Temple Israel Reopens Hebrew School

On Monday, Temple Israel of South Merrick celebrated the reopening of their Hebrew School after it was damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

The classrooms are the home for the Hebrew school, which hosts 85 kids and meets three days a week. When Sandy struck, the whole lower level was filled with four feet of water, and desks floated into the hallway.

The building was without power for 10 days due to the Hurricane’s wrath, but the kids missed just three days of school, as they were relocated to other spots on the premises.

“The teachers and principal definitely wanted to normalize the students’ experience,” Rabbi Scott Hoffman told Patch. “We wanted to give them some of the routine that they were used to.”

The same studies, activities and religious programming still took place, Hoffman said, and he added that some of them were also displaced from their homes due to the storm.

Damage to the lower level included the furnishings, sheetrock, floors, electrical system, radiators and more. The exact cost of the damage has not been determined, and insurance did aid in funding for the fixes.

“Compared to other individual homeowners and businesses, it could have been far worse,” Hoffman said. “I hope this teaches the kids that it’s about the activity they’re doing and not the place they’re doing it.”