This review is for a Bat Mitzvah. My coworker sent me an invitation to her daughter's Bat Mitzvah which was held at this conservative synagogue. I sped here with my guest, arrived at 9:25 with the service scheduled to begin at 9:30. As we pulled into the parking lot, there were only a handful of cars, the parking lot had plenty of space. The service started a little late. My first impression inside a Jewish synagogue, was that the interior was beautiful and spacious. A high vaulted ceiling, long, dark wooden beams. At the front of the synagogue a humongous arched marble slab. It was shaped like an upside down U. Colored curtains with a painting on it in the middle. It made me curious, what was behind those curtains? Small, stained glass windows with bright lights around the synagogue. My guest looked at his finest in his suit. A lady with a blue green colored yarmulke greeted us in the foyer. She handed my guest a black yarmulke (skull cap) and he was informed this was a requirement. He also donned a white tallis or tallit (prayer shawl) in a manner that a man in a locker room would put a towel around his neck. I noticed that some men wore purple satin yarmulkes that were provided on site. The rabbis upfront wore a different type of prayer shawls, bigger blankets, at least it looked that way to me. They flipped it around their shoulders, draped in a specific manner. The women wore folded up yarmulkes, that looked to me a bit like part of a French maid's outfit. Some wore them folded up in a fan shape, attached with bobby pins at the back of their head. Others wore lace yarmulkes. Most were white, some were glittery. I was entertained the first hour. I didn't understand a word of Hebrew. It certainly kept me awake, as it was fast paced with lots of sitting, standing, clapping. The seating was varied. There were rows of pews, then other rows of seating, similar to movie theater type of chairs, all connected together. The service consisted of mostly men reading from a book and simultaneously the congregation also read along . It was more like a combination of reading and singing. I did not see any musical notes which left me somewhat puzzled. Sometimes it seemed like they mumbled to themselves a little before and after reading a passage. They would also do a curtsy type of bow to the curtained area. The 2nd hour revealed what was behind the curtain. I thought maybe a statue of some sort. No, it looked like 4 finely decorated creme colored bags with doll's legs that stuck out at the bottom. Maybe a fancy short golf or laundry bag. At the top it looked like the headstock of a guitar. It looked awkward to carry, as they passed it around to the girl who was honored in this Bat Mitzvah. She carried it through the aisles of the synagogue. Members of the congregation stood outside their pews and touched it as she led a procession. Quite a fanfare, a jubilant time. Finally the cover was lifted off that mysterious embellished bag. It was the Torah, which is scripture. They rolled out the scroll on the podium. Men and women gathered around this Torah, plus the Bat Mitzvah girl read from it too. It looked as though they were gathered around a huge map laid out. In fact, from a kitchen perspective, more like gigantic rolling pins with parchment paper in between. The 3rd hour came, the novelty started to wear off. As part of the service, the Bat Mitzvah girl read/sang long passages in Hebrew. The children threw candy at the Bat Mitzvah girl, a woman sang as she played the guitar. More prayers and we stepped out. I have to say I admire the stamina and endurance of this congregation. More blessings to them Shabbat Shalom. Part 2 of Bat Mitzvah to be continued tomorrow - the party. read more

After almost 2 years of attendance, and 1 year of membership, I feel that this conservative congregation has become my Jewish home. Evening kabbalat Shabbat services are from 6pm-7pm on Friday nights. Morning Shabbat services are at 9:30am-12pm Saturday mornings, followed by a kiddush lunch immediately afterward. For those who attend a minyan services, morning minyan is at 7:30am, evening minyan is at 7pm Monday-Thursday. They have all kinds of additional tracks of service built into the morning Shabbat program- they have periodic Om Shalom Shabbat Yoga services, kids congregation Shabbat services and meditation Shabbat services. They all start at 9:30am, but the dates change, so check the website at www.adatariel.org for the schedule. There are many different levels of observance within the community, which helps most people feel at home, regardless of their traditions. The rabbis and cantors are all very approachable and genuinely friendly. Adat Ari El also offers a preschool program, a day school, and a religious school (which my son attends on Tuesday afternoons and occasional Sundays). read more

This review is specific to the ECC Infant Daycare - The Nest. I've waited a few months to write this review to make sure I write a concise and thorough summary of our experience. Our daughter started going here at 3.5 months old and we took her out at around 7 months old (February - June 2019). At the beginning things were fine and we became friendly with the staff. Then, one staff member noted to us that things weren't getting done in the infant room, like basic cleanliness and fixing the hvac, so we started to bring this up with the Director, Ori, and his staff to make sure things were getting done for our daughter and for all the babies. Basic things that should have never been an issue was becoming more and more a problem and the Director didn't seem to care. We were paying close to $2K a month for what we thought was the most premier place (and at a Jewish synagogue), but we were getting the sense that they were handling things too much like a corporate business and trying to save a few bucks instead of taking care of the facilities for the infants. (*Please review the CDSS Licensing Board website, under Infant Center) The floors that the infants were playing and laying on all day, which are constantly spit up on, or having blow outs on, were dirty and not being cleaned adequately. Babies were getting sick way too often and I believe the dirty floors contributed to this. And we were told by a few other parents in the program that Hand Foot Mouth (HFM) had been a big problem right before we started and it came back right after we took our daughter out of the program. We were lucky we didn't have to deal with this but this is a problem at The Nest. Toys didn't look to be continuously cleaned throughout the day or thrown out when looking old/dirty. I checked out the toys myself and many looked gross and old. I mentioned this to Ori but it was brushed aside as a non issue. The ventilation in the ONLY bathroom that all 24 babies (0-24 months) are changed in all day was not working. I went into this bathroom a few times myself and it smelled horrendous. We brought this up with Ori and he didn't seem to think this needed to be looked at. Again, he probably didn't want to spend any money (though this was probably a minimal cost) to fix this. Why should our babies who can't speak yet or the staff who have to go in there all day put up with this? The straw that really crossed the line was when our daughter started eating solids. When we started picking her up at the end of the day her shirt would be covered in dried pureed food. I asked Ori if this was normal and why her shirt wasn't being changed out. We always stocked her box with extra changes of clothes, so there was no lack of clothing. Ori said he'd check into this and get back to me. A few days later I get an email from Ori saying they couldn't "meet our expectations" and asked us to find another daycare and gave us two weeks. I was speechless. I guess keeping our baby clean was too much to ask? Too high an expectation? When I'm sending my child, the most precious thing in my life, to a daycare I don't expect to see dirty floors, dirty carpets, disgusting bathroom/ changing room with no air ventilation. We didn't want to leave her there a second more so we took her out the following day. The way Ori and the Temple handled this is unbelievably wrong in every way. They simply don't care about the infants. This is not Jewish values. It's really just a business for them and they are doing a disservice to the community. I really hope our experience there is a wakeup call for other parents to really be diligent before sending your baby here. read more

Not A Clean Daycare. Mgmt (ori) tells lies to the parents on cleaning schedule that not exist.

They are some serious problems at this school. If you are not into bullying and are not into lies and want your child to be cared for Please consider another school. NOT the place for children!!!!!! read more

Love the ECC for my daughter and eventually my son. The administration is a breeze to work with and everyone is very kind. I love all the teachers that my daughter has had and there are a few that I've got my eye on for the next two years (we will probably be doing Gesher with both kids) A great place without a lot of fussiness some of the studio city/sherman oaks preschools are known for. I keep recommending this place to friends who happen to agree with me! read more

I visited today for a Minyan and I was welcomed and well received by the Cantor and Rabbi. I got to do an Aliyah to the Torah and I got a tour of the Synagogue. I defiantly want to come back again and hopefully I can make Adat Ari El my home Synagogue. read more

My children began Adat in their preschool program. I chose the elementary school for my daughters' primary education because of the nurturing school environment. You cannot beat the caliber of the teachers and the student/teacher ratio. My children are stimulated in the classroom both academically and visually as the school is not afraid to incorporate different teaching methods to engage the students. For instance, I love how they incorporate project base learning. I have been blown away by how the school has navigated the online learning during the pandemic. Each student received packages with supplies pertaining to each of their classes so that the online experience was still immersive. The students navigate through different "classrooms' throughout the day, as they would during a regular school day, each class being led by a teacher. I no longer have concerns that my children will fall behind with their studies. read more

Wonderful community in Valley. Service was wonderful and Rabbi was nice. Plus lots of parking.

Both of my kids have been going to the school since 2013. At the beginning I was not so excited about sending my kids to a privet elementary school, since we are not to financially support stable. But when I see what my kids are getting, you cannot compare it to any other school! The levels of love, support and nurturing that they so need in their early years is amazing. On top the school has 21st century academic with an amazing lab and tech program. The level of art and music is mind blowing! I'm so happy we mad the decision to send our kids to the day school. read more

Great school! My kids used to go to public elementary school and I was worried about how they would get along in a private Jewish school. Well, they love it here. They are getting a great education, they want to stay for after school activities and they love their teachers. I am also very pleased with the academic standards and the way the school is run. My children are getting a valuable education. Their language, reading and math skills are very impressive. They actually come home wanting to do their homework. I have two little scholars because of Adat Ari El. read more

GREAT PROGRAMS BUT WISH CONSIDERATION FOR NEIGHBORS WAS A TWO WAY STREET The work going on is LOUD. Started about 7:30pm and it continues - some kind of maintenance a LOUD drilling sound it is now 10:00pm! This is not the first time. The same noise a LOUD machine sound has happened early mornings ( 7:00am ) and on Friday nights too. Recently turned up the lights in the parking lot to beyond - BRIGHT. Forget about enjoying the patio, why should our guests wear their sunglasses at night?! Also Rocky's Theme music has played LOUD enough for all to hear during the week! Music is also played during the week day with little consideration for neighbors. One can here conversations and screaming from the parking lot - no problem! If the apartment buildings which surround the temple were disruptive during the day would that be Okay for temple visitors? Or is making LOUD noise a one way pass for the temple? read more

Adat's Early Childhood Center is a wonderful place to send your child for preschool. Our son has had thoughtful, smart and intuitive teachers both years he has been there. Beryl (director) and the staff have always been helpful and receptive to suggestions. Overall the preschool fosters a strong sense of community that we are really enjoying. We can't wait until next year when our youngest son starts going too! read more

For obvious reasons, I set up an anonymous account to write this review. Like all early childhood centers, this center has pros and cons. The pros include some very dedicated, talented, and passionate staff (those who have chosen to stay) - mainly teachers and art and music specialists. The cons are mostly related to the leadership. It is true that Beryl is mostly uninvolved in the daily life of children and classrooms. She has a reputation for being cantankerous/unkind and having poor communication with parents and teachers. And her rumored exorbitant salary is shameful in comparison with that of the teachers, who actually get their hands dirty while working on "the front lines." read more

My twins have been at the Adat Ari El Lebowe Family Day School since kindergarten (they are now in 2nd grade), and we are extremely happy with the school. There have been some amazing changes in the last few years with renovations to the campus -- a spectacular new design lab, new library, new soccer field, etc. -- on top of exciting, forward-looking additions to the curriculum, including a collaboration with Stanford University's d.school. In addition to the strong educational foundation that I am confident AAE provides, it is also important to me that my kids get a strong Jewish education; this includes a focus on Hebrew language skills, as well as immersion in Jewish/Israeli culture and values in a modern, conservative environment (without any hitting-you-over-the-head religiosity), all of which contribute to the overall warmth and community feeling of the place. Each year, I am consistently impressed with the teachers and staff, who only add to the warmth and personal nature of the school community. It really feels like a neighborhood school where many families live nearby (which makes for convenient play dates and parental participation in school events). While we haven't become as much a part of the general synagogue community as the day school (so far), it is nice to have that available as well. I would recommend that anyone thinking about starting, or switching, day schools at least take a tour or go to an Open House and see first-hand how wonderful a place AAE is. With all of the choices in LA, it is really nice to be able to trust that my kids are getting an excellent education, thriving academically, socially and spiritually, actively participating in school and community events, learning to be critical thinkers and to make a difference in the world, and being shaped into thoughtful, caring, empathetic, respectful, powerful, confident, independent individuals. read more

Our daughter started the day school this year, and we couldn't be happier! She is getting such a high quality, well rounded education. The teachers, academic specialists, Jewish values and Jewish education has made her absolutely blossom into a confident, outspoken and kind child. It's also given our family an amazing sense of community and friendship. We are grateful to be here, and love the friends and connections we've made. read more

Fri night Shabbat services-plenty of parking. Kid-friendly, and you can sit near the door so you can make a quick kid-escape if need be. Asst rabbi and cantor were at packed service in chapel. Friendly folks. Conservative shul- mostly no jeans, some women with headcoverings. Some Hebrew transliterations. read more

This place gives me PTSD from my childhood growing up at a conservative synagogue back east. It is everything that's wrong with temples today-- all about the money and little care for the congregants. We sent our child to the daycare there and he came home with scratches on his face many times. The ECC is a free-for-all, child-led to a huge fault. We had meetings and conference calls galore, and Beryl made promises after promises to make the physical attacks on my not-even-two year old stop, but they never stopped. She promised his attacker would be shadowed but she never was. I go to birthday parties from his former classmates now, over a year later, and still see the children physically hurting each other. BAD VIBES HERE. When we left for another preschool, they told me they would waive the remaining $160 balance on my temple dues for the year. It was the LEAST they could do to rectify the trauma my son had been through there (he cried every day for almost 6 mos). Well, not only didn't they honor that promise, but they have called and harassed us about the stupid $160 ever since and we are now battling them over it through a collections firm. Obviously I could just pay it, but out of principle I don't want to. I tell everyone to steer clear now and 2 more families that I know have left there for our new school. I am hearing the place gets worse and worse. read more

This review is for the Early Childhood Center: I have been a Jewish Early Childhood Educator for over a decade (as well as a consultant on the Reggio Emilia Approach) and when the time came for me to send my own son to preschool, we chose Adat Ari El ECC. In my opinion, the ECC is, hands down, the best Jewish preschool in the Los Angeles area. When my husband and I started our family, we wanted to surround ourselves with similar-minded parents that were uncompetitive and grounded... You know, the "it takes a village"-type of parents... After much searching, we found our "village" at Adat Ari El. The community at the ECC is filled with down-to-earth, warm, caring families (seriously, they exist!) and we have made some incredible friendships there. The level of parent involvement at the ECC is also very impressive- This is the type of school where parents rally together, happily volunteer in the classrooms and at school-wide events and are invested in making their child's preschool experience a meaningful one. Let's face it, the teachers- the people to whom we entrust our children (our world!) daily- are a major determining factor in choosing a preschool (and rightfully so!). I can say, without reservation, that these educators are some of THE BEST in the field. They understand developmentally appropriate practice and are very smart. Most importantly, they are thoughtful, compassionate and respectful in their interactions with the children. Not only do I know that my son is physically safe in their care but I know his emotional well being is also being nurtured. In addition, the Director, Beryl, and Assistant Director, Kim, are visible, knowledgeable and involved administrators. They take the time to know each family, have an open-door policy (there is always someone to talk to when I pop my head in the office), return phone calls and emails quickly and are receptive to parent feedback. In my professional opinion, the ECC does an outstanding job of blending Judaism with a play-based, Reggio-inspired curriculum. The preschool learning environment is very intentional in the way it is organized and all of my son's teachers have been well trained in "teaching" him skills through meaningful experiences. Adat's ECC was the right fit for our family because of my strong conviction that learning is not just about listening to a teacher's ideas and memorizing facts. The ECC's approach to learning nurtures the development of more complex skills such as: investigation, discussion, developing ideas and solving problems. It is also evident that the school has made nurturing my son's emotional intelligence (a bigger determining factor of future success than cognitive intelligence) a top priority. The teachers are experts at cultivating positive conflict-resolution skills, they stress respectful interactions between the children and Jewish values (character education) are infused into the daily curriculum. Simply put, my son is learning, learning, learning every. single. day. I am certain that the skills he is learning will not only prepare him for kindergarten, but are setting him up for success throughout the rest of his academic career. The icing on the cake: my son loves going to school and the only time he complains is when it is time to go home. If you are a prospective parent of the ECC, I encourage you to take a tour, see the program in action and speak to the wonderful families that consider this school their second home- you'll fall in love just like we have. read more

Ari El Early Childhood Center and the Day School are deeply rooted in community, Jewish values and individualized approach to education. There are many events to establish community and make everyone feel included. The Day School has a strong academic curriculum that overlaps with Judaics and individual approach to each child. Book a tour and come learn about the school! Best decision you'll ever make for your kids! read more

honesly, im appalled whats going on here. warning...the director of this pre school is having people post false positive reviews after getting a couple negative ones. This school brought so much sadness into our lives. please look at your other options when choosing a preschool. your kids deserve way more than this school. read more

Beryl Strauss is beyond BEYOND AMAZING! She goes above and beyond to make sure the pre school runs the way it should!! She is extremely sympathize to our families needs and truly takes a personal approach when dealing with each individual family!! The amount of hard work and effort that she puts into the school, can not be described!! We wouldn't be there if it weren't for her!! That lady seriously goes above and beyond for her families!! We are forever grateful for Beryl Strauss!! She loves the kids and parents!! If you are looking for a pre -k I would always follow Beryl wherever she may be. read more

Progressive, nurturing, stimulating idyllic preschool and a welcoming community.

I have been a part of the Adat Ari El community for the last 10 years. My children were at the ECC (3 kids) from the age of 2 and it was a wonderful and nurturing experience. I made some of my closest friends at Adat, people that I am still in daily contact with, people that will always be a part of our lives and I am very grateful for that. My kids continued onto the Adat Ari El Day School for elementary. I really love the Day School, it is academically rigorous while still providing support and understanding when your child is struggling. The dual program of secular and Judaism studies is really wonderful, my kids love the Jewish studies and especially the celebration of shabbat and festivals. The best thing about the school is that it's probably the only true progressive Jewish Day School out there. This progressive curriculum is certainly not at the expense of their academics. The curriculum has been so thoughtfully developed to engage the learners in interactive projects that they incorporate a multi-disciplinary approach where projects often include components of math, science, engineering and art. The Zebrack Design Lab which is a cutting edge STEAM lab is my kids favorite place; this is the hub where all the project based learning takes place and it is being incorporated into the curriculum in a very relevant and engaging way. I wish I could have learned this way at school. It's a very nurturing, welcoming and warm environment with a very high teacher/student ratio and where all of the teaching staff and admin staff know your kids so well. I am very grateful that I am at Adat and I highly recommend the school. Also, kids get into great middle schools and are very well prepared for any school from the Walter Reed IHP to Harvard Westlake. read more

I am writing this review about the preschool at Adat Ari El. I rarely write reviews on yelp, but after my experience with this preschool I felt the need to express my thoughts. My child completed one year at this school before I decided to send him elsewhere. The parents in our class were all very clicky and unfriendly. Many of them had already known each other from doing "Jackie's Class." I consider myself to be a friendly outgoing type of gal, but these women are ruthless. I would smile at them in the morning and get cold stares back in return. I told myself that I had enough friends from other parts of my life, and if the other moms wanted to be that way, so be it. The main point was for my son to make friends and have fun. Well, the kids turned out to be worse than the parents! My child came home every day looking tired, sad and emotionally drained, despite the teachers and staff telling me he was loving school. I later found out he was being bullied and tormented by the children. The administrators did nothing to try to make this right when I complained to them. They said that not everyone in the world is going to be nice and that it was a good learning experience for him. I don't think at 2 years old a child should have to learn the harsh facts of the world that he will eventually encounter mean people. This should be a time for him to be happy and have fun. Since pulling him out and sending him to another jewish nearby school, he is happy, thriving and full of energy when I pick him up at the end of the day. I definitely would not recommend this preschool and I'm sad that my child had to suffer for a full year before I wised up and made the change. read more