Jewish Educational Center
The Jewish Educational Center is an eighty-year-old yeshiva school located in Elizabeth, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grades. Throughout the day the student curriculum consists of Judaic and secular studies. JEC, as it is commonly known, is run by its dean, Rabbi Elazar Mayer Teitz. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 2008. The Jewish Educational Center also includes the Jewish communities of Elizabeth, Springfield, and Hillside, NJ, including five synagogues, a mikveh, cemetery, and more.
The school includes three divisions:
- JEC Lower School: Pre-Kindergarten to 5th grade for boys, Pre-Kindergarten to 6th grade for girls, founded in 1939.
- Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy : 6th to 12th grade for boys, founded in 1955.
- Bruriah High School for Girls: 7th to 12th grade for girls, founded in 1963.
As of the 2013-14 school year, the Yeshiva of Elizabeth had an enrollment of 205 students and 31.8 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 6.4:1. The Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy had an enrollment of 201 students and 26.3 classroom teachers, for a ratio of 7.6:1. The Bruriah High School for Girls had an enrollment of 352 students and 31.4 classroom teachers, for a ratio of 11.2:1.
Advanced Placement courses offered are: AP Chemistry, AP Physics B, AP Physics C, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Computers A and AB, AP United States History, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Russian, AP Psychology, AP Biology, and AP Statistics. Most of these are only primarily offered to juniors and seniors.
Each year over 90% of the Senior class studies for a year or two in yeshivas in Israel before beginning college.
The Jewish Educational Center uses the Arrowsmith Program.Administration
- Rabbi Elazar Mayer Teitz - Dean
- Rabbi Ami Neuman - Principal
- Rabbi Noach Sauber - Assistant Principal
- Rabbi Uzi Beer - Principal
- Rabbi Joseph Oratz - Principal
- Shlomis Peikes - Associate Principal
- Sherry Krupka - Assistant Principal
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
JEC has been a member of the Yeshiva League since the league's inception in 1979.
JEC teams include:- Basketball
- Hockey
JV - High School
- JV Basketball
- JV Hockey
- JV Softball
Varsity - High School
- Varsity Wrestling
- Varsity Basketball
- Varsity Hockey
- Varsity Softball
- Varsity Baseball
- Varsity Volleyball
All High School
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Swim
Academic teams
- Gildor Team
- Debate
- Mock Trial
- JV College Bowl
- Varsity College Bowl
- JV Torah Bowl
- Varsity Torah Bowl
- NJ Challenge
- Chess
- Model UN
Clubs
- Israel Advocacy
- Cooking
- CPR/First Aid
- Medical Research
- Gildor
- Unconventional Halacha
- Study Hall
- Meaningful Movies
- Politics
- Workout
- Parsha
- Fantasy Football Prep.
- Art
Community
The JEC community consists of five synagogues, as well as many other services for the Jewish community of the Elizabeth-Hillside area.
Synagogues
- Elmora Avenue Shul
- Adath Israel
- Beis Yitzchak
- Adath Jeshurun
- Elmora Hills Minyan