Portland Jewish Academy is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and is proud of our partnership with them in strengthening our local Jewish community as well as the global community.
In the PJA Afterschool Department, we work diligently to go above and beyond our primary goal of providing safe spaces for youth during their out-of-school time. Our programs give us access to more than 300 children for up to 23 hours a week...
The leaves on the trees are changing colors. The weather is turning crisp and cool and rainy. Classrooms have established their routines and students are fully immersed in their learning. These are all indications that we are ready to ramp up our admission season for the next school year!
One of my favorite parts of Torah to teach is the construction of the mishkan, the sacred gathering space the Israelites built in the wilderness to worship God. Once the construction of the mishkan was complete, we read in Exodus 40:54 “The presence of God filled the tabernacle.”
Eighteen is a special and significant number in Judaism. The Hebrew word for Life- Chai- has the numerical value of 18 (ask me about Gematria some time! It is fascinating). We celebrate the number 18 and its meaning in many significant ways in Jewish life. Have you noticed how many of us make donations to our favorite causes in denominations of 18?
Happy New Year! The start of the new school year is always one of the most exciting times of year for me. Even after decades of attending and working in schools, I get just as excited about the first day of school as I did as a little kid...
![Professional Development and Afterschool]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1573250884/portland/vxwaywz51rkcpzhtsycf/professional-development.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1573250884/portland/vxwaywz51rkcpzhtsycf/professional-development.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1573250884/portland/vxwaywz51rkcpzhtsycf/professional-development.jpg","width":800}])
![Admission Season Begins]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1572041958/portland/h6xhfxzohkivostecp5k/Fall-leaves-Sarah.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1572041958/portland/h6xhfxzohkivostecp5k/Fall-leaves-Sarah.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1572041958/portland/h6xhfxzohkivostecp5k/Fall-leaves-Sarah.jpg","width":800}])
![Finding our Mishkan]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1569437250/portland/a9nltd4mqdh2ts35any2/solomon-schechter.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1569437250/portland/a9nltd4mqdh2ts35any2/solomon-schechter.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1569437250/portland/a9nltd4mqdh2ts35any2/solomon-schechter.jpg","width":800}])
![Eighteen]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1568236673/portland/cpmswmphls7st8voygio/Eighteen-Merrill.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1568236673/portland/cpmswmphls7st8voygio/Eighteen-Merrill.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1568236673/portland/cpmswmphls7st8voygio/Eighteen-Merrill.jpg","width":800}])
![Another New Year]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1566851211/portland/vstjbqrfzyfqtpzqhxdq/Happy-New-Year-Steve.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1566851211/portland/vstjbqrfzyfqtpzqhxdq/Happy-New-Year-Steve.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1566851211/portland/vstjbqrfzyfqtpzqhxdq/Happy-New-Year-Steve.jpg","width":800}])