Released Time Students Invite Friends to Join the Fun

With more than 500 enrollments, Jewish Released Time is off to one of its best starts. Many students have taken it upon themselves to share the joy they find in Jewish Released Time, resulting in the enrollment of even more children.

Jewish Released Time has launched its educational programs this year with unprecedented enthusiasm and participation, setting the tone for a remarkable year of impactful Jewish education across New York City. 

With the program seeing more than 500 enrollments, Jewish Released Time is off to one of its best starts. Parents, students, and instructors alike are expressing joy and pride in the program, highlighting its tremendous growth and impact. Many parents have voiced their appreciation, sharing how their children eagerly look forward to the program each week as it instills a sense of identity and pride in the young students—something parents have found invaluable.

The Jewish Released Time program is the flagship initiative of the N.C.F.J.E. It is held every Wednesday throughout the school year in all New York City public schools, at no cost to participants. Since its inception, more than 300,000 children received a Jewish education through the program.

“Our entire family has a new appreciation of Jewish values and traditions,” said Mira, a proud mother of two students at P.S. 196. “Every week, my children come home teaching me about new mitzvahs that we should do together and it has been leading us to live a more spiritually rich life.”

This year Erev Rosh Hashanah, Sukkos, and Shemini Atzeres, were on Wednesdays, making it challenging for the instructors to travel to their public schools and return to Crown Heights in time for Yom Tov. Nevertheless, every school not only operated smoothly, but grew in its impact. Each Released Time student received a lulav and esrog for Sukkos, adding a personal and tangible connection to every family. For many children, this was their first opportunity to learn about Sukkos, making it a very memorable and impactful experience for them. 

Many students have been especially active in recruiting their friends to join the program, helping spread the word and encouraging new families to participate. These students have taken it upon themselves to share the joy they find in Jewish Released Time, resulting in the enrollment of even more children.

As the year unfolds, the program’s reach and impact are expanding, and its staff are seeking the community’s support to help it grow even further. Rabbi Sholem Ber Hecht, the organization’s chairman, has asked for everyone’s involvement to help Released Time reach new heights: “Many people in New York know of someone who sends their children to public school. We ask that you take a moment to connect them with the Released Time office, so we can hopefully enroll them and provide their children with a Jewish education”. 

If you have a colleague, family member, or person you meet on weekly Mivtzoim, who has a child attending a public school in NYC, please reach out to the Released Time office to learn how you can enroll them and gift them with a fun and meaningful Jewish education.

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