We, at the Vladimir Medem Workmen's Circle School of Westchester, are a community of families committed to providing a powerful and meaningful secular Jewish Education for our children. Our children learn Jewish history and the unique role our people have played in the development of humankind. They learn the beauty of our culture - its music, art and dance. They learn to speak, read and write Yiddish, the language of our parents and the generations of parents before them. Ours is one of the very few schools in contemporary Jewish youth education that keeps this language vital and unforgotten. We take our children on wonderful field trips to Jewish museums, concerts, and plays. But beyond all of this knowledge, we teach our kids the progressive and humanistic values of tolerance and understanding of other peoples' cultures as well - the values that helped Jewish culture to flourish over thousands of years.

Our Sunday morning classes begin at the Aleph age ( 5 years) and continue through to Bar/Bat Mitzvah age. Our commencement ceremony requires our graduates to perform community "mitzvahs" and write a thesis on some aspect of what they learned about being Jewish.

After the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, our young adults can join our semi-monthly teen group to extend their learning experience. Holiday celebrations are done with style and are open to all families, friends and relatives. During classes, over coffee and bagels, parents can learn, too, as we participate in lectures and discussions of subjects ranging from history to current events.

ON BEING SECULAR

So what exactly is secular Judaism? To some this phrase may seem a contradiction of terms. After all, how can a religion such as Judaism with its venerable traditions of worship and its history of monotheism be practiced in a secular manner? How can "secular" and "Judaism" exist as two concepts in the same space? For more than a century Jews around the world have studied and celebrated the cultural side of their Judaism. It is the music, art, dance, language and intellectual creativity that provide the flavor and texture of who we were, are, and will be in the future. We believe that these products of Jewish life, created over many generations have great meaning and serve to emphasize our human role in our evolution.

But what about God? Do we worship God? The answer is simply no. We are not a synagogue nor do we study or worship with a Rabbi. From an intellectual vantage point we do discuss the concept of God and God worship, the impact of monotheism and its role in our people's development. But with that said, we don't teach against believing in God either. In fact, our community is comprised of God thought that runs the philosophical gamut from theism to agnosticism to atheism. Some families also attend synagogue - others do not. We leave the choice of worship expression to the individual family. What we try to convey to our students is that we, as a community of human beings, are ultimately responsible for the good and evil throughout the world. Individual and social conscience and responsibility are key concepts we convey.

What about values? How does a secular Jewish school teach values to its children? Our humanistic approach is centered on the study of the roles played by Jewish men and women in progressive causes such as the civil rights and peace movements. The culture that we celebrate is based on a forward thinking ethical framework that stresses the values of tolerance, humanitarianism, family and friendship.

Come see us in action. We welcome you.