I. L. Peretz
Community Jewish School
--The Secular Alternative--
in Central New Jersey
| Introduction | |
| About the School | |
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Who We Are Curriculum Board Members Principal and Faculty Parent Committees Students Graduates Directions to the school Frequently Asked Questions |
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| About the Community | |
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Who We Are Planning Committee Caring Community Book Discussion Group Teen Group Membership |
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| News & Events | |
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Calendar Announcements Stokes Photo Gallery |
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| Sponsors & Affiliates | |
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Bookstore Links |
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| Contact Us | |
| Who we are | ||
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The I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School provides a secular Jewish school and community for children and adults in Central New Jersey. We offer an education program for young children leading to a graduation at the end of 7th grade. Older children return for our teen group. We also offer weekly educational programs for adults, including a conversational Yiddish class. We gather for traditional holiday celebrations and social-cultural events including twice-yearly retreats at Stokes State Forest. The I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School is a nonprofit educational institution. But we are the proud descendant of a secular Jewish school in Central Jersey that dates back more than 75 years. Our school grew out of and is linked to the Arbeter Ring, or Workmen's Circle, which like many other labor and fraternal organizations, started secular Jewish schools. These schools educated children to find fulfillment both as Jews and as citizens of their new countries. The curriculum emphasized Yiddish language and literature, Jewish history, holidays, and folk creativity in dance, song and drama. Today's secular Jewish schools may vary in the language and literature emphasized (our school emphasizes Hebrew), but the other elements are held in common. Our school was named after the great Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz. He was born in 1852 in Zamosc, Poland. Though raised in the orthodox tradition, he also absorbed worldly knowledge. He is one of the most influential figures of modern Jewish culture. Dedicated to Yiddish culture, he recognized that Jews needed to adapt to their times while preserving their cultural heritage, and his captivating and beautiful writings explore the complexities inherent in the struggle between tradition and the desire for progress. At his funeral in 1915 more than one hundred thousand mourners followed his coffin. |
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| For more information about the I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School or the I. L. Peretz Secular Jewish Community, call us at 732-545-9691 or email to info@ilperetz.org. |
Matthew Hoffman, Webmaster