Rabbi Aviva Bass left Stuart as an eight year old child when her family sought a community with the opportunities for their children to have a formal Jewish education and a place for worship. This fall, she has returned to Stuart as the Director of Education for both the Religious School and the Early Childhood Learning Center of Temple Beit HaYam.

In the intervening years, Rabbi Bass has built an incredibly varied resume of experiences and accomplishments. Her years of education include undergraduate work at the University of Miami (magna cum laude), Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Gratz College in Melrose, PA (MA in Jewish Education), and ordination at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, PA. She has held positions as Rabbi in Residence as well as regional supervisor of religious school teachers and curriculum for congregations in Perth and Melbourne (Australia) as well as Wellington, New Zealand. Additionally, she has served as Cantorial Soloist for congregations in the U.S. and abroad.

Rabbi Bass brings to our community a wealth of other special interests. She has lectured and coordinated seminars on spirituality and the arts, Jewish music, and the power of speech. Her thoughts and teachings have appeared in both American and Australian publications; she has accumulated many awards and honors in the fields of Jewish music, education and academic distinction.

Now in its second year of operation, The Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) at Temple Beit HaYam provides a full range of educational programs for preschool aged children of all faiths in a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment within a Reform Jewish setting. Full and half day programs, two, three and five days a week are offered to children ages eighteen months to five years old. With a low student to teacher ratio, the program emphasizes Jewish values of family, caring, community, traditional rituals as well as typical academic and social objectives that are age appropriate.

Jewish studies for children starting in Kindergarten and continuing through Confirmation are offered at TempleBeit HaYam's ReligiousSchool. Classes for all grade levels are held on Sunday mornings; additionally students in third grade through Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation attend classes devoted to the study of Hebrew and prayer on Wednesday afternoons. Studies are supplemented with hands on learning activities, art projects and music. The school's curriculum strives to cultivate a love and understanding of Jewish faith and heritage through the study of history, traditions, language and prayer.

For further information and registration, as well as offerings in adult education, call TempleBeit HaYam at 772-286-1531.