7th – 12th Grade
Rimon Noar and JLF meet Mondays 7:00 – 8:30pm
In a nutshell, Rimon Noar (7th and 8th grades) and JLF (Jewish Leadership Fellowship – 9th through 12th grades) are all about relationships. These programs are where 7th-12th grade teens come together to share and continue their connections to Temple Sholom, their Jewish touchpoints, and their friends. Rimon Noar and JLF are designed to meet teens where they are. These teen programs provide unique, innovative, and engaging opportunities. We want our teens to develop tangible life skills that will enable them to share their voices and passions as they continue to grow their individual and collective Jewish identity.
Why Teens attend Rimon Noar and JLF…
- Tikkun Olam – a commitment to make the world a better and more just place through social justice and social action.
- Kehillah – being part of a supportive, accepting, and interdependent thinking community.
- Preparation – building knowledge and skills to navigate the college years and beyond through Jewish values and the tools for ethical decision-making.
What Your Teen will gain from Rimon Noar and JLF…
- Tangible Life Skills – participation enables teens to practice important skills for college and beyond such as public speaking, debate, and advocacy.
- Relationships- not only with other teens but with adults who they will see as mentors in their future endeavors.
7th grade
During the first part of the year, 7th graders will explore the Holocaust through the lens of human behavior. Through film, primary sources, and discussion learners will wrestle with important themes and issues. During the latter part of the year teens will choose their own path through electives.
8th grade
During the first part of the year 8th graders will “meet” the Prophets and begin to develop their own thoughts on issues such as social justice and ways to impact their world. During the latter part of the year, teens will choose their own path through electives.
9th – 12th grade – Jewish Leadership Fellowship
JLF is a unique and powerful ten-month program for all 9th – 12th grade Temple Sholom teens. Led by Rabbi Rigler, teens will engage in social justice and advocacy, taking activism to the next level through study, immersive experiences, volunteering, and sacred partnerships. We will empower our teens to take leadership of our sacred heritage as they:
- Strengthen their own understanding of social justice and systems of oppression from a root cause perspective.
- Build leadership skills to organize for social change.
- Cultivate their Jewish identity and values by connecting Judaism with social justice, using Jewish texts and history as a guide.
- Participate in hands-on community work with local organizations.
- Engage in active and unbiased listening, hearing the stories and struggles of those who we will encounter.
- Journey with Tzedek America to the Arizona border to learn and explore immigration to America firsthand. Here they will not only learn from those who are there, but will find their own voice and inspiration to continue to create impactful change upon their return.
- Journey to Washington, D.C. for a four-day L’Taken Social Justice Seminar. While at the seminar you will join teens from across the country and learn about the most pressing social issues in American today. You will have the opportunity to choose a social justice issue that speaks to you and prepare a statement that you will deliver to representatives on Capitol Hill.
Mission:
Creating a program that engages Temple Sholom’s teen population in connecting Jewish and social justice values.
Enduring Understandings:
“Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof/Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue, that you may live, and inherit the land which the Lord your God gave you.” (Deut. 16:18-20)
The world is made up of stories; it’s not made up of facts.
These stories are always changing. They are the raw materials of life and the spirit. What you see in the past is dependent on what you are able to see now. The art of starting new conversations is the art of giving voice to narratives of the past and present.
From the time of the prophets, the pursuit of living in a just society has been at the core of our mission as a Jewish people. How we apply these ancient values in each and every generation is our challenge as Reform Jews.