Our 8th-12th Grade Program meets on Tuesday evenings, weekly for 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students and monthly for 11th and 12th grade students, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, including dinner.
The students make close relationships with one another and truly appreciate the close contacts with Rabbi Adam, Cantor Lindsay, and Rabbi Mark. The Senior Staff, on the other hand, really enjoy the relationships they forge with the students and the attention they can give them as individuals and as a group.
We look forward to students in Grades 8-12 becoming part of this great program and to truly partake in great discussions, terrific music, good food, and wonderful company.
For more information about any aspect of the 8th-12th grade program, contact Director of Congregational Learning, Rabbi Mark Levine.
In the fall semester, the students will discuss their thoughts about God, ethics, Tzedakah, Shabbat, Mitzvot and Israel. A special emphasis will be placed on the “big question” of our day – “Why be Jewish? What does it mean today, and for the future?” As part of this exploration, our students will compare and contrast the different movements of Judaism. They will focus on spirituality and develop the tools to become spiritual beings. In the spring, the students will embark on a journey of discovery through the study of the ways in which people search for God… Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and different denominations of Christianity will be compared and contrasted with Judaism, as the students learn what we share and how we differ. They will visit different churches, a mosque and a Thai temple. They will focus on different Mitzvot, both from the traditional and contemporary significance, plus ways to put Mitzvot into practice.
Students will explore: issues of social justice; famous Jewish role models; spirituality, faith and belief; Jewish arts, culture and literature; Jewish food, ethics and health; and significant Jewish memories and important historical events.
Along with the Rabbi, Cantor, and the Director of Congregational Learning, students will explore questions of Jewish identity: Should Judaism play a role in the decisions I make in my life? Is it important what Judaism teaches us? Can prayer, spirituality, and God make a difference in my life? How can I engage with my Judaism in a way that’s meaningful for me? For a year, students will have the Rabbi, Cantor and Educator all to themselves. They will be encouraged to ask away and not hold back! At the close of the school year, students put together their own creative service for their graduation, which occurs springtime around the holiday of Shavuot.
Students will meet once a month on Tuesday evenings starting after the High Holidays, and will meet with members of the clergy and senior staff. They will discuss issues that are close to their hearts and minds.
