About Gan Teva at Ner Shalom
Gan Teva Mission Statement

About Gan Teva
Gan Teva at Ner Shalom is an innovative early learning center that emphasizes holistic child development with a nature-based focus, opening 2021. With Temple grounds of several acres, there is a stress on developmentally appropriate outdoor activities. This occurs in an environment of Jewish tradition and uses principles of early childhood education to help children to their full individual potential.
Children play in order to learn. Our indoor classrooms and outdoor play spaces encourage emotional, social and intellectual growth. The school’s mission is to develop an appreciation of God’s love for us through core Jewish values as well as an understanding of how important those principles are as a foundation for building their lives. Those values are grounded in the Hebrew concept Tikkun Olam, to act to benefit the world.
The Director of the school is Sarah Maynard, who also serves as our classroom teacher, while Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein serves as the Director of Judaics to ensure the value focus, growth and safety of the children in our care. We are also still hiring for our Classroom Assistant or co-teacher, so please reach out to admin@ganteva.org if that's you!
Rabbi Lizz also leads Congregation Ner Shalom which houses Gan Teva and is the only temple or synagogue in Prince William County, Virginia. The county is one of the fastest growing in the United States and has a population of more than 500,000. Our temple houses a sanctuary, four classrooms and a kitchen. There is both a toddler bathroom and adult bathrooms.
According to the Prince William County HEADSTART and Preschool Program Director Dr. Amanda Wilder, there is a pressing need for preschool programs in our county. Additionally, Heather Steitzel, Membership Chair, Prince William Chamber of Commerce, believes that there is a demand for a Jewish preschool program. In Prince William County, no such program exists. Former Prince William County School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef said he believed money spent on early childhood programs is a smart investment that helps children do better throughout their academic careers. "This is so critical for getting kids ready to read faster and just getting them ready to go to school," Lateef said.
Gan Teva is the answer for parents, both Jewish and those who appreciate the Jewish traditions, for a values-based, nature focused program in the county.
Although our focus is on Judaism, all children – especially from underserved families --will be welcome.
Tue, March 21 2023
28 Adar 5783
Upcoming Events
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Friday ,
MarMarch 24 , 2023
Friday, Mar 24th 7:30p to 8:30p
Erev Shabbat Services most Friday nights at 7:30 in the sanctuary -
Saturday ,
MarMarch 25 , 2023
Shabbat, Mar 25th 7:00p to 9:00p
Our Teens and 20 somethings are invited to join us for Havdallah, dinner, and JackBox games. Friends welcome! -
Sunday ,
MarMarch 26 , 2023
Sunday, Mar 26th 9:30a to 12:00p
In person in the synagogue -
Sunday ,
MarMarch 26 , 2023
Sunday, Mar 26th 1:00p to 2:00p
Join us as we learning about the ancient rabbis' ideas on sexual ethics and how that influences our modern views of romantic relationships, gender performance, and other every-day questions about being a human, particularly through the lens of Reform Judaism. -
Wednesday ,
MarMarch 29 , 2023
Wednesday, Mar 29th 10:30a to 12:00p
Our next read will be All the Rivers by Dorit Rabinyan. A controversial, award-winning story about the passionate but untenable affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, from one of Israel's most acclaimed novelists. When Liat meets Hilmi on a blustery autumn afternoon in Greenwich Village, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Charismatic and handsome, Hilmi is a talented young artist from Palestine. Liat, an aspiring translation student, plans to return to Israel the following summer. Despite knowing that their love can be only temporary, that it can exist only away from their conflicted homeland, Liat lets herself be enraptured by Hilmi - by his lively imagination, by his beautiful hands and wise eyes, by his sweetness and devotion. Together they explore the city, sharing laughs and fantasies and pangs of homesickness. But the unfettered joy they awaken in each other cannot overcome the guilt Liat feels for hiding him from her family in Israel and her Jewish friends in New York. As her departure date looms and her love for Hilmi deepens, Liat must decide whether she is willing to risk alienating her family, her community, and her sense of self for the love of one man. Banned from classrooms by Israel's Ministry of Education, Dorit Rabinyan's remarkable novel contains multitudes. A bold portrayal of the strains - and delights - of a forbidden relationship, All the Rivers (published in Israel as Borderlife) is a love story and a war story, a New York story and a Middle East story, an unflinching foray into the forces that bind us and divide us. "The land is the same land," Hilmi reminds Liat. "In the end all the rivers flow into the same sea." -
Friday ,
MarMarch 31 , 2023
Friday, Mar 31st 7:30p to 8:30p
Erev Shabbat Services most Friday nights at 7:30 in the sanctuary -
Sunday ,
AprApril 2 , 2023
Sunday, Apr 2nd 9:30a to 12:00p
In person in the synagogue -
Sunday ,
AprApril 2 , 2023
Sunday, Apr 2nd 1:00p to 2:00p
Join us as we learning about the ancient rabbis' ideas on sexual ethics and how that influences our modern views of romantic relationships, gender performance, and other every-day questions about being a human, particularly through the lens of Reform Judaism. -
Thursday ,
AprApril 6 , 2023
Thursday, Apr 6th 6:00p to 9:00p
Join us for a 2nd Night of Passover with your Ner Shalom Family. A special seder service, with the traditional symbolic foods (as well as some new ones) and a main course. -
Saturday ,
AprApril 8 , 2023
Shabbat, Apr 8th 10:00a to 11:00a
At the synagogue!
Ner Shalom in the News
- Washington Jewish Week - June 30, 2020
CNS Branded Masks Save Lives
- Prince WIlliam Living - September 20, 2019
Annual Patriot Day Shabbat
- Prince William Living - August 26, 2019
Learn About the Jewish High Holidays!
- Prince William Living - July 16, 2019
Synagogue in Summer
- Prince William Living - May 16, 2019
Seasons of Our Joy
- Prince William Living - March 20, 2019
- Learning About Jewish Traditions
- Building an Inclusive & Vibrant Community
- - Prince William Living - December 14, 2018
- The Future of the Community
- - Prince William Living - November 20, 2018
- Coming Together After a National Tragedy
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