Quick Links

BAYGL is made possible by the support of:
Temple Beth Avodah www.bethavodah.org
Union of Reform Judaism www.urj.org
Combined Jewish Philanthropies www.cjp.org
Bureau of Jewish Education www.bje.org

Here are some other websites that might interest you!

North American Federation of Temple Youth: www.nfty.org
NFTY-Northeast: www.nfty.org/ne
Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center: www.lsjcc.org
Teen JCC: www.tjcc.org

Resource Guide

Welcome to the Temple Beth Avodah Youth Resource Guide. Here you will find all of the opportunities imaginable available to Jewish youth. Who is a Jewish youth you ask? Jewish youth refers to anyone in grades 3-12. Many of the opportunities in this guide specify that they are only open to individuals in grades 7-12 or 9-12. Be sure to check what grades the programs are open to. What kind of opportunities can you find in this guide? You will find everything here! Youth groups, social programs, social action opportunities, Israel programs, travel, summer camps, arts opportunities, education programs, and more!

Below is the table of contents. Click on the headings to be taken to each of the sections. All programs include contact information and descriptions. For more information on any programs contact Becky Ostrow, Youth Educator, at 617-527-0045 x171 or bostrow@bethavodah.org

1. Youth Programs and Leadership Development:
   1. Beth Avodah Youth Group League (BAYGL)
   2. North American Federation of Temple Youth- Northeast Region (NFTY-NE)
   3. TeenJCC & Maccabi Games
   4. Greater Boston Jewish Youth Council-Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston (BJE)
   5. Noar Committee-Combined Jewish Philanthropies Commission on Jewish Continuity & Education
   6. Hebrew Union College Youth Programs
   7. Meitav Fellowship-Union of Reform Judaism (URJ)
   
   
2. Education Programs
   1. Midrasha at Temple Beth Avodah
   2. Gann Academy-The New Jewish High School
   3. Prozdor Hebrew High School-Hebrew College
   
   
3. Tikkun Olam-Making the World a Better Place
   1. A World of Difference Institute & Interfaith Leadership and Community Programs-Anti Defamation League (ADL)
   2. Havayah Winter Experience
   3. High School Work Camps-American Jewish Society for Service (AJSS)
   4. Jewish Community Volunteer Program-Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)
   5. Teens for Tzedek-TeenJCC
   6. Youth Social Justice Initiatives-Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
   
   
4. Summer Programs, Israel, and Jewish Camping
   1. JCC Camp Grossman
   2. JCC Camp Kingswood
   3. URJ Northeast Camp Institute: Eisner Camp and Crane Lake Camp
   4. Kutz Camp
   5. Genesis at Brandeis University
   6. March of the Living International
   7. Myra and Robert Kraft Passport to Israel Program & Israel Teen Alumni Cabinet
   8. The Nesiya Institute
   9. NFTY Israel Trips: L'dor V'dor
   10. Eisendrath Israel Exchange-NFTY
   
   
5. Cultural Arts
   1. KVN-JCC and Jewish Family & Children Services (JF&CS)
   2. Rimonin-A Program of TeenJCC and Prozdor
   
   
6. Special Services
   1. G'avah-Keshet, Boston's Jewish gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy and education organization
   2. Kol Isha's Teen Safe program-JF&CS
   3. Jewish Big Brother & Big Sister Association (JBB&BSA)
   4. New American Teen Program-JCC
   5. New American Teen Summer Internship-Jewish Vocational Service (JVS)
   6. Teen Friendship Group (special needs)-JCC
   7. TeenAde-BJE

1. Youth Programs and Leadership Development
   
   
   1. Beth Avodah Youth Group League (BAYGL)
      Grades: 3-12
      Website: www.baygl.org
      Contact: Becky Ostrow, Youth Educator, 617-527-0045x171, bostrow@bethavodah.org

      BAYGL, Beth Avodah Youth Group League gives the Temple youth community in grades 3-12 the opportunity to participate in programming of all kinds and create long lasting friendships with other Jewish youth. From playing laser tag with friends to having engaging conversations to participating in a spiritual Havdallah service, BAYGL youth develop their personal identities, create meaningful friendships, and become a part of a strong community. Information about our activities is listed in the Kadima, on our website, and is sent out to potential BAYGL members. We have four grade-based youth groups: Super, Mini, Junior, & Senior BAYGL.

      SUPER BAYGL
      For Grades 3&4
      Participates in 5 local events per year, including one late night event at the Temple.

      MINI BAYGL
      For Grades 5&6
      Participates in 5 local events per year, including one Shul-in (sleepover) at the Temple.

      JUNIOR BAYGL
      For Grades 7&8
      Plans and participates in 1 local event per month. Also attends 1 regional event (Shul-in) per year in Brookline. Hosts event planning meetings for youth interested in being in leadership roles.

      SENIOR BAYGL
      For Grades 9-12
      Plans and participates in 1 local event per month and 1 regional event per month as part of NFTY-Northeast. Has an elected youth board that meets every other week to create Jewish opportunities for peers through events and other activities. In addition, BAYGL members can participate in planning teams based on specific interests.

   2. North American Federation of Temple Youth- Northeast Region (NFTY-NE)
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.nfty.org/ne
      Contact: Lindsey Baach, NFTY-NE Regional Director, lbaach@urj.org

      For over sixty years, the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) has offered thousands of young people the opportunity to explore and live Reform Judaism. Sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), NFTY serves more than 10,000 Jewish youth across North America. NFTY-Northeast is one of 19 regions comprised of twelve hundred members from sixty-eight local youth groups spanning seven states and Montreal, Canada. NFTYites forge and build friendships, lifelong Reform Jewish identities, and leadership skills through community building, worship, social action, and experiential youth-led Jewish educational programming. NFTY hosts a national convention every two years that allows for NFTYites from the 19 regions to join together to sing, pray, learn, and spend time with friends. In addition, the URJ Kutz Camp is for Reform Jewish teens interested in improving a variety of leadership skills (see URJ Kutz Camp for more information). NFTY-NE hosts a variety of their own regional programming throughout the year such as dances, shul-ins (sleepovers at a Temple), conclavettes (weekend retreats with parts of the region hosted by different youth groups), and institutes (5-day retreats Eisner Camp for entire region).

   3. Teen Jewish Community Center (TJCC)
      Grades: 7-12
      Website: www.tjcc.org
      Contact: David Cohen, TJCC Director, dacohen@jccgb.org, 617-558-6512

      TeenJCC, the teen division of the JCCs of Greater Boston, engages youth in a broad range of outdoor adventure, travel, sports, and social action programs. TeenJCC hosts a teen lounge at the Leventhal Sidman JCC in Newton and a middle school lounge at the Striar JCC in Stoughton, and serves as a venue for teen musicians through Band Bash events and Open Mic Nights. Leadership opportunities are available for interested teens on program committees and the TeenJCC Steering Committee. TeenJCC programs are open to all teens, JCC members and non-members. Related programs include Teens for Tzedek (Tikkun Olam) and Rimonim (Cultural Arts).

      Macabbi Games
      Compete for the prize at the Jewish Olympics. Each year, Boston sends a delegation of athletes to compete with teens from around the world in various team and individual sports at the JCCA Maccabi Games held in August. In addition to this week long athletic competition, participants attend social events and tournaments and help raise funds for the games.

   4. Greater Boston Jewish Youth Council: A Program of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston (BJE)
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.bje.org
      Contact: David Goldstein, Coordinator, dag@bje.org, 617-965-7350 x256

      Debate cutting-edge issues affecting Jewish teenagers. This non-denominational youth leadership group brings together student leaders from Jewish communal organizations, as well as those who are unaffiliated, to exchange ideas and test their wits. In the 2001-2 year, an exciting new exchange program with members of the Haifa, Israel youth community features joint study and travel.

   5. Hebrew Union College Youth Programs
      Grades: 10-12
      Website: www.hucyouthprograms.org
      Contact: Department of Youth Programs, 513-487-3232, youthprograms@huc.edu

      HUC-JIR is delighted to offer programs and opportunities for young people throughout North America and Israel. Each year, we welcome over 500 young people to our campuses in order to explore Jewish identity, texts, and leadership. For those who are considering a future career as a Jewish professional or for those who are interested in spending time learning and living with fellow Jewish youth from across North America, HUC-JIR provides a variety of programatic options. For more information on our college and high school events or to find out how sign up, please contact the North American Department of Youth Programs.

      Institute for Religious School Teaching Assistants (IRSTA): Grades 10-12 training program for developing teaching skills.
      HUC Academy: Grades 11&12, intellectual exploration with other teens.
      HUC Gesher: Grades 10-12, provides connections for students with similar interests (small towns, arts, sports, etc.)
      High School Leadership Conference (HSLC): Grades 11&12, Leadership development
      Mechkar: Grades 11&12, Jewish textual study
      HUC-JIR / Religious Action Center Social Justice Weekend: Grades 10-12, combines study, service, and advocacy.

   6. Meitav Fellowship: Union of Reform Judaism (URJ)
      Grades: 10-12
      Website: http://urj.org/youth/meitav/
      Contact: Allison Lauterbach, Coordinator, 212-650-4071, meitav@urj.org

      The Union for Reform Judaism's Youth Division offers the Meitav Youth Fellowship for Reform Jewish Leadership. A Meitav Fellow is a highly motivated and engaged Reform Jewish teenager who yearns to learn and do even more in a serious manner. A serious and academic ninth (or tenth) grader who, after exhausting all of his or her congregational resources, still thirsts for more Jewish learning, spirituality, and involvement, is a prime candidate for the URJ Meitav Youth Fellowship for Reform Jewish Leadership. As Fellows in this prestigious Reform Jewish High School honors program, these highly engaged youth will join with other select peers from across North America to engage in a three year endeavor of significant Jewish study and leadership training. Fellows receive substantial Fellowship money.

      The three-year Meitav Fellowship encompasses the following components:

      Hebrew: Fellows spend a summer in an intensive Hebrew program at a Union for Reform Judaism Camp
      Tikkun Olam: Fellows participate in the NFTY-Central West Region Mitzvah Corps in the San Francisco Bay Area the following summer, studying the underpinnings and doing acts of Tikkun Olam
      Israel: Fellows spend a fully accredited high school semester in Israel on the NFTY Eisendrath International Exchange Program
      Leadership Training: Fellows take part in a leadership training program at the URJ Kutz Camp
      Ongoing Learning: Fellows take part in year-round education through on-line learning, weekend seminars, as well as with a mentor at the Fellow's home congregation
      
      

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2. Education Programs
   
   
   1. Midrasha at Temple Beth Avodah
      Grades: 7-12
      Contact: Becky Ostrow, Youth Educator, 617-527-0045 x171, bostrow@bethavodah.org

      Midrasha is the High School program at Temple Beth Avodah. Beginning in 7th grade students come on Monday nights for 2 ½ hours to build a community and to grow as Jewish adults. The night begins with a community dinner that gives students a chance to hang out with their friends at the Temple. Following dinner, announcements about upcoming events in the Temple, in Midrasha, and in the youth groups are given. Throughout the year students participate in special school-wide programs that focus on deep exploration of topics, community development, and family involvement. On nights where there is no special program, students attend two hours of classes.

      Our 7th grade students participate in separate classes that help prepare them for Jewish adulthood. They rotate through a trimester schedule and take 6 different classes by the end of the year. Though they have separate classes they are able to spend time with the older students and experience the high school program during dinner and school-wide programs. The 7th grade also participates in an Outward Bound program which helps unite them as a community.

      Students in grades 8-12 participate in grade based core course from 6:30-7:30 including Tikkun Olam, diversity in Judaism, and Torah study. From 7:30-8:30 they have a choice of electives such as heaven in religion, world Jewish music, and pop culture. All of our students have the opportunity to participate in trips throughout the year including an 8th grade Washington, D.C. trip and a 10th grade New York trip. All grades participate in special programs throughout the year and have rotating class schedules to provide variety.

      Midrasha blends formal and informal learning opportunities to create a meaningful Jewish environment for our teenagers. Based on the word d'rash or explore, Midrasha seeks to create an atmosphere for students to develop their Jewish identities. With a greatly experienced staff and a high level of student input, Midrasha offers a unique community of learning and fun.

   2. Gann Academy-The New Jewish High School
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.gannacademy.org
      Contact: 781-642-6800, info@gannacademy.org
      

      Gann Academy-The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston is a pluralistic day school committed to providing a challenging, nurturing, and inspiring education that integrates intensive Jewish studies with the sciences and the humanities. It was founded on the conviction that Jewish day school education during the adolescent years is crucial for developing Jews who will be knowledgeable, sophisticated, and passionate about Judaism and who will make lasting contributions to the Jewish community, American society, and the world at large. Our school is devoted to three basic goals: The Study of Torah and General Culture, a Sacred Community within the Jewish People, and the Fulfillment of Commandments and Mending the World.

   3. Prozdor
      Grades: 8-12
      Website: www.prozdor.org
      Contact: Bil Zarch, High School Director, 617-559-8800, bzarch@hebrewcollege.edu

      Over 950 students from diverse religious and ideological backgrounds from over 60 towns throughout Greater Boston and Southern New Hampshire come to Prozdor to engage in serious learning in all areas of Jewish study, including the performing and visual arts. Holiday celebrations, social events, field trips, and Shabbatonim are part of an active student life on campus. Programs begin formally in the eighth grade for Hebrew school students and ninth grade for day school students with graduation in the eleventh grade. Prozdor offers a twelfth grade Senior Seminar as well as a small seventh grade class for students not currently enrolled in religious school. Generous scholarships are available. Prozdor welcomes all Jewish teens to become part of its extraordinary community. Students have the option of studying in the 4 or 6 hour programs.

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3. Tikkun Olam-Repairing the World
   
   
   1. A World of Difference Institute & Interfaith Leadership and Community Programs-Anti Defamation League (ADL)
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.adl.org
      Contact: Philip Fogelman, Project Director, 617-406-6300 pfogelman@adl.org

      A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE© Institute special projects are annual proactive initiatives to raise people's awareness of prejudice and discrimination, and promote inclusive schools and communities in which people are respected for their differences. To further advance its mission, A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE© Institute encourages educators and youth to participate annual proactive educational programs such as the Youth Congress, the Calendar Art Contest, the Golden-Sugihara "Do the Right Thing" Essay Awards, and more.

      The Interfaith Leadership and Community Programs provide an opportunity for Jewish, Christian and Muslim high school students to share and experience the richness of each other's religious traditions. Our religiously diverse culture challenges us to educate ourselves about one another's faith traditions. Founded in 1995, the ADL program is also sponsored by the MassachusettsCouncil of Churches, the Archdiocese of Boston and the Islamic Council of New England. Through monthly dialogues, participants have a chance to build personal relationships with one another, explore interfaith issues and learn about other religions while deepening appreciation for their own. Each year, the program welcomes new ninth and tenth graders from throughout the Boston metropolitan area.

   2. Havayah Winter Experience-Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE)
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.bje.org
      Contact: Penni Moss, Coordinator, 617-965-7350 x244, pmoss@bje.org
      

      Go to the other side of the world and experience the true meaning of Klal Yisrael. Teens from Boston and Haifa, Israel travel each February to our sister city of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine to meet with their peers and run a special winter camping program. Students plan programs for members of the growing Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community, tour the city, celebrate Shabbat together and form lifelong connections with their new Ukrainian friends. Working with their Haifa counterparts, students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the connection between America and Israel. This program is sponsored by BJE with support from JCRC.

   3. High School Work Camps- American Jewish Society for Service (AJSS)
      Grades: 11-12
      Website: www.ajss.org
      Contact: 212-683-6178
      

      Since 1950, the American Jewish Society for Service (AJSS), an independent, charitable organization, has been conducting voluntary summer work camps throughout the United States. Why? Primarily, in order to give young people an opportunity for serving those in need. Our projects usually involve the construction or repair of one or more buildings. We have built a school, a gymnasium, single family homes, barns, recreational facilities, and a community center; we have also repaired water systems and repaired homes. We have completed 121 projects in 45 states including New Mexico, South Dakota, New Hampshire, South Carolina, California and Kentucky, including 17 on Indian reservations. Recreational, educational, and religious programming are part of the experience. If you want a truly different summer, performing physical labor for the benefit of a disadvantaged community in the United States and can adjust to living as a member of a co-ed group of 18 people for six weeks starting about July 1st, contact us for details.

   4. Jewish Community Volunteer Program- Combined Jewish Philanthropies
      Grades: 7-12
      Website: www.cjp.org
      Contact: Yvonne Sacks, Director, 617-558-6585, jcvp36@aol.com
      

      We seek energetic teens who are eager to help others, meet people, and try new things. Share your time, talents and energy in a wide variety of jobs and settings. You can teach a child to read, deliver and prepare food for the hungry, talk to a lonely person in a nursing home, and so much more. The possibilities are many, the satisfaction beyond description. Whether it's for two hours a week or two hours a month, the Jewish and Greater Boston communities need you now. Service projects can be done for high school community service credits.

   5. Teens for Tzedek- TeenJCC
      Grades: 7-12
      Website: www.tjcc.org
      Contact: Erica Blachman, 517-558-6512, beblachman@jccgb.org
      

      Put Jewish values into action. This six-week summer program brings together teens from Boston and Israel to travel, work, live and play for two weeks in Israel and two weeks in Boston. In addition to touring, teens participate in community service projects in Boston and Haifa. During the school year, Teens for Tzedek hosts a variety of social action opportunities, including the Boston Youth Literacy Corps, tzedek-focused trips to NYC and Washington, DC, advocacy training, programming on homelessness, AIDS, GLBT issues, and a Jewish-Muslim dialogue group. The program is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).

   6. Youth Social Justice Initiatives- Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
      Grades: 8-12
      Website: www.jcrcboston.org
      Contact: Rivka Gluzband, 617-457-8647 rgluzband@jcrcboston.org
      

      The JCRC develops and pursues a broad social action agenda by building collaborative partnerships within and beyond the Jewish community. The JCRC Youth Social Justice Initiative educates, assists and enables Jewish youth to participate in social justice projects within a Jewish context. If you want to get involved in Tikkun Olam, making the world a better place, contact us! The Youth Social Justice Initiative links groups of young people with carefully selected social justice organizations to create ongoing high quality community service opportunities. Specific projects include the Jewish Youth Literacy Corps (JYLC), the teen division of the Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy, and the spark-Heart Action Program. Both JYLC and HeartAction combine action, Jewish text study and structured reflection. JYLC provides teen volunteers the opportunity to join the Jewish community's effort in helping young children improve their literacy skills. Working as a community, participants meet with their reading buddies once a week over a semester in either an urban school or after school program. An additional way you may choose to experience meaningful community service work is through Heart Action. JCRC in collaboration with spark-Partnership for Service's Heart Action is a program of intergenerational service to the elderly. Both programs provide transportation to volunteer sites.

4. Summer Programs, Israel, and Jewish Camping
   
   
   1. JCC Camp Grossman
      Grades: pre-K-10
      Website: www.grossmancamp.org
      Contact: 617-244-5124

      Grossman Camp is a day camp in Westwood, MA sponsored by the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston. A camp day may include arts and crafts, sports, Israel dance, hiking, Jewish customs and a variety of other activities. The supervisory staff is unequalled in any other day camp in New England with a high return rate year after year. Grossman is a caring Jewish environment for developing independence, self-confidence, and group cooperation.

   2. JCC Camp Kingswood
      Grades: 3-11
      Website: www.kingswood.org
      Contact: Kathy Jonas, Director, 617-244-5124 info@kingswood.org
      

      Camp Kingswood is an overnight camp for boys and girls entering grades 3-11. Located on a beautiful lake in southern Maine, Kingswood offers a wide variety of athletic, creative arts and cultural activities in two, three and a half and seven week sessions. What is Kingswood? Most of all, it is a community … a caring Jewish environment for discovering your potential, learning about sportsmanship and teamwork, building friendships - and just having fun!

   3. URJ Northeast Camp Institute: Eisner Camp and Crane Lake Camp
      Grades: 2-10 (for campers), 12 for CITs
      Website: www.necamps.urjcamps.org
      Contact: Louis Bordman, Director, 201-804-9700, lbordman@urj.org
      

      The Northeast Camp Institute is comprised of Eisner Camp and Crane Lake Camp in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Each camp has its unique strengths that offer a variety of activities and differing atmospheres to its campers. First and foremost, Crane Lake Camp and Eisner Camp are fun! Our mature staff's number one priority is to ensure the safety and care of each camper. Our counselors and staff enrich our campers' personal relationships as they help each camper develop lasting friendships. These relationships lay the foundation for our campers' summer experiences and a lifetime of memories. Each summer, every camper learns new skills in land and water sports, arts, adventure and nature programming and partakes in a wide variety of innovative and creative spiritual, prayerful and Jewish educational pursuits. We challenge each camper to participate in new activities and experiences that will help him or her develop and strengthen his or her personal self-esteem, Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish community. A summer at one of our camps in not just a summer of fun, it is a "summer for a lifetime."

   4. URJ Kutz Camp
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.kutz.urjcamps.org
      Contact: Rabbi Eve Rudin, Director, 845-987-6300 kutzcamp@urj.org
      

      The URJ Kutz Camp is the NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) National Leadership Center for the Reform Jewish Movement. Our task is to imbue Reform Jewish high school leaders with the set of skills and experiences necessary to engage them in serious Jewish learning and to equip them with the tools for Reform Jewish Leadership for their roles both today - as youth leaders in their synagogues, NFTY Regions, and Regional Camps -as well as for the Reform Jewish future.Using an interdisciplinary approach of teaching, mentorship, and peer leadership in a unique teen-only environment, Kutz offers leadership training in fields such as Temple Youth Group, NFTY Regional Leadership, Songleading, Religious School Teacher Training, Israeli Dance Leading, Junior Youth Mentorship, Judaic Studies, Tikkun Olam, Hebrew, Theater, and Visual Arts. Based upon the university model, students choose their own Major and set of electives. The faculty is a gifted group of Jewish educators and professionals.

   5. Genesis at Brandeis University
      Grades: 10-12
      Website: www.brandeis.edu/genesis
      Contact: Bradley Solmsen, Director, 781-736-8416 genesis@brandeis.edu
      

      Genesis at Brandeis University is an exciting, residential summer program for high school students interested in the arts, humanities, Jewish studies and social action. Through a mixture of academic classes, discussions, simulated games, arts, workshops and community projects Genesis explores the importance of Jewish values, traditions and thought in contemporary society. All students, regardless of background, denomination or previous connection with Judaism are encouraged to apply.

   6. March of the Living International
      Grades: 9-12
      Contact: Naomi Sion, 212-252-0900 naomi@motlmail.org
      

      March of the Living is an international educational program that brings Jewish teens from all over the world to Poland on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, to retrace the infamous death march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, and then to Israel to observe Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day, and Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. The goal of March of the Living is for these young people to learn the lessons of the Holocaust and lead the Jewish people into the future vowing NEVER AGAIN.

   7. Myra and Robert Kraft Passport to Israel Program & Israel Teen Alumni Cabinet
      Grades: 10-12
      Website: www.cjp.org
      Contact: James Bornstein, Director of Israel Programs, 617-457-8655, jamesb@cjp.org
      

      The Passport to Israel Program unites families, congregations, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) to help make an Israel experience part of every Jewish child's education. This is a special kind of savings plan. Children typically enroll in the first year of their congregation's religious school or the corresponding day school grade. Then, every year for seven years, the child's family, the congregation, and CJP contribute to a special Myra & Robert Kraft Passport to Israel fund. The fund will help pay for the child to take an educational trip to Israel sometime between the end of his or her sophomore year of high school and the start of college.

      The Teen Israel Alumni Cabinet is a group of teenagers (grades 10 through 12) representing the youth movements that promote Israel programs to other teens throughout the community. Members of the Cabinet have all been on an Israel program, are leaders in their youth groups, and are interested in spreading the word about Israel Programs and recruiting their peers from their youth group, school, or synagogue to go to Israel. Each youth group has two or three representatives on the Cabinet along with the youth director of each movement's region. The group meets once a month to plan fall/winter and spring events, and organize recruiting for the Myra & Robert Kraft Passport to Israel Program, and for Israel programs for the upcoming summer.

   8. The Nesiya Institute
      Grades: 10-12 (ages 15-18)
      Website: www.nesiya.org
      Contact: Delle Rayner, 216-591-1700 info@nesiya.org
      

      Beginning a journey means moving beyond the familiar to create relationships with many different people and places. When you go on a journey, you don't always know where it will lead. The word Nesiya means journey in Hebrew. Nesiya's creative journeys explore Judaism and Israel through a combination of travel, outdoor adventure, workshops in the performing and visual arts, community service projects and creative study. No special background or skills are needed to have a great time on Nesiya. Meet and work with fascinating Israeli personalities, including expert nature guides, visual artists, writers, musicians, actors, scholars and community activists. Choose from a variety of four and five-week Creative Journeys, a six-week Arts & Cultural Seminar, Community Service Project or Outdoor & Environmental Adventure.

   9. NFTY Israel Trips: L'dor V'dor
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.nftyisrael.org
      Contact: Laurence Jacobs, Coordinator, 212-452-5617 ljacobs@urj.org
      

      From Generation to Generation. Five Weeks in Israel and Europe! Experience for yourself the epic story of the journey of the Jewish people. Together with NFTY friends from all over North America, begin your adventure in Europe, exploring more than one thousand years of our rich European Jewish heritage. Truly appreciate the beautiful community and culture our ancestors created and its virtual destruction during the Holocaust. With an intimate understanding of the importance of Israel in our time, enjoy four wonderful weeks discovering your personal connection to our people and our history. For 1000 years Prague was home to a thriving Jewish culture. Together with NFTY youth, make a moving pilgrimage to the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps where we will gather to remember and rededicate ourselves to building a Jewish future. En route to Israel visit Warsaw and discover for yourself how courageous Jewish heroes led the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Spend the next four weeks together with teens from across the continent exploring incredible Israel, ancient and modern, from border to border and from sea to sea.

   10. NFTY Eisendrath Israel Exchange (EIE)
       Grades: 10-12
       Website: www.nftyisrael.org/eie/index.html
       Contact: Jillian Cameron, Director of Recruitment and Academics, 212-650-4073, jcameron@urj.org
       

       For the Reform teen looking for the ultimate in life experience, the Eisendrath International Exchange High School in Israel is the time of a lifetime. For over 40 years, the Reform Movement has been sending youth to Israel, with this four-month accredited high school nestled in the Judean mountains serving as the premiere program. Our students live together, learn together and grow together as a community as they explore four thousand years of Jewish memory, learn Hebrew, and come to know Israel as their second home. Go on EIE and hook up with your history, your land and your people!

5. Cultural Arts
   
   
   1. KVN-JCC and Jewish Family and Children Services (JFCS)
      Grades: 9-12
      Contact: Victoria Leikin, 617-278-2950, vleiken@jccgb.org

      KVN, or Kavyan, is a game based on a popular television program in the former Soviet Union. The game involves teams of young people who improvise comedy routines, often related to social or political issues. Team members must work together to hone their skills and produce pieces that accommodate all members' strengths and weaknesses during the competition. Ultimately, the team which is the funniest and most creative wins. KVN competitions attract large audiences of young and enthusiastic émigrés and are a gathering place for high school students. In Boston, Jewish sponsorship of the game will bring together many New Americans and American-born youth and provide an entry point to other activities in the Jewish community. KVN is an important part of an ongoing cross-cultural conversation within the Jewish community. KVN is a joint program of the Leventhal-Sidman JCC and JF&CS.

   2. Rimonim- A Program of TeenJCC and Prozdor
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.tjcc.org
      Contact: Silka Rothschild, 617-558-6488, srothschild@jccgb.org
      

      Art and self-expression are at the heart of Rimonim, a program that offers an opportunity for the serious study of visual arts within a Jewish framework. Students explore what makes Jewish art Jewish, and work on their own projects in painting, photography, ceramics and other fine arts workshops taught by professional instructors/artists. Rimonim offers the opportunity to earn certificates in the Jewish arts and to develop a portfolio to be used when applying to college. Rimonim is a joint project of TeenJCC and Prozdor.

6. Special Services
   
   
   1. G'avah- Keshet, Boston's Jewish gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender advocay and education organization
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.boston-keshet.org
      Contact: Idit Klein, Director, 517-524-9227 x1, idit@boston-keshet.org

      G´avah provides opportunities for GLBT and questioning Jewish youth and allies to come together in a relaxed, fun, and affirming space. The group celebrates, explores and grapples with issues of GLBT Jewish identity. G´avah also works as a change agent - fostering dialogue and movement toward greater inclusion of GLBT Jews in Jewish youth organizations, day schools, and synagogues. G´avah members participate in project Kolot, Keshet's speakers bureau, and send Jewish GLBT and ally youth speakers to share our stories in synagogues, Hebrew schools, education programs, etc. G´avah also offers workshops for its members on leadership skills, transgender issues, sexuality and Jewish texts.

   2. Kol Isha's Teen Safe Program
      Grades: 7-12
      Website: www.jfcsboston.org
      Contact: 781-647-5327
      

      Kol Isha's Teen Safe Program, a program of Jewish Family & Children's Service, empowers young people in opposite or same-sex relationships to choose these relationships based on mutual respect, to recognize patterns of communication that are healthy versus controlling, and to see the direct influence that the media and our culture have on their concepts of the "ideal relationship". In collaboration with Jewish day schools, synagogues, regional youth groups, Teen JCC, and college Hillels, Kol Isha's Teen Safe Program provides outreach to all Jewish teens, with sensitivity to Jewish GLBTQ teens.

   3. Jewish Big Brother and Big Sister Association
      Grades: 1-12 (ages 6-18)
      Website: www.jbbbs.org
      Contact: Patty Schwartz, Director, 617-965-7055, patty@jbbbs.org
      

      It's the little things that make a difference in someone's day... The Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister Program provides companionship friendship, and life-enriching experiences to children, ages 6-18, through one-to-one relationships with volunteer Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Most Little Brothers & Sisters come from families affected by divorce, death, illness, special needs or separation caused by a move from another country. JBB&BSA aims to enhance the lives of children, strengthen families, foster self-sufficient, and promote improved social and economic conditions.

   4. New American Teen Program- JCC
      Grades: 6-12
      Contact: Victoria Leikin, 617-278-2950, vleiken@jccgb.org
      

      New American Teens participate in recreational and educational activities, share their experiences as newcomers and find support as they adjust to their new culture and environment.

   5. New American Teen Summer Internship- Jewish Vocational Service (JVS)
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.jvs-boston.org
      Contact: Judy Sacks, Employment Specialist, 617-451-8147 jsacks@jvs-boston.org
      

      JVS, Boston's leading Jewish job development and training resource, is committed to creating a community in which individuals, whatever their level of education or abilities, can develop the skills they need to achieve greater independence and economic security.

      Newcomers learn the ropes in job readiness workshops and summer internships. JVS provides training, job development, placement and follow-up for 10-12 New American Teens each summer. Most teens are placed in paid internships within the family of Jewish communal agencies in order to provide a stimulating, nurturing environment where teens can work while gainint an understanding of the structure and function of the Greater Boston Jewish community. A JVS job developer and Russian bilingual counselor keep in close contact with both the teen worker and site supervisor.

   6. Teen Friendship Group (special needs)- JCC
      Grades: 7-12 (ages 13-19)
      Contact: Judy Pearl, Director of Special Needs Services, 617-558-6508 jpearl@jccgb.org
      

      This warm, welcoming group is the place for teens with special needs to meet new friends, celebrate Jewish holidays and participate in activities at the JCC and in the community at- large. Programs include a harbor cruise, circus, sporting events, theatre and restaurants. Members plan activities with the assistance of the group's two leaders. Registration for this program occurs in the fall, winter, and spring.

   7. TeenAde-BJE
      Grades: 9-12
      Website: www.bje.org
      Contact: Dr. Sandy Miller-Jacobs, 617-965-7350, sandymj@bje.org
      

      Teenade prepares teens to be an aide for students with special needs who are enrolled in afternoon Hebrew schools (congregational schools). The children can have a variety of learning challenges, from emotional to cognitive to physical. Teenade is designed by the Bureau of Jewish Education to give you the skills needed to work in classes with children with special needs and to do individual tutoring.

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