Our URJ Youth programs are cornerstones of the Reform Movement's youth engagement efforts.

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:

NFTY recently convened its annual leadership retreat, Veida, to set priorities for the 2016-17 program year. Teen leaders representing all 19 regions came together to vigorously debate and brainstorm new types of programs, the role of teens in shaping peer experiences, and the social justice issues they would dedicate themselves to in the coming year – such as racial injustice, global climate change, and gun violence prevention. And, they elected the next NFTY North American board members who will begin their new roles this summer.

How do we teach the full story while fostering a love for our homeland? Sitting in my study with my post-Confirmands, the conversation started off in a way that might have been different if I still lived in Mamaroneck, New York. Growing up and then working in the New York City metropolitan area, I was used to people being fairly critical of Israeli politics and policies. Of course, many of us were passionate Zionists, raised on the stories of the glorious Six Day War.

How do we teach the full story while fostering a love for our homeland? I learned about Israel in a “crush-like” way, as a “perfect Israel,” a place where everything was good, right and just. I was not introduced to the “real” Israel, a place with imperfections. The Israel as “crush” approach worked for me. Ultimately, I moved from crush on to deep love with to moving to Israel.