Temple Judea is committed to providing our 8-12th grade students a fun and engaging way to continue their Jewish education in a way that will inspire a personal connection to Judaism. Students who attend Wednesday learning will meet for dinner at the Temple from 6-6:30pm, followed by grade-appropriate learning designed to help our teens explore how to put their Jewish values to work in the real world.
Part movie club, part discussion, learners will combine Disney movies and Jewish texts to ask questions at the intersection of Jewish values and the human experience. Some themes will include bravery and fear, (inner) beauty, love, death, and uniqueness. Students will also consider how to reconcile Walt Disney's documented antisemitism and racism with the admirable values found in the legacy of his work. Plus, much, much, much more! Culminating with a separate (but subsidized!) trip to Disneyland, this class is sure to make mensches with imagination.
Passionate teens will have a forum to discuss sensitive issues with the support of their peers, our experienced educator, and the Jewish tradition itself. Sample topics include: love and sexuality, mental health, antisemitism, big questions about God and purpose, politics, and more. We will examine the ways that ancient texts are in conversation with issues that spark interest with Jewish teens. This class is sue to inspire fervent discussion and will engage teens on ways they can use Jewish values to create a better world.
We are extremely excited to announce a partnership with American Jewish University (AJU) that will allow our 10th-12th grade students to take classes that will earn them college credit! The course will be worth 3 general education credits, which students can apply to their intended college or university. These courses have a strict attendance requirement. Classes will be held on JTJ Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 8 pm at Temple Judea. After free registration through Temple Judea enrollment, we will provide a direct link to AJU for registration and tuition payment (and financial assistance requests), which are handled directly through AJU.
Israel’s history, culture and people have always been and will continue to be distinctly nuanced and complex. In this class, taught predominantly by Rabbi Rosenstein, students will explore historical events and statistics pertaining to Israel and teach students how to critically analyze a wide range of subject matter, perspectives and experiences. Topics include the founding of the State of Israel, a timeline of Jewish history in the region, the various versions of Zionism, and the path to becoming an independent country. The course will also explore the multiple wars and attempts at peace which have changed the evolving, contested boundaries of the country. A survey of the lived experiences of Israelis and Palestinians from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds as well as the food, culture, language, art, and poetry which have contributed to a multifaceted society will be discussed.
Our Confirmation program supports our post-B'nei Mitzvah teens as they begin making Jewish choices for themselves. Students can become eligible to become Confirmands between 10th and 12th grade, as long as they have actively participated in at least three programs from 8th grade onward. We celebrate these students and their Jewish journeys at a peer-led Shabbat service on June 1. Confirmands will meet periodically to learn in community (dates TBD) during the Spring semester.
