Achieving Excellence by Pursuing Excellence in our Early Childhood Center
For the past 18 months, the URJ supported three “Communities of Practice,” cohorts of congregations that came together to learn, discuss, and experiment in a specific field. Members from participating congregations have been asked to reflect about their process.
by Dr. Paula Sayag
As an early childhood consultant with Washington, D.C.’s central Jewish education agency, I had the privilege of interacting with Jewish educators on a national scale, learning about trends in Jewish communal involvement, and helping congregations respond to large-scale concerns. Still, I didn’t have the opportunity to put into practice the advice I was offering other educators – or, more importantly, to build close relationships with the families that educators serve. So I decided to become a school director.
I started working at the early childhood center in Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, MD, in July 2009. Unfortunately, it was the first time in 20 years that classes weren’t filled. It was challenging to learn the ins-and-outs of a new community, gain their trust, and begin to envision the future for a school with decreased enrollment, a declining economy, a reduced budget, and changing neighborhood demographics.
The Challenges of Teaching about Israel
by Jack Wertheimer
With the new school year nearly upon us, Jewish educational leaders are scrambling to prepare their teachers to discuss this summer’s Gaza War. The most pressing challenge is to design age-appropriate conversations: At which grade level might classroom discussions include potentially frightening topics, such as the wounding of non-combatants, kidnapping of young Israelis and sirens warning of incoming rockets? And how should teachers address the tough issues of civilian casualties in Gaza and the flagrant hostility toward Jews and Israel that has erupted in many parts of the world?
Engage Jewish Youth During the High Holiday Season
With the High Holidays approaching, congregations are considering new ways to effectively connect to more youth at this vital time in the Jewish calendar.
NFTY Regions - It Takes a Village and We are a Village
by Julie Marsh
Many people wonder about the “magic” of NFTY, the power to bring teenagers together, create a holy community, and create lasting relationships. As a regional advisor, I am often asked how, when, and who creates that NFTY “magic.” To many, these questions are complicated, and to be honest, when it comes to my Florida region, NFTY-Southern Tropical Region (NFTY-STR), the answers are simple. The success and “magic” of NFTY-STR is the result of a vast support network. The adage, “It takes a village” could not be truer for us. Our NFTY-STR village is made up of NFTYites, alumni, congregations, and additional stakeholders who we have welcomed into our community over the years.
The Porch: It’s Southern, It’s Open, and It’s Jewish
For the past 18 months, the URJ supported three “Communities of Practice,” cohorts of congregations that came together to learn, discuss, and experiment in a specific field.
L’dor V’dor: From Adults, to Teens, to Kids, Camp Shalom Inspires
The Journal of Youth Engagement is an online forum of ideas and dialogue for those committed to engaging youth in vibrant Jewish life and living. Join the discussion and become a contributor.
There’s a reason so many people have been talking about summer camp: The camp environment provides daily Jewish living experiences that often prove to be transformational. It is the place where religious school lessons come to life, where Jewish friendships begin, and where the foundation for our children’s Jewish future is laid. Indeed, study after study cites Jewish camp as a critical factor in the development of a strong Jewish identity.
As the vice president and education director, respectively, of Congregation Beth Shalom of the Woodlands, we encourage parents in our congregation to make summertime Jewish time by enrolling their children in a Jewish camp. The Woodlands, however, is a surburban community an hour and a half north of Houston and its Jewish community – too far for daily commuting by most families in our temple. Therefore, for the last decade or so, we’ve set aside two weeks in June to run Camp Shalom, creating an opportunity for our kids (ages 3 to 12) to escape the Texas heat and enjoy the benefits of Jewish camp.
A Jewish Junta
By Rabbi Jonah Pesner
Who recruited you into NFTY? Who invited you to your first event? Who tapped you on the shoulder, and suggested you should become involved in a Jewish youth group? I remember them. They called themselves "The Junta." Sometimes they were referred to as a "gang of four." They were the four high school seniors who were the founders of the Village Temple Youth Group back in 1983. To those of us who were younger, they were the coolest kids you could imagine. And because of their efforts, an entire generation of Jewish teens found a home in Jewish life.Asking Big Questions: Applying Design Thinking to Working with Teens
The Journal of Youth Engagement is an online forum of ideas and dialogue for those committed to engaging youth in vibrant Jewish life and living. Join the discussion and become a contributor.
We are asking big questions in Boston and we are inviting, encouraging and supporting our teens to ask them with us. This spring a group of teens asked, “How might we create a meaningful spiritual experience for those coming of age?” This was not a question that was handed to them on a piece of paper; this was a question that evolved out of some very meaningful work in the Design Lab pilot.
How to Get Youth Into Your Synagogue
The Journal of Youth Engagement is an online forum of ideas and dialogue for those committed to engaging youth in vibrant Jewish life and living. Join the discussion and become a contributor.
Millennials. We’re all grappling with similar questions: How do we get them to go to Hebrew school? Or go to Hillel once they’re in college? Or services after that?
I can only answer from my own (millennial) perspective, but my experience has been profound. It is not unique and it is, in fact, deeply rooted in Torah.
Natan Sharansky Speaks to URJ Camp Staffers About the Conflict in Israel
by Hanoch Greenberg
The URJ’s shlichim (Israeli emissaries) were privileged last month to participate in a webinar with Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, in which he discussed the ongoing Operation Protective Edge and its implications for the shlichim, who were working in the Diaspora as conflict escalated in Israel.
For me, an Israeli and a 13-year staff member at URJ Camp Coleman, this summer has been one of the most challenging I’ve ever faced – and I know many of my fellow shlichim feel the same way. Being at camp while our friends and families struggle at home is devastating. The webinar was helpful for the shlichim because it addressed the main questions and struggles that we find ourselves grappling with: how to do our daily job in camp while we worry about everything transpiring back home; how to explain and educate campers and staff about the ongoing situation in Israel; and how to cultivate a support system in and outside of camp.