Related Blog Posts on Teens, High Holidays, and NFTY

We sat down with two Reform Jewish youth leaders, immediate past NFTY president Benji Rosenblum and former NELFTY vice president Milton Sender, to discuss the evolution of the Jewish teen experience in North America, leadership, identity, and community.

The High Holy Days call us to act: free the hostages, feed the hungry, end the war.

This year, as Jews across the globe begin to prepare for the High Holy Days, the most sacred time of year, I personally feel a sense of deep despair and fierce urgency to enter the year of 5786 embracing the particular and the universal.

On Sunday, October 26, hundreds of people from different facets of Reform Jewish life will gather online for great learning and motivate each other to amp up our terrific work.

If you know a teen looking for an unforgettable experience that combines leadership, Jewish values, and community, look no further! Here are nine incredible programs to consider for the coming year.

Learn about the URJ's new tool for helping students and parents to get answers about incidents of antisemitism.

How are teens really doing? In the spring of 2024, BeWell, the mental health and wellness initiative of the Jewish Federations of North American (JFNA), in partnership with the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies (The Network), conducted the first national study of American Jewish teenagers to explore how their communal involvement, interpersonal connections, and perceptions of themselves as Jews relate to their overall wellbeing.

Over the weekend of January 17-20, over 250 teens from 11 NFTY regions - the largest NFTY event since 2020 - were welcomed to URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, CA for a weekend of connection, joyful Jewish moments, social action, and fun.

Asking for donations in a Jewish context can feel like a paradox: tzedakah is one of our most cherished values, yet many of us were raised in homes where discussing money was taboo.

NFTY has long been a catalyst for teen leadership and social change. Two remarkable teens, Maccabee Anderson and Lucy Targum, embody the innovative spirit and commitment to being the change they wish to see in the Jewish world and beyond.