Ohr Chadash Religious School, located in Queens, New York, is an example of a new model of supplementary Jewish education.

Comprised of a consortium of three Conservative synagogues in eastern Queens, Ohr Chadash combines classroom learning with experiential programming including ongoing opportunities throughout the year for parent, grandparent and guardian education as well as outstanding Shabbat experiences for young people.

Ohr Chadash is concerned about the security of our school staff and children and has retained a security guard to be present when school is in session at each of the three partner synagogues. The guard will be there until all children have been picked up by a designated individual.

May 15, 2024: Unbelievably, this Sunday, May 19th, will be the final day for Ohr Chadash.
However, we will be closing our doors with a major celebration of Lag B’Omer.

We will begin the day with indoor activities, which will include floor games, relay races, tug-o-war, hula hoop competitions, and more.  All this commences at 9:00 AM in the Hillcrest Jewish Center Ballroom.

At 11 AM we will convene in the Main Sanctuary, where members of the Ohr Chadash School Board will address the assemblage and bid farewell to our students, teachers, and families.

Following this cathartic experience, we will gather in the Moreida Area for our Lag B’Omer BBQ. There will be hot dogs, chicken drumsticks, beef burgers, turkey burgers, and Beyond Burgers, for those who are vegan or vegetarian.  Also for your culinary delight will be tater tots, cole slaw, macaroni salad, a major garden salad,  other obligatory BBQ accoutrements, and watermelon for dessert.

Once again we need to call upon the good auspices of our parents for assistance. First, we need one grill master to assist the Hillcrest Men’s Club expert in preparing the burgers, dogs, and chicken. Secondly, we need parents to help oversee the activities program in the ballroom, from 9 AM until 11 AM. Thirdly, my (Shari’s) brother Paul needs some assistance in the kitchen, putting together the bowls of side dishes, setting tables, etc.

We apologize for the short notice, but if you can be of any assistance, please let us know ASAP and what your specialty is among the three categories listed above.

On behalf of Morah Judy, Morah Marina, Morah Zehava, Moreh Marc, my brother, and myself, and most certainly the members of the Ohr Chadash School Board, we want to thank our wonderful Ohr Chadash families throughout the years for having faith and trust in us to educate your children in the ways of our Jewish tenets and hopefully to instill in them a true love of and a devotion to Judaism.  In this tenuous global climate, we want our students to be proud of our heritage, to know the truth about it and the State of Israel, and to eventually become advocates for our people.

As a religious school teacher for nearly 25 years, we wish to say, unabashedly, that our teachers are the very best in the profession. They came on Sunday out of love and devotion to our students, your children.  Judy, Marina, Zehava, and Shari are all grandmothers, and we looked upon your children as extensions of the younger generation of our respective families. We showed the same commitment and caring as we would have for our grandchildren.

We would also like to express our gratitude to our graduates, Allegra, who has been here, week in and week out, over the course of the last two years to assist the teachers, Sabrina, who has been at the ready for special holiday programs, and Zachary, who so adeptly conducted our World Wide Wrap event this past February, and wound up teaching the teachers.  Additionally, Brantz family graduates Mia, Emma, and Jordan have always been available whenever the cry went out for assistance at our annual Purim Carnival or any other mega production that needed helpful hands. If we inadvertently omitted anyone, my apologies and rest assured your contributions to Ohr Chadash are not forgotten.

To  parents of all the yet-to-be Ohr Chadash graduates, we hope you can find an appropriate religious school to complete your child’s Judaic education.  It is unfortunate that the bonds that our students formed, across the three synagogues, through our school, are now being severed. We hope our students will be able to maintain these connections in the future and not allow the current situation to terminate long-term friendships.

May 10, 2024: Last week our Giborim and Chaverim classes were visited by Yael Rozic, mother of Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and a former docent at Yad Vashem.

In an age-appropriate discussion, Mrs. Rozic taught the children about Terezin, the concentration camp which was the “model” camp for the Red Cross, where the perception was that the “residents” there were able to draw, write poetry, have musical programs, and the like.  Our students were able to read some of the poetry and view the drawings, which were incorporated into the book “I Never Saw Another Butterfly”, a compilation of the verse and art which was created by the youngsters to express their emotions of what they were experiencing.

This week, our Giborim class will be receiving their first siddurim, “Lev Shalem”.
They will be chanting numerous prayers, which are part of our Shabbat services, and some are also recited during the weekday liturgy.

We look forward to seeing the Giborim parents to provide their children with moral support during this milestone event in their lives.

Next week, May 19th, is the last day of Ohr Chadash. Everyone is invited to join our students in an early celebration of Lag B’Omer. We will be having in-door sports activities and a sumptuous BBQ.

The teachers and I want to thank all our families for supporting our efforts throughout the years to provide a Jewish education which not only instills in our students the tenets of our faith, but also a love of being Jewish.  We hope they will care this love and commitment with them as they mature into adulthood.

April 21, 2024:  Ohr Chadash convened its annual children’s seder. A beautiful rendering of the Passover story combined with great food. The potato and apple kugels that Shari made are mind blowing! Chag sameach everyone!

There are no classes on Sunday, April 28th.

The children will return on Sunday, May 5th.  Our older two classes will meet with Representative Nily Rozic’s mother, who has served as a docent at Yad Vashem.  On Sunday, May 12th, our Giborim class will be presented with their Siddurim. On May 19, our last day of Ohr Chadash, we will have our Lag B’Omer BBQ and our end of school celebration.

April 12, 2024: Our students are truly in Passover mode, diligently practicing the Ohr
Chadash holiday service with vigor and enthusiasm.  They enjoy singing the parodies of familiar songs with funny Pesach lyrics and can’t wait for the actual event on Sunday April 21st.

On Sunday, March 31st, following a morning of Passover Seder preparation
and subject studies, our students were treated to a very engrossing in-person author experiential program.  Elyssa Friedland, creator of numerous children’s books, visited our children and read to them her latest work, “The Museum of Lost Teeth”, which posited a possible solution to the question “What happens to baby teeth once the Tooth Fairy takes them away from under a child’s pillow?”

Ms. Friedland’s book held the students’ undivided attention when it was being read and
the author’s questions about their personal dental experiences paved the way for a number
of animated discussions.

Following the Q & A session, the author provided each child with a tooth-shaped container
which the students were able to decorate with appropriate stickers associated with dental care and some shaped like teeth themselves. The container would serve the purpose of safely holding a lost tooth until such time as a Tooth Fairy can whisk it away to the museum for the next stage of its existence.

The next few weeks are going to be crucial as our students prepare for the Ohr Chadash Passover Seder. We ask that all parents make Sunday attendance the top consideration for their children.

Additionally, to our Giborim Parents: On Sunday, May 12th, your children will be presented
with their personal Siddurim.  It is imperative that our Giborim children attend every week, barring illness, so they will be able to demonstrate to their families how much they have learned.  Morah Marina is working intensely with this class to make sure our parents will be proud of them.  Unfortunately,  due to outside commitments which have taken precedence over school attendance, her efforts are being hampered. Please make Ohr Chadash the Number One priority on Sunday mornings.

March 27, 2024: This past week the Ohr Chadash School celebrated as we always do, with a fantastic Purim song fest  followed by the Purim carnival. Thank you Shari and Paul and all the others who helped make this a wonderful celebration!  Photo Gallery below; Click for Video

Please read the COVID-19 protocols below: