Rabbi Jay Perlman
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Rabbi Jay Perlman is a Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom. Since his arrival in Needham in the summer of 2003, Rabbi Perlman has been dedicated to nurturing a warm, vibrant, spiritually meaningful community. He is proud to share in this sacred service with many outstanding clergy, professional, and lay leaders.
Rabbi Perlman is active in both the Needham and the Greater Boston Jewish community. He is an active member of the Needham Clergy Association, including having recently served as president. He currently serves on the New England Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League. He frequently dedicates two weeks during summer to serve on the faculty at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Eisner. Rabbi Perlman has served as a rabbinic mentor for both the Hebrew College Rabbinic Program and the rabbinical school at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is a regular teacher for the URJ’s “Taste of Judaism” and “Introduction to Judaism” programs and is a member of the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention.
Before coming to the Boston area, Rabbi Perlman served at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, MO. While there, he was awarded UJA Federation’s Rabbinic Award for outstanding community leadership. Rabbi Perlman was active in the development of innovative worship experiences, creative youth programming, and in working with the St. Louis Jewish deaf community. In addition, Rabbi Perlman was the founding Rabbinic Director of the Fleischer Jewish Healing Center of St. Louis.
Rabbi Perlman was ordained from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1996. While at HUC, he was the recipient of a number of academic awards, including his selection as a Steinhardt Scholar for his work in informal education.
Rabbi Perlman is originally from the Boston area. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brandeis University, where he received his B.A. in both History and Near East and Judaic Studies. Rabbi Perlman has participated in numerous study opportunities in Israel, including programs at the Hartman Institute, the Conservative Yeshiva, the Pardes Institute, Hebrew University, and through the World Zionist Organization.
Rabbi Perlman has a passion for teaching, learning, building bridges, and sharing the beauty of our Jewish tradition. He joyfully shares his life with his wife, Emily, and their children Liana and Jonah.
K-12 Learning At Temple Beth Shalom
Glossary
This site contains terminology that is unique to our K-12 learning programs at Temple Beth Shalom. We hope this glossary will be helpful as you explore the site.
BESTY – BESTY (BEth Shalom Temple Youth) is the Temple YOUth Group (TYG) at Temple Beth Shalom. We have youth groups for different age groups: Itty-Bitty BESTY (Grades K-2), Mini-BESTY (Grades 3-4), Jr. BESTY (Grades 5-7), and BESTY (Grades 8-12)
Explorations – Each grade cohort in Mayim and Shorashim engage in our signature Explorations curriculum: active, hands-on, thematic learning that is grounded in child development and draws inspiration from best practices in project-based learning, center-based learning, and social-emotional learning.
Etzim – Hebrew for "trees". This is the name of the learning program for 8th-12th grades.
Friday Night Lights – Friday Night Lights is a Friday evening Shabbat service filled with music, singing, and energy. It is designed for families with elementary age children, but all are welcome. Friday Night Lights is held the first Friday of the month at 6:15 pm. It is often preceded by a special dinner for Mayim or Mayim Tamid group.
Hebrew Educator – The Hebrew Educators facilitate the small group and 1:1 Hebrew learning for children in 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grade. They work with either small groups of approximately 4-6 children or in 1:1 sessions, to facilitate mastery of selected t’filot (prayers) and to connect the Hebrew language learning the children have been doing in Mayim and Shorashim with the prayers that they have been experiencing in weekly t’filah.
Jewish Connection Experience (JCE) – Jewish Connection Experiences are Jewish experiences that are integral parts of the children’s learning. They are opportunities for the children and their families to have authentic Jewish experiences and are included in the Mayim and Shorashim calendars at the beginning of the year.
Jewish Learning Guide – The Jewish Learning Guides (JLGs) are the core faculty of the Mayim program. Working in teams of 2-3, the JLGs are supported by our curriculum coaches as they focus on developing engaging learning sessions for their particular age group. Together, they craft curriculum on an ongoing basis, as they plan, facilitate, and adapt differentiated learning experiences for the children in their groups throughout the week. In addition to face-to-face time with students, the Jewish Learning Guides engage in team-based planning and development, professional development, communication and relationship-building with families, and individual preparation and learning.
Kibbud - Hebrew for "snack."
Madrich/Madricha/Madrichol – Hebrew for “guide.” Plural is madrichimot. Madrichimot are 8th-12th grade teens from our TBS community who are learning how to be leaders and student teachers Mayim, Mayim Tamid, and Shorashim.
Masoret – Hebrew for "Jewish tradition". Children spend time learning about upcoming holidays, reviewing holiday-related rituals and blessings, and/or learning about specific prayers.
Mayim – Hebrew for “water.” This is the name of the elementary learning program for grades K-4.
Mayim Tamid - Hebrew for “Mayim Always.” This is the name of our multiday after-school program for grades K-4.
Mifgash – Hebrew for “gathering” or “encounter” (pronounced “meefgahsh”). Plural is mifgashim. We refer to each group of children that learns together as a mifgash group.
Moadon – Hebrew for “lounge area.” The Moadon is an informal lounge area, staffed by a member of the K-12 learning team. We have a Shorashim moadon on weekdays from 2:30-3:00 pm, and a Mayim Tamid moadon on weekdays from 5:30-6:00 pm.
Project-Based Learning – Project-Based Learning is an approach to learning that begins with a “big question” and is structured around a hands-on project. Children work in smaller groups, assisted by Jewish Learning Guides and madrichimot, to explore the question and contribute to the final project.
Shorashim – Hebrew for "roots". This is the name of the learning program for 5th-7th grades.
T’filah – Hebrew for “prayer.” Plural is t’filot. The last 30 minutes of each weekly session are spent in t’filah.