jews d
in
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Rabbi Elya Silfen shares
a meal and conversation
with local Jewish teens.
Sharing Shabbat & More
JTeen is helping young people
connect to their Jewish identities.
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
C
an today’s secular Jewish teens
still relate to Judaism through
Shabbat dinners, discus-
sions over Talmudic texts and even
the occasional retelling of a story
by the Chasidic master Baal Shem
Tov? Rabbi Elya Silfen, director of
Teens for the Rohr Jewish Learning
Institute, locally located in the
Bais Chabad Torah Center in West
Bloomfield, certainly thinks so.
With his mission of “confidence
through education,” Silfen recently
launched a new nonprofit, JTeen, and
it has attracted 200 teens and count-
ing from Birmingham to Walled Lake.
Through a series of home-hosted
Shabbat dinners, Silfen started the
program in 2015 to connect Jewish
kids with little to no home Jewish
practice. It has grown into a proj-
ect where, through their Facebook
group JTeens of Detroit, youth share
their thoughts and insights of their
expanding Jewish identities. For more
information, visit detroitjews.com,
where you can also meet the “Jewish
teens of Detroit,” who share their
thoughts on Judaism.
The Shabbat encounters have
spurned other ideas and projects. As
of late, JTeen launched a teen entre-
preneurship track where local Jewish
business owners will be invited to
share their success stories through
lectures and possible mentorship
programs.
One teen involved in
the project is Michelle
Shvimer, 17, a senior at
Walled Lake Northern
High School who is
searching for a “tighter
grasp” of her Jewish
culture. Invited by a
friend to try out a JTeen
Michelle Shvimer
Shabbat dinner, the
BBYO member and
Tamarack camper said that JTeen is
something every Jewish teen in the
area should try out.
“JTeen creates a platform for me
and for all other Jewish teens in the
Metro Detroit area to get down with
G-o-d,” Shvimer said. “After taking
part in several of JTeen’s Shabbat din-
ners, I have gotten a good sense of
what JTeen offers for its participants.
The atmosphere is warm, the food
is delicious, the hosts are welcoming
and the conversation is lively.”
The teens also volunteered in com-
munity service projects. Last October,
they created stuffed Torahs to dis-
tribute to Jewish children in need
through Yad Ezra during the holiday
of Simchat Torah.
In addition to engaging the stu-
dents through the joy of celebrating
Shabbat over a home-cooked meal,
the group is creating a YouTube video
series of their round-table discussions
on Jewish topics and current issues
affecting Jewish youth.
Silfen, 29, a native of Chapel Hill,
N.C., can relate to the teens through
his own experiences of growing up
secular as the only Jewish kid in his
high school and searching for deeper
connections to his faith.
“In high school, I took pride in being
the only Jew in my circle of friends,
and was never ridiculed for it,” Silfen
recalled. “My parents were cool and
open to me doing new things provided
they were constructive.”
As a teen, Silfen took advantage of
the Jewish resources at the University
of North Carolina and attended
Shabbat dinners before heading out
to parties “with the popular kids”’
on Friday nights. With no prior vis-
its to Israel, he spent his senior year
at a yeshiva in Jerusalem where he
received credits for college. The year
in Israel inspired him to become a
rabbi. His passion for Jewish teaching
has not slowed.
Silfen stresses that his goal is
not to make the teens religious or
affiliate with one branch of Judaism
over the other. He is also not trying
to duplicate the social aspects of
other existing Jewish youth groups;
instead, he wishes to provide tra-
ditional Jewish education that will
create confident Jewish college
students who will continue to seek
out Jewish and Israel activities when
they get to campus. •
Enjoy a Shabbat
Weekend at
Family Camp
Bubbie Zaydie
Butzel Retreat Center
8 summer weekends beginning
June 16-18 ending August 4-6
Sorry no parents allowed!
Applications now
available online.
Mom and Me
April 7-9
Butzel Retreat Center
Applications available
Monday, February 27
Dad and Me
April 28-30
Camp Maas
Applications available
Monday, February 27
For more information:
tamarackcamps.com/familycamp
jn
February 16 • 2017
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