Organisations of the community: Talmud Torah

The Talmud Torah in Leeds!

The Talmud Torah is the Cheder for Leeds providing for the three Orthodox shuls. Every Sunday morning, from 10.00am to 12.30, you will find a warm atmosphere, where Jewish children are learning together. At the Talmud Torah the children discover Jewish history and traditions in a fun and informative way, mixing with other Jewish children at the same time. It is open to children from Reception class right up to Bar and Bat-Mitzvah.

Shoshana Angyalfi, the Head teacher for over 30 years, has created an exciting curriculum for the weekly sessions, incorporating morning prayers, sedra of the week and of course, the Festivals. These are an opportunity for baking, arts and crafts and educational workshops. Mrs.Angyalfi also provides teaching midweek for small groups, to concentrate purely on Hebrew reading.

Teaching the children to read Hebrew is a priority so that they can read prayers and follow a service. The brilliant new reading scheme, Aleph Champ has proved a success and the children’s progress under this new scheme has been remarkable. They all enjoyed receiving their medals on Prize Day.

A newly formed group of young parents is keen to develop the potential of the Cheder by eventually bringing all Jewish education under the auspices of the Talmud Torah. Another initiative is the collaboration of the Talmud Torah with The Zone for special occasions, such as the ‘Who Wants to be a Chanukah Millionaire’ event.

The Talmud Torah has a long history in Leeds and are fortunate to have one of its most ardent supporters as the President at the moment. Reverend Gilbert has taken on this role, which rotates between the Rabbonim each year. The Talmud Torah is proud of the reputation of the Bat-Chayil course, led by Ruth Cohen. We also have superb Bar-Mitzvah tuition and a GCSE Jewish Studies course, where students achieve excellent results. They are always ready to welcome new children to the Talmud Torah, especially those who attend non-Jewish schools, so that the continuity of our special Jewish community in Leeds can be ensured.