Jewish Culture Month

 

A month long celebration of Jewish heritage 16 May - 16 June

Jewish Culture Month (JCM) - a month-long celebration of Jewish heritage, creativity and culture beginning on 16 May - offers a valuable opportunity for Religious Education (RE) teachers, in both primary and secondary schools, to deepen pupils’ understanding of Judaism as a lived, diverse and dynamic tradition.

JCM invites schools to engage meaningfully with Jewish life, culture and identity, enriching curricula while fostering respect, curiosity and community cohesion. The festival, which takes place during the Jewish month of Sivan, highlights themes of learning, heritage and celebration. For RE teachers, this aligns closely with curriculum aims: exploring religions as lived experiences, developing religious literacy and encouraging pupils to reflect on diversity within and across traditions.

Participating in JCM can enhance both subject knowledge and classroom practice. One of the most accessible ways to get involved is through the Jewish Culture Month resource hub, which provides a wide range of curated materials including videos, podcasts, websites and book recommendations. These resources, which cover both historical context and contemporary Jewish life, can be adapted for different key stages, supporting younger pupils in exploring festivals and traditions while enabling older students to engage with more complex questions about identity and belief.

Bringing Jewish life into the classroom

Experiential learning is a key strength of JCM. Schools may wish to visit or host the Jewish Living Experience Exhibition, which brings Jewish life into the classroom through interactive displays and artefacts. These encounters make abstract concepts tangible for primary pupils and offer secondary students opportunities for deeper discussion.

Food can also be a meaningful entry point into cultural exploration. As Shavuot is traditionally associated with dairy foods, teachers might incorporate activities such as exploring or preparing cheesecake recipes, prompting discussion about symbolism, tradition and the role of food in religious life.

For secondary schools, Jewish Living Online is a free digital resource that enables students to explore Jewish beliefs, practices and culture independently or in class. It is particularly useful for supporting GCSE and A-level study, as well as encouraging independent learning. 

How RE Hubs can help

RE Hubs has partnered with Starbeck Education - the specialist school supplier of inexpensive, exciting & unusual history, art, religious & cultural artefacts. To support JCM these are some of the resources they offer to support you in the classroom

Judaism Artefact Value Box ON THIS LINK

Judaism Primary Curriculum Pack ON THIS LINK

 

Visits to synagogues, museums and heritage centres

Beyond the classroom, visits to synagogues, museums and heritage centres offer valuable insight into Jewish life in the UK. Many synagogues welcome school groups, including those in Manchester, Leicester, Glasgow and London. Where visits are not possible, inviting a Jewish speaker, either in person or virtually, can bring authentic voices into the classroom and challenge misconceptions. Workshops and virtual sessions, including those offered by film and museum education programmes, provide further opportunities for creative engagement and help students connect emotionally and intellectually with the subject.

How RE Hubs can help

RE Hubs lists Places of Interest for schools to visit broken down by region ON THIS LINK. Here are all our featured Places of Interest that you could visit to take part in JCM.

Adat Yeshua Synagogue Norwich ON THIS LINK

Nottingham Liberal Synagogue ON THIS LINK

Find out more

For more information, on Jewish Culture Month:

Visit the website ON THIS LINK

Insta  @jewishculturemonth ON THIS LINK