Rabbi Dennis Eisner named “Youth Worker of the Month” North American Recognition for his Dedication to California Jewish Youth
NEW YORK – August 29, 2007 – Rabbi Dennis Eisner of Peninsula Temple in San Mateo, CA, was named as August’s “Youth Worker of the Month” by the Union for Reform Judaism.
Rabbi Eisner’s creation of a thriving informal education environment at his previous congregation, Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, led to this award. Rachel Sisk, director of Youth and Informal Education in the Union’s Pacific Southwest Council, writes in the nomination that, “Rabbi Eisner put together an amazing informal education team and built a thriving youth program at the congregation. He is to be commended for his vision and leadership and thanked by all the young people and their parents who participate in or send their kids to the incredible range of programs that he supported.”
Working with Jewish youth for nearly a quarter of a century, Rabbi Eisner said his favorite aspects of working with youth are “Their creativity, their honesty, their enthusiasm and their ability to make being Jewish fun.”
The “Youth Worker of the Month” award recognizes the talent, dedication and commitment of outstanding youth workers. Each “Youth Worker of the Month” recipient is nominated by a supervisor or peer and is featured for a month on www.RJyouthworker.org. The recipient also receives a book, compliments of the URJ Press, and a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.
Recognizing that there are differences in the role of youth workers from congregation to congregation, the Union for Reform Judaism has created www.RJyouthworker.org, an interactive website designed to provide resources and support to Reform Jewish youth workers around the world. With message boards, as well as listings for programs and professional development opportunities, RJyouthworker addresses the needs of the Reform Movement’s diverse cadre of Jewish youth workers.
For more information, visit www.RJyouthworker.org.
The Union for Reform Judaism (formerly the Union of American Hebrew Congregations) is the central body of Reform Judaism in North America, uniting 1.5 million Reform Jews in more than 900 synagogues. Union services include camps, music and book publishing, outreach to unaffiliated and intermarried Jews, educational programs, and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C.
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