This weekend, our son will complete the year of b'nei mitzvah of his peer group, and conveniently, the last one on his social calendar happens to be his own.  My husband and I are in awe of this incredible milestone. It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating his birth.

 

As a Jewish educator, I understand the value of continuing one's education beyond b'nei mitzvah. I have given a great deal of thought to the trajectory we have created to help our students in the hope that their families will want to share this value. My work began long before I got married and had children, and I can honestly say that having a family, and particularly being the parent of a young teen, has refocused my feelings about youth engagement.

 

We are fortunate to live in a time when our children have a wealth of opportunities to engage in Jewish life at a very young age in both innovative and meaningful ways, and to continue these values through high school and beyond. 

 

Here at Beth-El, we begin with K'tantan before moving onto our Religious School classes for students in Pre-K through 10th Grade. In addition, we are now piloting a program with Moving Traditions which allows our 8th graders to have a space for self-discovery through a Jewish lens. Our Madrichim program for our 11th & 12th grade students provides them the opportunity to help within the classroom walls as well as out in the community to make our programs run smoothly.  Our youth program PROVTY for students in Grades 8-12 is stronger than ever and has allowed our teens to connect with Jewish teens locally and throughout our NFTY Northeast region. 

 

With our new involvement in a URJ Community of Practice focusing on Post-B'nei Mitzvah Students, we have already learned that starting younger is the key to keeping students engaged as they get older and we were proud to find out that we are well ahead of the game in that area.  I can't wait to join our colleagues at the upcoming URJ Biennial in Boston this December to learn even more ways to make the religious school experience even stronger.

 

In the meantime, you will find me taking a moment to celebrate this incredible stop on our son's Jewish journey with great joy!