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Pickup Policy

Religious School and Youth Community Program Description

Religious School
Policy Handbook

Youth Community Policy Booklet

We welcome you to Youth Community! Every 7-12 grade student is automatically a member of our Youth Community. Whether you’re interested in: dinner with friends, social action, innovative learning programs, Madrichim (student teacher training program), trips, retreats or youth group activities, there is a place for you in Youth Community! Some components of the program require advance registration, but we make every effort to have an open door policy throughout the year. We invite you to explore all of the opportunities available to you. Come and join in!

Grades 7-12 Wednesday Night Dinner and Classes 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Please read about our policy for pickup on Wednesday evenings in the Youth Community Handbook.

Every 7th – 12th grade member of Shir Tikva is a member of the Youth Community. Although there are milestone celebrations throughout the years which do require a student to meet minimum requirements (Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, and Graduation), every member of the community is encouraged and welcome to access the program through multiple points of entry throughout their middle and high school years. These points of entry include classes (our Wednesday night program), STIFTY (our local chapter of the regional and national NFTY groups), Grades 7-8 social programming, student teaching, teen choir, and social justice. Regardless of their level of commitment to the program, teens are always welcome for Wednesday night dinners, and Shir Tikva commits to continuing to reach out and welcome all students.

Families enter a good faith understanding with the Temple that the student will continue his/her Jewish studies after Bar/Bat Mitzvah . Students who leave the program in the middle of the seventh grade year or whose attendance is poor are violating this good faith agreement. We expect that our students will recognize that Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a signpost of beginning Jewish responsibilities, not a conclusion.

Community Dinner (6:00 – 6:30 pm)

Every Wednesday our program begins by eating dinner together. Everystudent is grades 7 -12 is invited to join us for a casual dining experience with a rotating menu.

Innovative Learning (6:30 – 8:00 pm)

After dinner, we turn towards study. Our program is designed to include a variety of learning styles and formats. Our goal is to provide a substantive program that truly integrates formal and informal teaching styles. On any given Wednesday, students are either in class by grade, or participating in a larger-scale experiential program that incorporates several grades.

General Overview of Grade Specific Learning:

Grades 7, 8, 9 Core Courses in the First Semester

Grade 7: Students study the course, “Echoes and Reflections.” Developed by Yad VaShem and The Anti-Defamation League, students study the Holocaust as a lesson in what can happen when prejudice and discrimination are allowed to flourish and when individuals and governments fail to take a stand against injustice. Through the use of survivor testimony and primary documents, students come away from this course with a personal understanding of the statement, “Never Again”.

Grade 8: Students study “The Modern History of Israel.” Students study the history of Israel from the factors and historical moments which precipitated the development of Israel as a country through to the current day. In addition to the ideological roots of Israel, students explore not only the history but the contemporary character of this modern country. Students will leave this course having developed a personal understanding of the connection of Israel to the Jewish people.

Grade 9: Students study “American Jewish History.” Through both a personal lens and a historical lens, students study the factors which brought the Jewish people to America. Students explore the reasons the early Jewish pioneers had for coming; the situations they found themselves in once they arrived and how these people, determined to make a home in the “Goldeneh Medinah,” overcame great odds to develop and become a vibrant community in the melting pot that is the United States of America. Students come away from this course knowing their own personal family’s journey.

Grade 10, Confirmation: The confirmation year is about discovering where the student finds themselves in the chain of Jewish tradition (shalshelt hakaballah) and how that leads them to act in the world through mitzvot. Students learn how we as Jews tell our sacred story through prayer, ritual, text and mitzvot. Together as a class we work to create a sacred Jewish community with one another. Our hope is that each student finds the space to share with one another their own unique story; just as a Jewish community we tell our sacred stories. Through this process of story telling, study and community building, students begin to articulate a core set of Jewish values that help define who they are as Jewish teens in the world today. Students will uncover their own potential power to effect change in the world both personally and communally – as they act on their Jewish values through mitzvot and Torah.

 Grades 11 & 12: Students engage in study and dialogue with our Rabbis, Cantor and Educators in order to prepare themselves for the next major move in their lives, the transition from high school to college. Jewish Life Skills is the name of the course. Students study what it means to be Jewish for them personally, once they leave their homes. How to do Jewish life? How to interact in the world as a Jew? How to dialogue on religion and Israel with those who are not Jewish and even those who are Jewish, are some of the topics students explore. Students come away from this course with a sense that they are prepared to lead Jewish lives in a larger context.

Additional Learning Opportunities — In addition to Wednesday evening classes, we offer conversational Hebrew courses for both beginners and continuing learners on Sunday mornings from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. This is a collaborative class with the Adult Learning Committee.

Be a Member of the Madrichim Program (8 th – 12 th grade)

Our Madrichim (student teacher training) program offers invaluable aid to the students and teachers of our Religious School. Madrichim assist the teacher in the classroom through a variety of responsibilities such as small group study, one-on-one teaching, teaching a part of the class lesson and so on.  In addition to assisting in the teaching in the classroom, Madrichim participate in a monthly training seminar. Indeed, this program provides a unique and powerful learning opportunity for our teens. 

Social Action / Tikkun Olam Opportunities

JCRC’s TELEM Program at Shir Tikva 

TELEM is a major initiative to promote social justice among Jewish youth in Boston. The goal of TELEM is to make participation in meaningful community service and Jewish learning a transformative rite of passage for Jewish youth in Boston. Ultimately, this experience fosters a lifelong understanding of the importance of volunteerism and activism that is integrally connected with each participant's Jewish identity.

TELEM integrates community service with learning, reflection, and opportunities to effect real change. Along with doing community service, participants learn about Jewish values and social justice issues connected to their volunteer work.

TELEM Literacy Program: Teens become TELEM tutors and have the opportunity to share their love of books and reading with young children who are learning to read. Before long, TELEM tutors become a role model, teacher and friend to a young person.  TELEM literacy tutors offer their students an important opportunity to improve their reading skills and to develop a lasting love for reading. The study component of TELEM Literacy takes place on Sunday afternoons after Religious School. Tutoring at a local school takes place on Thursday afternoons. Students wanting to participate in the TELEM Literacy program must agree to come to the Sunday study seminars and the tutoring on Thursday afternoons.

TELEM Hunger and Homelessness program: teens have the opportunity to learn about the issue of poverty. Students participate in classroom-based learning and direct service activities with people who are struggling with  issues related to poverty and homelessness. Students are also given the opportunity to reflect upon and share their experiences with their peers and supervisors to round out a meaningful personal and learning experience. Students learn the many issues and dimensions related to poverty, hunger and homelessness to develop insight and strategies to help fight poverty. Both the study component and the trips to the shelter are held on Wednesday nights. Students wanting to participate in the TELEM Hunger and Homelessness program must agree to come to the classes and the shelter visits on Wednesday nights.

Want To Create a Tikkun Olam Project?

Youth Community together with STIFTY, our Youth Group, is always looking for ways to make Tikkun Olam a reality. Teens are invited to share their ideas for a Tikkun Olam project in which Youth Community teens can engage. To turn your ideas into real projects, contact Shir Tikva’s Youth Educator, Dave Dossick.

Our 7th - 8th Grade Youth Group

Throughout the year, a variety of both local and regional programs is available to the 7th and 8th graders.

• We begin the year getting to know each other with an overnight retreat.
• In February we participate in a regional overnight at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline.
• Become a leader and help to coordinate a variety of programs and events for the 7 th/8 th grade youth group.

STIFTY / Youth Community Board (Grades 9-12)

In grades 9 - 12 we welcome participation in STIFTY (our senior youth group).  We have a board of outstanding youth leaders who oversee and coordinate the various activities for the high school grades.

• Take part in social action, both long-running programs and individual projects.
• Participate in local social activities.
• Engage in ongoing leadership training.
• Attend a variety of regional events with NFTY Northeast.

STIFTY events during the year

For a more detailed description of the Youth Community program, please see the Religious School and Youth Community Program Description.

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