Seven North American Synagogues Will Open Jewish After School Programs in Fall 2026
Mazel tov, Jewish After School Accelerator Cohort IV!
Seven North American synagogues will open Jewish after school programs in the fall of 2026 as part of the Jewish After School Accelerator's (JASA) fourth cohort. All programs include transportation from nearby schools and are open to the entire community.
Synagogues selected for JASA Cohort IV include:
Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, MI
Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, NY
Congregation Kol Tikvah in Parkland, FL
Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, CA
Broward Central Synagogue in Plantation, FL
Temple Sinai Congregation of Toronto in Toronto, CA
Congregation Beth Ohr in Bellmore, NY
JASA Participants Receive Coaching, Collateral, Curriculum & Capital
Throughout 2026, each of these seven synagogues will receive expert guidance and collaborate with one another to recruit, train, and retain staff; structure transportation plans; customize JASA’s Jewish and Hebrew curriculum; and market their after school program to families. They will receive matching grants of up to $100,000 over three years to offset start-up costs.
Jewish After School Programs Expand Across North America
Cohort IV participants appear as green stars. Cohorts I, II, and III appear in purple.
With the addition of Cohort IV, 27 Jewish after school programs are currently operating or in development across North America thanks to Jewish Kids Groups (JKG). They include:
Adat Ari El in Los Angeles, CA
Congregation B'nai Emunah in Tulsa, OK
Congregation Beth El in South Orange, NJ
Temple Shalom in Newton, MA
Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, IL
Beth Shir Shalom in Los Angeles, CA
Congregation Har Hashem in Boulder, CO
Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia, PA
Congregation Anshai Torah in Plano, TX
Hamakom in Woodland Hills, CA
Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro, CA
Temple Judea in Coral Gables, FL
Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, MA
Temple Shalom in Naples, FL
Temple Sinai of North Dade in Miami, FL
Temple B'nai Abraham in Livingston, NJ
Jewish Kids Groups in Brookhaven, GA
Jewish Kids Groups in Decatur, GA
Jewish Kids Groups in Morningside, GA
About the Jewish After School Accelerator
Following more than a decade of success in Atlanta, Jewish Kids Groups (JKG) set out in 2023 to make Jewish after school programs accessible to modern families across North America.
Thanks to a seed grant from The Marcus Foundation and early support from The Zalik Foundation, JKG’s Jewish After School Accelerator (JASA) provides Jewish organizations across North America with tools, guidance, curriculum, and financial support to launch their own Jewish after school programs for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The JASA program is grounded in the belief that infusing Jewish learning into after school childcare, an essential service families with young children already rely on, makes it easy for modern families to prioritize Jewish connection.
Since JASA’s inception, 115 synagogues, Jewish community centers, day schools, and other Jewish organizations from 45 North American cities have applied to participate.
The reason? Modern family life is busy, Jewish families are more diverse than ever, and participation in traditional Jewish supplementary education during the school year continues to decline. Add rising antisemitism to the mix, and it's more critical than ever for Jewish organizations to pursue convenient, flexible, welcoming, and accessible approaches to childhood education that deliver the Jewish connection families want without adding stress to their already full schedules.
North American Jewish organizations: Apply by March 1 for JASA Cohort V
Cohort V applications are open! Jewish organizations interested in bringing Jewish after school to their communities can apply here by March 1.
Funders: Make Jewish education accessible to modern families
The Jewish After School Accelerator requires additional philanthropic partners to bring Jewish after school programs to communities across North America. Watch this video to see JASA in action and learn more about funding opportunities.
Photos: JASA Cohort IV finalists gathered in Atlanta for several days of learning and collaboration with the JASA leadership team.
