Chabad Launches the First Online International School For Jewish Children

E. Silberstein – Lubavitch.com
Shneur Jacobs 8 of Burlington, VT at the Online School for Young Shluchim

Ithaca, NY — Chabad Shluchim living in remote places or cities where there is no Jewish school, have long contended with schooling their children at home or parting with them at young ages, so they can get a traditional education. A newly developed online school now gives these children the benefit of a classroom situation where they daily interact with classmates–children of other shluchim, and a teacher, at home.

Eyes glued to the screen, seven-year-old Devorah S. of Ithaca, NY, listens intently to her teacher’s voice through her head set. Devorah has 15 classmates whom she met only “virtually,” and a teacher who lives 300 miles away from her. One of 150 students from around the world who participate in an online classroom, Devorah says she loves “learning Yiddish,” her favorite subject. The two-hour class in front of a computer screen flies by. “It doesn’t seem like two whole hours.”

The Online School for Young Shluchim, established by the Shluchim Office, a project of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, provides Jewish children with a comprehensive Jewish education and the opportunity to meet and socialize with other children of similar background. Designed specifically for the children of Chabad Shluchim who often live in cities and countries where there are no local religious Jewish schools, the School’s classes range from first through eighth grade. Scheduled to accommodate different time zones and three languages–English, Yiddish (a spoken language among many children of Shluchim) and Hebrew, the School’s goal is to equip the students with the necessary education and skills to eventually integrate into a regular Jewish high school curriculum.

Every day at a set time, Devorah and her classmates at the Online School enter a password and plug in their camera equipped headsets to access their online classroom. The screen acts as a classroom and the students are able to listen, interact and ask questions through their headset. Instead of raising their hands, they merely click the control button on their key board requesting to be called on, or simply type in their questions. Through their cameras they can actually view their teacher and fellow classmates. The teacher can even call students up to the board to demonstrate their skills. During recess, the students enjoy open microphones and are able to interact freely with each other.

Mendel Levertov, age 10, of Santa Fe, spends four hours a day at the Online School for Young Shluchim. “He’s learning Code of Jewish Law, Talmud, Torah, Chasidut, Navi and Parsha over the course of a week,” says his father, Rabbi Berel Levertov, Chabad representative to Santa Fe. “This is an incredibly innovative program that has allowed me to keep my children at home while giving them the quality of education they would receive at a proper yeshiva or traditional Jewish day school,” says Levertov, who has four out of five children enrolled in the Online School.

Long distance education is not a new phenomenon. Other correspondence courses for home schooled students include communication through postal mail, radio broadcasts, videos, CD’S, email and most recently, web cameras. These courses are geared towards a specific subject. The students simply access an online curriculum and are guided by an instructor. But the Online School is the only long distance education system that actually simulates real classroom dynamics. Mrs. Gittel Rosenfeld, the Online School Principal, says she feels that the online environment does not lessen the effectiveness of the teacher. “To the contrary, the students get to interact and learn through visual stimulus without the distractions of a normal classroom.”

Until virtual spit balls are invented, teachers at the Online School also enjoy the benefits of the unique and innovative system that eliminates losing time on discipline. When the classroom gets too noisy or out of control, the teacher can simply switch off the student’s microphones. “You can build positive relationships with the students when you are not forced to discipline,” says Chanie Barber, second grade teacher at the Online School. Though the class is only two hours a day, the students seem to pack more learning into less time.

There are a few minor glitches to be ironed out, with students sometimes as young as five and six years old getting stuck on technicalities, headsets and microphones. Getting kicked off the server can sometimes mean that the student will miss 10-15 minutes of the two hour class until they get re-admitted. The teachers, too, need to adapt to the new environment. Devorah says that sometimes she feels the class is going too fast for her, but she does not know how to communicate that message. Without the teachers in close proximity, it is difficult for them to gauge the reactions of their students and evaluate the pace at which they understand the information. Yet, students and parents say it is an amazing development.

”My children now have the benefit of being schooled by trained teachers, with the supervision of a principal and the social environment they would get at school. My children now are on the phone and internet with their classmates, and this has opened a whole new dimension in their experience as young Shluchim,” says Mrs. Devorah Leah Levertov.

Less than a year old, this seems to be a rapidly growing form of schooling. The school started with four students who interacted over the telephone on a conference call. By September, the school had swelled to 150 kids and the online classes opened for the first time. The web cameras were introduced a short while later, and the students can now actually see their teachers and classmates. According to administrators of the Online School, they are anticipating opening up classes to students in Australia and Asia. There are no immediate plans for classes in Spanish or other languages, but should there be a demand for that, says Chana Raizel Segal, the school administrator. “we’ll do our best to fill it.”

The students, teachers and administrators are excited about the progress they have made and the opportunities that lie ahead. Do the kids miss being in a regular school? “This is a real school!” Devorah insists.

22 Comments

  • Chabad Rocks!!!!!!!

    This a very good program.
    and i thinks that for kids that
    go to school they should have a late class program as well.

  • good job

    wow!!
    gr8 opportunity for the rebbe’s shluchim out there!!!
    keep up the gr8 work.

  • Just wondering....

    This is fantastic!! Is really only for shluchims’ children? What about Anash, who are not shluchim who also live in “out of the way” places. We have to send our young children away to Chabad schools, too, since there are no Jewish schools where we live. Lubavitchers like us who are not shluchim would love to take part in this, too!

  • Moshe

    It is for shluchim and shluchim supporters (anash) living in remote areas that do not have chinuch al taharas hakodesh.

  • Uncle Fishel

    Fantastic article. Well written, informative, great program!

    BTW. Is the photogenic kid in the first photo a real kid, or did they hire him to make the article classy?

  • Shluchim Office

    All children that need it can use it, anyone in need would go through the Shliach in his area or closest to them.
    Just call the Shluchim Office in n.y. 7182210500 and ask for Yuti.
    Thanks for all your wonderful comments

  • bochur

    This is so nice! I’ve met kids of shluchim who are sooo excited about it!! Just curious- do they have the classes at the same time for different ages? Because what do parents do if their kids have class at the same time??? (imagine needing five computers!!!)

  • Shluchim office

    Yossi Goodman keep it up, you are doing a fantastic job here at the Shluchim office keeping it going strong for kinderlach from the world over!!

  • Att: bochur

    Some classes are at the same time so they do have to use the extra computer in Chabad House or even buy a new one-it’s worth it for such good education!

  • AMAZING!

    It’s seriously unbelievable! I watch my sister teach her classes sometimes and you see how precious these kids are…once there was a tech issue and when the teacher got reconnected the kids were in mid of a farbrengen one kid was saying a story and then they started singing! It was SOOO cute! & you must hear what the kids have to say when the teacher comes 3 minutes late …“finally we can learn now!”
    BH this school started so the young shluchim are able to learn in such an amazing way!

  • Montreal Seminare

    So, all the kids are adorable, but the first one I know personally, so forgive me everyone, he is so cute! I witnessed him actually in school (on his computer) and it is a truly amazing creation!

  • beautiful

    Thanx a lot to the shluchim office and the shemtov family of new york, i cant imagine of a better way to invest money.. keep it up!

  • homeschooler

    what age does it go up to? i’m a homeschooled high schooler are there are very few resources since most people go away by my age….
    Go Shluchim Office!! I would have loved this!

  • annoymous........

    This is a wonderful idea. The Rebbe would surely be proud that his little shluchim can have the same learning opportunity as their fellow little shluchim that are living in the big cities. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK….

  • Shliach

    Why ther is no mentione of the shemtov Family that support this Project ?
    and Moshe Shemtov The Director of the on line School ?

    Give Credit to the people that deserve it.

    Thank you all Gedalya Moishe, and the rest of the team.