going. Building on their existing knowledge of Jewish lifecycles, students will be able to apply their Jewish knowledge to real-life experiences and discover how Judaism can play an active and meaningful role in their everyday lives. Our Confirmation class will work directly with the Rabbi, through conversation, community engagement and intentional learning, students will work towards their Confirmation Service, where they affirm their identity and commitment to the Jewish people and their community. Confirmation Students will also take part in an out-of-town trip. Past trips include NYC, Washington DC, Cuba, Israel, Toronto and Montreal.
MONDAYS 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
UPCOMING EVENTS
MUSIC AT TIRS
Music is an integral part of learning at Temple Israel Religious school. Our music classes offer our students an opportunity to learn about the Aleph Bet, Jewish Holidays and Tfila. Our Music Man, Moreh Larry Tarof, brings joy and excitement to our students! Music is a large part of our Jewish education and we sing with Ruach! (Spirit) Temple music from Gan all the way to Grade 10, learning new songs in Hebrew, English, Yiddish and even Ladino. Our music program offers is a proud component of TIRS and the Temple Community at large!
Testimonials
“Dear Morah Karli, Thank you for teaching Ray so much about Judaism. He really enjoyed your class and spending time with you. Taking part in your class has inspired us as a family to do more Jewish activities together and celebrate many holidays we didn’t know about before. We have also started lighting the candles on Friday nights to recognize Shabbat every week which is something we didn’t do before Ray started Hebrew school. You are a wonderful teacher! Thank you so much! Have a great summer.”
“Dear Sue, Jenny and Ranit, I wanted to make sure that we expressed our gratitude to all of you, TIRS, and the Rabbi. This school year got really difficult and you all adapted and kept classes and JYG activities going. Your efforts were much appreciated. Monday classes and JYG became a focal point for Kayla during this isolating time at home. Things may continue to be challenging for a while still. It’s comforting to know that Temple was able to adapt and will continue to as we all navigate a path through this pandemic. [Scheduling for the summer will be] daunting, but we will step up to the challenge, just as you have modelled these past few months.”
