beth el teens

Posted on 11.27.2024

Programming Updates for 5th-12th grade families

Please see below for updates and a summary of what Beth El offers for teen programming, as well as information about a new leadership opportunity for teens. Over the past year, we have been involved with different organizations, including USY, BBYO, and a tri-synagogue partnership. We currently offer a variety of programs, both social and educational, to meet the needs of our teens. Our website includes updates of what programs we offer, with more detailed explanations below:

5th-7th Grade: 

We offer Kadima programming once a month on Sundays from 2-3:30pm at Beth El. The goal of these programs is to provide social opportunities for all of our 5th-7th graders.

8th -12th Grade: 

  • Educational: We offer Teen Leadership Training (TLT) and our Madrichim program. All 8th-12th graders are invited to participate in TLT, which meets on 12 Sundays over the year from 11:30am-1pm with lunch served. Teens have the opportunity to partake in various learning and hands-on sessions, including learning about anti-semitism, financial literacy, volunteering with the food bank, ArtBender, and more. Teens are also encouraged to apply to be Madrichim, or classroom assistants, for our Jewish Learning Center (JLC – Hebrew School), even if they did not attend.
  • Social: Teens can participate in BE Jewish, our Beth El-run teen social programming. This includes various Friday night dinners and programs, an escape room, and events in partnership with other local synagogues, including our annual teen trip, and an ice-skating event. BBYO and USY run parallel to BE Jewish and are not directly affiliated with Beth El. If you have questions about BBYO or USY, please reach out to those organizations directly. If your teen is planning on attending a BBYO or USY convention and would like to connect to other Beth El teens doing so, feel free to contact us.

Shabbat: 

  • Beth El is launching a pilot teen Shabbat morning service once a month from 11am-12pm on Saturday mornings. As this program grows, we will share more. We hope to see you at our first teen-led Shabbat morning service on Sat, Dec 14.

Communication:

We communicate about teen programming in a few ways.

  1. Teen Tidbits are sent out weekly through Constant Contact with information about upcoming programs. (If you are not receiving these emails, please contact us.)
  2. WhatsApp Group for teen programming (new!). Please join here.
  3. Teen Ambassadors: In lieu of a teen board, we’re launching a Teen Ambassadors’ program to help promote and assist in the planning of programs when needed. We are looking for a few teens in each grade from 5th-12th grade to serve as our Teen Ambassadors. If your teen is interested in applying, please fill out this form.

Thank you for your support as we continue to build upon our teen programming. 

Upcoming dates and programs: