Post B’nai Mitzvah (8th – 12th Grade) Programs
The learning does not stop after b’nai mitzvah!
HaMakom (The Place)
HaMakomenables teens from all over Union County to gather, make new friends, and learn fascinating things about the Jewish world.
Find Out More 〉
8th, 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th Grade Madrichim
The Madrichim program gives the opportunity to apply to serve as role models and teaching assistants (paid or volunteer opportunity).
Find Out More 〉
Moving Traditions For students in 8th through 12th Grade
Moving Traditions offers a proven model of intellectual, ethical, and spiritual Jewish exploration for teens.
Find Out More 〉
10th Grade Confirmation
Confirmation offers a close examination of the student’s Jewish identity, exploring topics of God, sexuality, justice and spirituality.
Find Out More 〉
11th & 12th Grade/Cafe Torah
Join our clergy and educators for an informal and fun get together in the Westfield Diner to discuss contemporary issues through a “Jewish lens”.
Find Out More 〉
Rosh Chodesh (for teens who identify as female) and Shevet (For teens who identify as male)
Find Out More 〉
Post B’nai Mitzvah Programs
HaMakom
HaMakom meets on Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00pm.
Our innovative, all-community HaMakom program enables teens from all over Union County to gather, make new friends, and learn fascinating things about the Jewish world. HaMakom celebrates adult Jewish learning and a lifetime of being interested, so it is a pure elective program. The teens pick the classes they want to take, and the teachers pick the things to teach that excite and fascinate them. Therefore, the students will have the opportunity to share in the Jewish interests of clergy and educators from throughout the community. Special programs allow us to make deep dives and welcome special guests and be hands-on in new ways. In so many ways, HaMakom is “The Place” for Jewish teens to be.
To learn more, check out our HaMakom website.
8th – 12th Grade Madrichim Program
Teens in Grades 8th through 12th have the opportunity to apply to serve as role models and teaching assistants for approximately 2 hours a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Sundays in the younger grades of our school. Madrichim can opt to volunteer, or get paid once they are 14 years of age for their work at Temple Emanu-El.
Through Professional Development, these teens are transformed into role models and leaders whose young students look up to them. Confidence, pride, meaning and a renewed passion for learning–that’s what this program creates for our teens.
With Emily Halpern’s leadership, our Madrichim will learn to:
- Help prepare and run lessons in the classroom
- Lead small group discussions and tutor kids in Hebrew
- Introduce exciting games to review classroom material
- Provide a safe and loving environment for every student
- Make it “cool” to be Jewish
- Bring a sense of ruach (spirit) to the classroom
Moving Traditions For students in 8th through 12th Grades
Moving Traditions offers a proven model of intellectual, ethical, and spiritual Jewish exploration for teens.
In monthly meetings, with games, media, the arts, and conversation, Moving Traditions-trained group leaders use our curricular resources to bring Jewish values and practice to bear on the deepest concerns of adolescents.
We would like to offer this program to our teens. The program cost is $136 per student. At this time, we are trying to gauge the interest of our TEE teens. Please select the program in which your teen would be interested in participating.
Please Contact the Religious School office if you have any questions.
10th Grade Confirmation
10th Grade Confirmation meets during HaMakom on Tuesdays from 7:00-9:00pm
The 10th Grade Confirmation year in particular, mandates one class with Rabbi Prosnit that offers a close examination of the student’s Jewish identity, exploring topics of God, sexuality, justice and spirituality.
The Confirmands also participate in social action projects, including participation in hands-on projects to directly serve homeless men, women and children on the streets and in shelters.
Confirmands participate in the L’Taken Seminar in Washington DC. Students have the opportunity to impact our political process as they share their views on social justice topics with decision-makers on Capitol Hill.
Upon completion of the program, 10th Graders are celebrated with their families in a special Confirmation Service!
Please contact the Religious School Office with any questions you may have.
11th & 12th Grade/Cafe Torah
Join our clergy and educators for an informal and fun get together in the Westfield Diner to discuss contemporary issues through a “Jewish lens”. In the past, topics have included Israel, anti-Semitism, social media, peer pressure, Israel on campus, Jewish values in popular culture, the pressures of college, etc.
11th & 12th Grade Cafe Torah participants meet on Sundays 6:00-7:00 PM, approximately 12 times per year. Meetings include a “kosher style” dinner from the Westfield Diner.
Please contact the Religious School Office with any questions you may have.
Rosh Chodesh (for teens who identify as female) and Shevet (for teens who identify as male)
Rosh Chodesh
For teens who identify as female:
Rosh Chodesh is an experiential education program currently touching the lives of 3,500 girls across North America.
The program uses Jewish teachings and practices to give girls a place to feel safe, articulate their deepest concerns, consider the impact of gender on their daily lives, have fun, and be ‘real’ with their peers.
Rosh Chodesh was developed by educators, rabbis, social workers, and psychologists to address the real needs of teen girls within a rich Jewish context. It was the first program to draw on Jewish teachings and traditions to keep girls healthy and whole, instilling in them the ability to counter narrow views of gender in popular culture.
Shevet
For teens who identify as male:
Shevet grew out of three years of research. Seeing that boys were disconnecting from Jewish life after bar mitzvah, at a time when the guidance, friendship, and sense of purpose that Judaism could provide were most needed, we set out to re-imagine the transition from being a boy to being a young man.
Teen boys who participate in Shevet groups tell us that they enjoy spending time in a “guy space,” where they can explore what masculinity and being Jewish means to them. The boys report that the experience offers them a more “honest,” “relevant,” and “cool” way to participate in the Jewish community.
