Netivot is devoted to the concept of using Maria Montessori’s educational philosophy to enhance Jewish education. Montessori methodology has been around for over a hundred years. In that time span, Montessori schools have proven repeatedly that they produce well-rounded, happy, academically successful children. Why? Because Montessori holds the answer to the question Jewish educators struggle valiantly to address; how can we as Jewish educators maintain our ability to challenge the class as a whole while still meeting the individual needs of each student?

Jewish schools are constantly challenged by the necessity of dealing with the needs of children whose talents and abilities mandate different approaches to learning. Many Jewish schools are struggling with the concept of “individualizing” education, and send their teachers and curriculum coordinators to conferences that discuss how to bring the “individualization” concept into a traditional classroom. Maria Montessori successfully answered this perplexing educational conundrum over a century ago, when she discovered that a classroom which is set up to meet the individual needs of students allows children a much higher degree of academic success and personal satisfaction.

As Jewish educators and parents, we have strong requirements for our children’s education. We want them to know at least as much as their “secular” peers, if not more. We expect them to be academically successful in their secular subjects, and to have a comprehensive and extensive knowledge of Judaism. What Maria Montessori discovered, and every Montessori school since her lifetime has since reinforced, is that children will succeed and thrive when their individual learning needs are met in the classroom. Children in Jewish schools should have the same opportunity to have their individual needs met as their secular peers.


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We have proven over thousands of years that we know how to educate Jewish children. What we need to do now is combine the Torah education knowledge we have obtained over the last several millenia with a modern educational philosophy which will allow us to reach each individual child and challenge them achieve their full potential as entire human beings.

There are other Jewish Montessori schools in the United States and other countries; in that sense, Netivot is not unique. We are, however, the first school in Central New Jersey to successfully begin the process of addressing the individual needs of Jewish day school students using the Montessori method. There is a growing awareness among Jewish educators that Montessori philosophy can and should be used with Jewish children. Unfortunately, since this awareness has only developed in the last decade or so, there is a lack of pre-developed curricula for Jewish Montessori Day Schools. Each Jewish school incorporating as a Montessori has full access to secular Montessori materials, but must develop their own Judaic materials.

Ultimately, Netivot’s goal is to develop a fully challenging Judaic studies curriculum using Montessori method, and to integrate this curriculum into the secular Montessori materials already available. In this way, we can give our children a clear sense that Judaism can integrate into their lives as a whole rather than remaining a separate part of their day. We hope our efforts in this innovative curriculum development will then serve as a model and resource for other fledgling Jewish Montessori schools in New Jersey and across the country.