Sunday school / Hebrew school - has terminology changed?

[Anonymous]

Please forgive my ignorance on this but I feel ridiculous asking anyone in real life. Growing up, I had Christian friends who went to Sunday School and Jewish friends who went to Hebrew School. Now, I see people who I know are Jewish (some conservative) referring to sending their kids to Sunday School. Is this an active terminology change? Is Hebrew School not a 'thing' anymore? Please indulge my genuine curiosity!

[Anonymous]

yes, my Jewish husband insists that religious school on Sundays for Jewish kids is also called "Sunday School." I didn't grow up Jewish and I tell him that Sunday School when I was growing up was for Christian kids. I have no idea when this changed or started.
I believe the distinction is that Jewish kids also attend Hebrew lessons during the week (at least in Reform synagogues), so technically, the Sunday classes aren't "Hebrew school."

[Anonymous]

We always called it Sunday School. Its on a Sunday so I don't see the problem. I was never taught Hebrew at it, its for getting ready for your Bar/t Mitzvah or confirmation.

[Anonymous]

From my albeit limited experience, the kids go one a week on Sundays starting around Kindergarten. This is called religious school or Sunday school. Then starting around 3-4th grade they start going one additional day per week (so two days total) where they learn Hebrew in prep for Bar/bat mitzvah. This is called Hebrew school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From my albeit limited experience, the kids go one a week on Sundays starting around Kindergarten. This is called religious school or Sunday school. Then starting around 3-4th grade they start going one additional day per week (so two days total) where they learn Hebrew in prep for Bar/bat mitzvah. This is called Hebrew school.

Oh maybe this is it? I had never heard of Jewish kids going to "Sunday school" under recently.

[Anonymous]

Sunday School = any school on Sunday whether it's Christian, Jewish, whatever

Hebrew School = Jewish religious school NOT on Sunday, usually afterschool on a weekday... but could also be used to refer to Jewish school on a Sunday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my albeit limited experience, the kids go one a week on Sundays starting around Kindergarten. This is called religious school or Sunday school. Then starting around 3-4th grade they start going one additional day per week (so two days total) where they learn Hebrew in prep for Bar/bat mitzvah. This is called Hebrew school.

Oh maybe this is it? I had never heard of Jewish kids going to "Sunday school" under recently.

This is what I always called it. I grew up conservative jewish.

[Anonymous]

It was always Sunday School when I was a kid (1980s-90s) because it took place on a Sunday. Hebrew School was the additional day on Wednesday afternoons.

The congregation we belong to know lumps all of it under the term "religious school."

[Anonymous]

Sunday is Sunday school. Mon and Wed were Hebrew school. We learned Hebrew and how to pray in Hebrew on weekdays (which, by the way, isn't easy because it is in Hebrew). We had bible study on Sunday.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if it's related, but I recently looked at the IRS rules for religious institutions, and one of the bullets used as descriptions that define a "church" (aka religious organization for purposes of the tax code) is "Sunday schools for the religious instruction of the young". Not sure what role that plays, but just FYI.

[Anonymous]

When I was growing up (Reform) Hebrew language was during the week, bible, holidays etc were sunday, so it was Sunday school vs Hebrew school.

These days I think they don't split up the curriculum like that. So "religious school" or "hebrew school" as a generic term.

[Anonymous]

Our shul calls it "religious school", which sounds funny to me. I'm also used to "hebrew school" and think that "Sunday school" sounds Christian.

[Anonymous]

At the young ages, when it is just on sundays, it's not really accurate to call it Hebrew school. They might learn the alphabet, but it's much more about learning about the holidays, the Jewish culture, and laying the foundation for religious education. It doesn't really become Hebrew school until 4th grade or so, when you start going 2-3 times per week do you really start learning Hebrew and preparing for bar or bat mitzvahs.

[Anonymous]

I send my children to Hebrew school. It's on Sundays. I don't know anyone who calls it Sunday school. That sounds Christian to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please forgive my ignorance on this but I feel ridiculous asking anyone in real life. Growing up, I had Christian friends who went to Sunday School and Jewish friends who went to Hebrew School. Now, I see people who I know are Jewish (some conservative) referring to sending their kids to Sunday School. Is this an active terminology change? Is Hebrew School not a 'thing' anymore? Please indulge my genuine curiosity!

I am jewish so am an authority figure on this subject. When I was little, "hebrew school" was actually ON Sundays, from 9-11am. Thus, it was in fact SUNDAY school. Then when I got older and was forced to continue my jewish studies, it was either Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-6:30 or Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time. At that point, it was "hebrew school" or as my brother and I called it to our mom to give her jewish guilt because we hated going, "concentration camp."