These nine guiding principles to engage youth were developed by numerous congregations and synagogue professionals in our collaborative work with them. We share them with congregations and use them to inform our own ongoing efforts to develop new camps and year-round programming.
The summit, happening February 17-20 in Chicago, IL, is a gathering of a community of adults who are professionally invested in the future of our Reform Jewish youth. Read through these five reasons your team needs to attend - and then get registered. We can't wait to see you there!
Over the summer, I had the good fortune to serve on the faculty of Kfar Noar, URJ Camp Harlam’s unit of rising ninth graders. One of my responsibilities was to join the campers on their trip to New York City, where we attended Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway.
At the end of the book of Bamidbar, which we just completed reading, it seemed that Moses’ career as a leader had come to an end. His successor, Joshua, had already been determined, and it would be he, not Moses, who would lead the people into the Promised Land. Still, in the midst of transition and the last month of his life, Moses assembles the people and delivers a series of addresses. This week’s parasha begins with the phrase Eleh ha-d’varim, meaning “these are the words.” As the children of Israel assemble in front of him, Moses prepares them for a new beginning. He ceases to be the liberator, the miracle worker who parted the sea, and the redeemer who was called upon to replenish a depleted well. The people gain responsibility.
Our URJ Youth programs are cornerstones of the Reform Movement's youth engagement efforts. Through more than 60 programs, including immersive camping, year-round leadership opportunities, and social justice and travel programs, we develop essential skills –
Alone, the numbers are just numbers. When taken in light of these new findings, though, they tell a compelling story of success.
How can Judaism help both parents and teens slow down, showing them that the journey up the mountain is more meaningful than reaching the top? Learn how one congregation is designing experiences that help teens slow down enough to live in the present.
May is a busy month as we wind down the school year and gear up for summer. Build on the energy and relationships you created this year using these 10 suggestions for staying connected to your youth while they’re away.
It was a warm August day and I had shaving cream and chocolate syrup splattered across me. The “Messy Maccabiah” event for our middle schoolers was just ending. Seeing everyone cleaning whipped cream, maple syrup, and other condiments off themselves, I realized I was one of the lucky ones who escaped relatively unscathed. It was the silliest youth group event I had ever run! So how did it come to be?
It is not every day I get to study Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik, a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. Rabbi Esther Lederman shared his teaching several months back on a pasuk in the Torah, set during the time the Israelites trekked through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land: