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Education: Youth: How do they connect to our communities and how do our communities connect to our teens?

Mar 15 2011 - 8:00pm
Mar 15 2011 - 9:15pm
Session Facilitator: 
Rabbi Jeff Eisenstat
Session Presenters: 
Rabbi Jeff Eisenstat, Ariel Zaslav

In this era of technology, busy schedules, and high stress levels, our teens might find it difficult to stay connected to our Reconstructionist Jewish Communities.  What can we offer them as incentive to maintain their relationship to our congregations?  Our first webinar will explore different congregational approaches to teen programming.  Several teens will be presenting their views on why they choose to participate in teen programming at their congregations.  Our second webinar will focus on our college students.  How do they connect to their home Reconstructionist communities?  Do they find Jewish connections on their campus?  Hear from college students who attend schools both with and without a Reconstructionist presence and learn how we can help them succeed in maintaining their Jewish identities away from home.

Listen to the audio: http://jrf.org/engaging-ouryouthand-teens while viewing the power point below.

Presenter Bio(s): 

A 1976 graduate of RRC, Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat is JRF Director of Special Initiatives and Founding Director of Camp JRF and No'ar Hadash. He holds a bachelor of arts from Pennsylvania State University and a master's in education from Temple University. He has served as a congregational rabbi in State College, PA; Philadelphia; and Plantation, FL; and as Hillel director at Penn State, where he taught in the religion department. In the early 1990s, Eisenstat was congregational services director at the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and also was an instructor in education at RRC. Over the past 30 years, he has been involved in directing numerous schools and camps. He helped create the first North American family camp, Israel family education trips and youth programs for the Reconstructionist movement. He is a recipient of the Rabbi Ira Eisenstein Lifetime Achievement Award and is the director of youth and camping for Noar Hadash and Camp JRF. His publications include Reconstructing Jewish Education: A Process Guide, The Reconstructionist Teaching Model and Family Davening, as well as several musical albums.

Ariel Zaslav is the Youth Program Coordinator at JRF.  She also teaches in the religious schools of several reconstructionist congregations in the philadlephia area.  Prior to moving to Philadelphia she served as education director at JRF affiliate Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, Washington where she also founded and ran a summer day camp program for six years. 

Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat, A 1976 graduate of RRC,  is JRF Director of Special Initiatives and Founding Director of Camp JRF and No'ar Hadash. He holds a bachelor of arts from Pennsylvania State University and a master's in education from Temple University. He has served as a congregational rabbi in State College, PA; Philadelphia; and Plantation, FL; and as Hillel director at Penn State, where he taught in the religion department. In the early 1990s, Eisenstat was congregational services director at the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and also was an instructor in education at RRC. Over the past 30 years, he has been involved in directing numerous schools and camps. He helped create the first North American family camp, Israel family education trips and youth programs for the Reconstructionist movement. He is a recipient of the Rabbi Ira Eisenstein Lifetime Achievement Award and is the director of youth and camping for Noar Hadash and Camp JRF. His publications include Reconstructing Jewish Education: A Process Guide, The Reconstructionist Teaching Model and Family Davening, as well as several musical albums.

 

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