Hebrew • Identity • Community

Shemesh is our summer learning program for children in Senior Kindergarten through Grade 3. While other Sunday Hebrew schools close for July and August, Shemesh keeps the light on, giving children a warm, camp-style space to stay connected to Hebrew, Jewish life, and friendship through the summer. The program runs on Sunday mornings at the Soloway JCC and is open to families across Ottawa, including those who do not attend OMJS during the year.

What makes Shemesh special?

Hebrew that does not pause
Children stay immersed in Hebrew words, songs, and stories all summer, so the language they built during the year keeps growing instead of fading.

Small groups, real attention
Each class is limited to ten children with two teachers, so every child is known, supported, and met where they are.

Values and holidays
Jewish values and the rhythm of the summer calendar are woven into joyful, hands-on activities, so students experience Jewish life as meaningful.

Creative, camp-style learning
Movement, music, art, and play lead the way, so learning feels natural for this age and feels like summer, not school.

Pluralistic and inclusive
As the only non-synagogue Sunday Hebrew school in the city, Shemesh welcomes families from diverse backgrounds and embraces different expressions of Jewish identity, including interfaith families and families new to Jewish life.

Community connection
Children build friendships and a sense of belonging that carry into the school year and into the wider Ottawa Jewish community.

Why Shemesh?

Summer should not be a pause in a child’s Jewish learning. For most children, Sunday Hebrew school is their only Jewish framework, and when the school year ends, that connection goes quiet for about three months, from June to September. Shemesh keeps it bright through the exact stretch when everything else closes. Children return in the fall ready to build, not to catch up. And for the many families who count OMJS as their main link to Jewish life, Shemesh keeps that link warm all year round.

At a glance

Who: SK (3.5 years old) to Grade 3, in two groups (SK to Grade 1, and Grade 2 to Grade 3)
When: Sunday mornings, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Dates: Six Sundays, July 19 to August 30 (no class on the Civic Holiday long weekend)
Where: Soloway JCC
Cost: instead of $420 for the full summer – Only $200.
For new Families – special rate: only $150 for the full summer.
Class size: opens at 7 children, capped at 10