A Culturally Jewish Sunday School

Folkshul’s Sunday School is more than a classroom — it’s a joyful, hands-on, multigenerational experience. Rooted in Secular Humanistic Judaism, our youth programming weaves together Jewish culture, identity, history, ethics, and community with action, creativity, and fun.

We meet most Sundays from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM, September through May, in Northwest Philadelphia. Our programming serves children and teens from Pre-K through 12th grade.

What We Teach

Click here to view our curriculum at a glance.

Jewish Identity & Heritage
Students explore Jewish culture, values, holidays, and history — with a focus on storytelling, music, food, and tradition through a secular lens.
Ethics, Social Justice, and Community Values
Our school integrates tikkun olam, mitzvot (as human-centered good deeds), and project-based service learning. We don’t just teach values — we live them.
Critical Thinking & Cultural Literacy
Age-appropriate exploration of Jewish diversity, global Jewry, ethics, Israel/Palestine, and big questions about meaning, belonging, and belief.
Creative Expression & Celebration
Students engage through art, music, roleplay, performance, and community-building activities. We celebrate Shabbat, holidays, and life-cycle milestones together — often with a joyful twist.

Our Learning Progression

Our youngest learners explore Jewish holidays, culture, and stories. As students progress through the elementary years, classroom learning focuses on building identity, community, and values.
As middle schoolers, students learn about Jewish history, ethics, and hands-on action. As students enter our Breit Mitzvah program, they begin a process of personalized study and community leadership.
In their final years in the Folkshul classroom, students study modern Jewish history and stories of Jewish resistance.
Students in grades 10-12 remain an important part of our Folkshul community. Students stay engaged through assistant teaching, service projects, and leadership roles. Along the way, they explore real-world ethics, Jewish activism, and peer mentorship.

Why Families Love Folkshul

“We were searching for a place where our kids could build Jewish identity and values without dogma — and where we, as parents, could learn too. Folkshul has given us all of that and more.”
— Parent of two enrolled students

“Folkshul taught me how to be in the world. I still carry those lessons with me.”
— Jen Shinefeld, alum and Harm Reduction worker

Parents & Adult Community: You Belong Too

While your children are learning, you’re invited to join our adult learning community — open to all grown-ups regardless of whether they have children in the program. Our Sunday morning adult programs include talks and presentations on a variety of topics, book discussions, arts and cultural programs, and seasonal events. Find our full calendar of adult programming here.

Learn more

Grade Descriptions & Themes

Sunday Fundays for Pre-K Children & Their Families

Sunday Fundays is a free program for children ages 0-4 and their caregivers. Sunday Fundays meets on select Sundays throughout the school year. On Sunday Fundays, participants will join together with Folkshul’s Kindergarten and first grade students and families for songs, crafts, story time and more. It’s a great way to celebrate the holidays and the seasons, get to know our Folkshul community, and get a taste of what life is like in our Sunday School classrooms!

Kindergarten & Grade 1

Jewish Customs
Students explore holidays, celebrations, and other Jewish traditions. We experience Jewish customs and observances, e.g., shaking the lulav and etrog, lighting candles, eating apples and honey. Students also explore Jewish values such as mitzvot, tikkun olam, and tzedakah.

Living Our Values: Heroes and Role Models
Students study secular, humanistic, and Jewish role models as examples of Jewish values in action. Students learn about heroes from Jewish stories, as well as role models in our own families and communities.

Grades 2 & 3

Marking Our Time and Origins
Students learn about calendars: lunar and solar calendars, when a day begins and ends, the cycle of seasons, holidays and their connection to natural events. Students develop an understanding of the origins of the holidays we celebrate, and how they are celebrated around the world. Students explore their family origins and learn about life cycle celebrations, including birth, b’nai mitzvah, marriage, growth and aging.

Origin Stories and Bible Stories, Part 1
Students study current hypotheses on the origins of the universe, humans, and the Jewish people. Students also explore mythical creation/origin stories from various sources. Students work to understand the difference between myth and science, and the role of each in our lives. Students study stories from the Torah up to and including the story of Joseph – and they’ll continue learning Torah stories in fourth and fifth grade! Our Grades 2 & 3 curriculum also introduces students to Israel and Palestine, including ancient and modern geography, as well as Jewish immigration to Israel, and Palestinian history, customs, and religion.

Grades 4 & 5

Bible Stories, Part 2 & Ancient Jewish History
Students continue their exploration of Bible stories and develop an understanding of the composition and origin of the texts now known as “The Bible.” Students study stories from Deuteronomistic works: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Students explore how stories can serve political aims, they discuss important qualities of leaders, and they learn about the Talmud and the question of interpreting rules of conduct. Students explore what historians and archaeologists know about ancient Israel, including politics and what life was like for the people living there.

Jewish Migration: The Middle Ages to the Democratic Revolutions
Students learn about Jewish life during the Middle Ages, including the geography of the Jewish Diaspora, the Jewish Golden Age in Spain, the teachings of Maimonides, Jewish life in the Maghreb, and the expulsion of Jews from Spain in the 15th century. Students learn about life in the Diaspora after the Spanish Inquisition, including the experience of Shtetl life and the emergence of Yiddish, and the Jewish role in the development of European commerce.

Grades 6 & 7

History of Jewish Immigration to the United States & the Labor Movement
Students learn about Jewish life in Colonial America, deism among the Founding Fathers, and Jewish involvement in the Revolutionary War. As the year progresses, students study waves of migration to the United States in the 19th century and explore the ways in which Jewish people experienced assimilation and integration into American society. Students learn about the Jewish role in the Labor Movement.

Comparative Judaism and Coming of Age Traditions
As students prepare for their own b mitzvah ceremonies, they deepen their knowledge of Secular Humanistic Judaism and also develop an understanding other Jewish groups, such as religious groups (e.g., Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Hasidic, Reconstructionist, Lubavich), secular groups (e.g., Sholem Aleichem, B’nai B’rith), political groups (e.g., Zionist, socialist, labor unions), and youth groups (e.g., Hillel). Students study the history of the B mitzvah ceremony, beginning in medieval times, and also learn about coming of age traditions in Judaism and other religions and cultures.

Grades 8 & 9

The Holocaust and Stories of Jewish Resistance
Students learn about the Holocaust and World War II in Europe. Students also study stories of Jewish resistance throughout history, and develop an understanding of antisemitism in historical and modern contexts.

Modern Jewish History Since WWII
Students learn about American Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries, including the role of Jews in the Civil Rights and Feminist movements in the United States. Students study the modern history of Israel and Palestine. Students learn about Jewish communities around the world, and explore the contributions of Jewish people to contemporary global art and culture.

Assistant Program (Grades 10-12)

After they complete their K-9 classroom learning, Folkshul students are invited to return as Assistants. Assistants support our elementary and middle school classrooms, help to run community programs, and lead Vinkels (interest-based clubs) based on their own expertise and interests. Our Assistants play a crucial role in the everyday operation of Folkshul and serve as leaders and role models for our younger students.

📬 Still Have Questions?

We’re happy to talk! Email folkshul@folkshul.org for more info