"Every Jewish child deserves a Jewish education"
Our History
It's 1968. NYC Public School teachers go on strike. For 2 ½ months, public school children were home with no school to attend.
Rabbi Eli Marcus z”l and Rabbi Eli Freilich jump at the opportunity and create Ezra Academy – whose mission statement is “Every Jewish child deserves a Jewish education”. Any Jewish child, regardless of their prior knowledge of Judaism, will be taught the basics and fundamentals of Jewish life.
To accomplish this goal, Judaic studies classes are not arranged by age, but rather by level. Every student is placed in a level in which they can maximize their exposure to and absorption of the basics of Judaism and Jewish texts. From learning the alef-bet to advanced Talmud, students are exposed to the richness of Jewish learning.
Exposure to Jewish life is not limited to texts. Experiential learning is a major part of our curriculum. This includes Rosh Chodesh celebrations, Chanukah and Purim parties, as well as use of our Sukkah during the holiday of Sukkot. Additionally, there are numerous Shabbatons during the year as well as an upstate 4 day retreat together with the Judaic faculty and their families.
As our students often say “Ezra is not just a school, it’s a family!”
Rabbi Eli Marcus z”l and Rabbi Eli Freilich jump at the opportunity and create Ezra Academy – whose mission statement is “Every Jewish child deserves a Jewish education”. Any Jewish child, regardless of their prior knowledge of Judaism, will be taught the basics and fundamentals of Jewish life.
To accomplish this goal, Judaic studies classes are not arranged by age, but rather by level. Every student is placed in a level in which they can maximize their exposure to and absorption of the basics of Judaism and Jewish texts. From learning the alef-bet to advanced Talmud, students are exposed to the richness of Jewish learning.
Exposure to Jewish life is not limited to texts. Experiential learning is a major part of our curriculum. This includes Rosh Chodesh celebrations, Chanukah and Purim parties, as well as use of our Sukkah during the holiday of Sukkot. Additionally, there are numerous Shabbatons during the year as well as an upstate 4 day retreat together with the Judaic faculty and their families.
As our students often say “Ezra is not just a school, it’s a family!”
Judaic Curriculum
In many Yeshivot, questions about Judaism are discouraged and those who ask them are looked down upon. At Ezra, students are encouraged to ask questions which become the springboard for many discussions about Judaism and the role of Jews in the modern world. Our motto for 50 years was "Ezra Academy - the route to Jewish discovery". While our motto has changed, our mission has not!
Our Judaic curriculum includes the following subjects:
- Chumash
- Dinim
- Gemara
- Intro to Judaism
- Ketuvim
- Lashon
- Mishna
- Navi
- Parsha
- Pirkei Avot & Jewish Philosophy