Parent-Teen Mental Health and Wellness Summit

2018-03-18T16:02:42+00:00March 18th, 2018|

By Rabbi Paul Kipnes and Rabbinic Intern Julie Bressler The Parent-Teen Mental Health and Wellness Summit realized a dream: to transform our synagogue, Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas), into a truly safe place for teens, their unique emotional journeys, and the parents who love but are unsure of how to protect them. It’s one thing to dream [...]

Beyond a Seat at the Table: Real World Models That Empower Teens

2018-03-16T04:58:00+00:00March 16th, 2018|

By Sara Allen In the challenging world of heated political rhetoric, gun violence, and #MeToo, examples abound of teens finding and using their voices.  For organizations devoted to Jewish teen engagement, empowering teens to authentically shape their own experiences is an important way to increase relevancy and meaning for teens seeking to create change for themselves, and in [...]

Bridging Generations, Building Jewish Lives

2018-03-16T04:39:47+00:00March 16th, 2018|

[This essay is from Contact, a publication of The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life. Reprinted with permission.] By Ayalon Eliach Wen I told people that I had accepted a position as the rabbinic counselor for a summer internship program in which teenagers volunteered to visit the elderly, I was met with incredulity. The shock was not that [...]

Denver and Boulder Teens Initiative Receives New Funding

2018-03-16T04:35:10+00:00March 16th, 2018|

The multi-faceted Denver/Boulder Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Initiative(Initiative) is involving more teens in Jewish life, offering them new programs they find relevant, and helping them develop leadership skills – says a new evaluation on the Initiative. The Initiative, funded by Rose Community Foundation, with additional funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation and other donors, supports the expansion of innovative [...]

The Federation Announces $2,000,000 in Grants to Launch the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Initiative

2018-03-16T04:30:14+00:00March 16th, 2018|

Significant investment from the Jim Joseph Foundation will increase opportunities to engage teens in Jewish experiences during formative years San Francisco, CA – The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties (the Federation) is pleased to announce the launch of its Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Initiative. This major five-year, $7.6 million endeavor [...]

Thoughts on Israeliness while standing in customs

2018-03-07T02:41:48+00:00March 7th, 2018|

"So, Dr. Pomson, what exactly is your business in the United States?” It’s rare that a month goes by that I’m not asked this question by a uniformed person at a major American airport. When you live in Israel and most of the organizations with which you work are in the US, there is only so much [...]

Teen Mental Health: Rolling Darkness into Light

2018-03-07T02:34:04+00:00March 7th, 2018|

Rolling light into darkness and darkness rolling into light. Goleil or mipnei choshech v’choshech mipnei or. With these words, the evening Ma’ariv Aravim prayer draws attention to the cycle of day and night, thanking God for the unending seasons. Ma’ariv Aravim also assures us that even when darkness shields our ability to see, we will eventually return to a light [...]

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