And LIBERTY for All!

One of the great joys of being a Rabbi is the opportunity to help forge the Jewish identities of our youth. Helping them to learn, study, and develop their own Jewish identities is a powerful responsibility, and one that I cherish. I feel very fortunate at Temple Beth El to be involved with a group that has vibrant and dedicated leaders, and who strive to develop fun and exciting programs! If you were at the Wildacres Retreat then you know the kind of charisma our group has, and how much their spirit contributed to the overall retreat experience (if you were not there, ask someone who was).

LIBERTY (Life in Beth El Reform Temple Youth), in essence, has two components. The first component includes all of the events and programs that are scheduled locally for students in grades 8-12. These events are meant to foster relationships and create social opportunities for our Temple’s youth, promote social action and Jewish values, and to provide meaningful religious experiences in dynamic and interesting formats. The second component is the “travel” component (open to high school students only unless otherwise noted), which provides our youth with opportunities to travel around our region and meet Jewish youth from other cities. This year we plan to attend conventions in Atlanta, Florida, Alabama, and Camp Coleman in Georgia.

At these events, students participate in various group events that help to cultivate Jewish identity. Everyone who has taken part in them in the past has had the times of their lives, and often they develop lasting friendships with Jewish students in other areas that they never forget. This year we are particularly excited for the NFTY national convention that will take place in Washington D.C. in February. The organizers have reserved an entire luxury hotel that will host 1500 youths from across North America. It is going to be an unbelievable experience!

While these LIBERTY events are designed primarily for high school students (and locally for eighth graders), there is also a Junior Youth Group (JYG) for sixth and seventh graders. These events will train and develop LIBERTY’s leaders of tomorrow, as well as provide younger students with high quality social and religious programs with other Temple youth. We are very excited about establishing the JYG as a way to get students excited about LIBERTY, and to prepare them to assume leadership roles when they reach high school.

Our schedule for the entire year is already planned. This year, among other things, LIBERTY and the JYG will be hosting a Friday night service at the Temple, planning a Halloween Food Drive, throwing a Hanukkah party, going on a ski trip weekend, hosting a basketball tournament, and going to a Charlotte Knights game. All of this is in addition to the various conventions we will be attending in other cities.

It is very important that our Temple have these programs for our Temple youth. In order for them to have a place where they can openly discuss spirituality, examine their own relationship with God, and enjoy meaningful and positive Jewish experience in a setting that adheres to the values of Reform Judaism, then our Temple must promise to provide the youth groups with every chance possible to succeed. It is written in the Talmud, “One should not promise to give a child something, and then not give it to him, because it will thereby teach him lying.”

By simply having a youth group, we thus promise to provide them with everything they need to succeed. As you can see, we have a lot scheduled for this year. Every time we travel to an event or send a student to a convention, we incur heavy expenses. In order for LIBERTY’s leaders to plan the type of activities that will challenge and engage our youth, they need to be able to pay the bills!

I hope that you will consider helping us to keep our promise to the Youth of Temple Beth El. The leadership of future Jewish communities will certainly draw from those who establish strong Jewish identities in their youth. Just as our youth group of today depends upon you now, so do all Jewish communities of tomorrow!

B’shalom,
Jeremy Barras