YOUR JUDAISM, YOUR CHOICE. A Catalogue of Teen Experiences at Community Synagogue of Rye ~ Center for Jewish Learning

Transcription

1 YOUR JUDAISM, YOUR CHOICE. A Catalogue of Teen Experiences at Community Synagogue of Rye ~ Center for Jewish Learning

2 Grades 8 & 9 Monday Nights, 6:15-8pm at CSR All Monday nights begin with dinner and community time across the grades. Join us for the whole year or try one semester! Fall 8th Grade: Mitzvah Mester weekly, 9/15-12/15 Like doing good deeds with good friends? Spend the fall with fellow 8th graders and youth advisor Joslyn DeLancey doing hands-on Tikkun Olam (social action) around the community. We will address issues such as poverty, hunger, and homelessness from a Jewish perspective and will take off-site trips to volunteer at organizations like the Carver Center and Sharing Shelf. Fall 9th Grade: Teen Tzedakah Challenge weekly, 9/15-12/15 Make a little money go a long way and learn money management as you do. Oversee a Teen Tzedakah fund as its official board of directors. We will decide together where contributions go, and learn the ins and outs of fundraising and philanthropy from experts in the field. Participants are asked to contribute $100 which will be matched by the synagogue for seed money (consider using a portion of your Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifts). We will then organize creative fundraisers to replenish the fund over the course of the year as we allocate gifts. LEARN Winter Electives weekly, 1/5-2/23 Connect with other teens as you cook, craft, and express your Jewish identity in a whole new way. All 8th and 9th graders can choose a unique six-week elective for the winter trimester. This year, one or more of the electives will be in partnership with Congregation KTI through the Jewish Education Project s Westchester Jewish Teen Learning Initiative. Spring J-Girls/J-Guys & Closing Programs weekly, 3/2-5/4 8th and 9th graders will taste J-Girls/J-Guys, cutting edge programming adapted from Moving Traditions curricula. For four weeks, students will explore ethical dilemmas and relevant teen topics in a more intimate gender-based setting. In the final spring weeks we will have community-wide commemorations of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom Ha atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and culminate the year with a multi-grade mitzvah project.

3 Grade 10 10th Grade with the Rabbis weekly Do you doubt God s existence? Do you search for meaning and purpose? It it time for a God upgrade? This is your chance to explore these and other deep questions with your Rabbis Daniel Gropper and Leora Frankel. Through self-reflection, candid conversation, and a trip to Washington, DC, you will finish the year with a stronger sense of your personal beliefs and a special bond with your classmates and clergy. All Monday nights, 6:15-8pm at CSR, including dinner Class Dates: Weekly from September 15- May 4 Confirmation Rehearsals: May 11 and 18 Confirmation/Shavuot Service: Sunday morning, May 24 Please note that there is a Confirmation Fee of $100 beyond the basic CSR Teen Tuition Passport. CONNECT Grades 11 & 12 Step Up for Israel with Rabbi Gropper monthly Challenge the assumptions and learn the facts. Using film and text, be introduced to the fundamental issues concerning the State of Israel. We will delve into the country s unique challenges, accomplishments and values, inspiring you to form a relationship with Israel and to Stand Up on her behalf. Learn more at: Monday nights from 6:30-8pm at CSR, including dinner September 29, October 27, November 24, January 26, February 23, March 23, April 27 WJTLI: Grades 8-12 Westchester Jewish Teen Learning Initiative (WJTLI) Through our partnership with the Jewish Education Project, CSR Teens in grades 8-12 can take advantage of even more learning and leadership opportunities across Westchester County. WJTLI allows you to take a single course or several depending on your schedule, location, and the topics that most excite you. Check out the full catalogue of WJTLI offerings at or contact Abby Pitkowsky at apitkowsky@jewishedproject.org or

4 Madrichim-in-Training Workshop 8th-10th Grade Do you want to be a camp counselor, coach, or teacher? Do you want an impressive item on your college resume? If you answered yes, then the Madrichim-in-Training Workshop is for you! Meeting on 10 Wednesday evenings in the fall, we ll build our skills in child development and lesson planning. Then the madrichim will be placed as interns throughout our CJL. The following year you can be a full-fledged teaching assistant (and can earn a paycheck). Graduates of this program also receive a Certificate in Youth Education and Leadership from the Westchester Association of Temple Educators. For more information and to apply, contact Laurie Landes at Llandes@comsynrye.org. Madrichim Plus 11th-12th Grade Madrichim Plus is our peer leadership program for 11th and 12th grade students who have continued through Confirmation. This is an amazing opportunity to pass on your knowledge and be a role model for younger teens. You will be paired with a teacher for Monday nights in the fall to be a madrich/a, or guide, for our 8th and 9th grade students. Please note that you may enroll in both Madrichim Plus and the monthly Step Up for Israel program. For more information and to apply for the Madrichim Plus program, Rabbi Leora Frankel at Lfrankel@comsynrye.org. LE AD COSY Youth Group 8th-12th Grade COSY, short for Community Synagogue Youth, is our peer-led senior youth group. The COSY board organizes an array of fun events to develop leadership skills, do tikkun olam, and connect with other teens. Recent COSY events include Habitat for Humanity, the annual shul-in overnight, Improv Night, and snow-tubing. COSY also connects you to NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth), giving you the opportunity to meet Jewish teens from across New York at regional events. CSR Teen Band 8th-12th Grade Do you play an instrument or take voice lessons? The teen band and singers will rehearse once or twice a month and periodically perform on Friday nights. If you are interested in participating in the band or singing at services, contact Cantor Cooperman at mcooperman@comsynrye.org.

5 COSY Ski Trip Friday, January 30 Sunday, February 1 Join us for a Shabbat on the slopes! We ll head to Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in the Berkshires on Friday afternoon for a weekend of skiing, snow tubing, and other winter fun. In between we ll have a chance to share a special Shabbat and other teen-led activities. Whether or not you ski, join us for this great weekend away. For more information and to register, contact COSY@comsynrye.org. Stand Up for Justice: 10th Grade RAC Trip to Washington, DC Friday, February 27 - Monday, March 2, 2015 Connect with hundreds of other Jewish teens for a weekend in Washington, DC, to learn about key political and social issues and how you can change them! The L Taken Social Justice Seminar at the Religious Action Center (RAC) is always an incredible experience, culminating with a day of lobbying on Capitol Hill. All 10th graders are invited to join Rabbi Gropper and Joslyn DeLancey for this unforgettable weekend. The cost of this trip is $295 for registered 10th grade students and $395 for all others. Space is limited, reserve your spot soon by ing rs@comsynrye.com. 11th & 12th Grade Alternative Winter Break Trip Sunday, February 15 - Thursday, February 19, 2015, Location TBD Spend your break traveling to a new place and making a huge difference! We are teaming up with 3 other local synagogues (KTI, JCCH, and Emanu-El) to launch our firstever teen service learning trip. We will travel to a community facing economic hardship to do hands-on volunteer work and will learn how our Jewish teachings reinforce our efforts. Spaces are limited. Priority will be given to teens who have participated in Confirmation or other CSR Teens passport programs. Contact Rabbi Leora Frankel for more details and to apply.

6 SAVE THE DATES Sunday Night, September 7 CSR Teens/COSY Kick-off Night Saturday Night, October 18 Midnight Run Saturday Night, December 13 Shul-In Overnight Monday Afternoon, January 19 MLK Volunteer Day Wednesday Afternoon, March Purim Carnival Sunday Afternoon, April 19 J-Serve Volunteer Day CSR Teens Passport & Registration Information Thanks to the generosity of the Grayer Teen Initiative Fund, we are able to significantly subsidize our array of exciting teen programs. A simple passport fee of $360 covers your participation in any and all of these CSR Teens opportunities,* including your COSY membership. Teenage children of members in good standing can now sign up for unlimited classes, leadership programs, and youth group events with one CSR Teen Passport. Visit to download registration forms and connect with CSR Teens. *There are separate trip costs for the ski and alternate winter break programs, RAC Weekend in Washington, DC, and Confirmation fee for enrolling 10th graders. We have financial aid available for these and other programs; please contact Rabbi Frankel if you require further subsidies. Community Synagogue of Rye Inspired by Jewish teachings and traditions, we seek to be a center for spiritual transformation; to foster the creation of sacred relationships; and to give people the tools and resources to be God s partner in healing the world. This vision is guided by our commitment to the Jewish values of Worship (T fillah), Lifelong Learning (Talmud Torah), Community (Kehilah), Loving Kindness (Hesed), Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam) and Love of Israel (Ahavat Yisrael). 200 Forest Avenue, Rye, NY csrteens@comsynrye.org