University:
Making an Impact
jews d
in
the
After The B’nai Mitzvah
PB & J Teens at B’nai Moshe continue
building their Jewish identities.
T
M eet Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari,
f ounder of the Rackman Center for
the Advancement of the Statu s of
Women at Bar-Ilan University. Ruth
teaches family law, women and
religion, and international women’s
rights. She has successfully lobbied
the Israeli Knesset for the enactment
and amendment of laws aimed at
improving the lives of women in
Israel. She is a leading voice in aiding
the plight of Agunot (abandoned
women legally chained to marriage).
Prof. Halperin-Kaddari has positioned
the Rackman Center as a driving force
for upholding women’s rights in Israeli
society. Your generous contribution
will help to better women’s lives now
and in the future.
Tel: 847-423-2270
8170 McCormick Blvd.
Suite 120
Skokie, IL 60076
$ri.6teinberg@afbiu.org
AFBIU.ORG
34
April 26 • 2018
jn
oday’s teens are inundated by “shoulds” — all the
things they “should” be doing. These include constant
academic pressure to excel, programs to build their
“resume” for college and navigating the dynamics of our
modern world. When do they get the opportunity to press
pause and just be a teen? As adults, we know that we need
time to decompress to be our best selves — and teens are no
different.
For the last 18 months, teens from Congregation B’nai
Moshe in West Bloomfield have been meeting for weekly
dinner and discussions in various teens’ homes. The evening
begins with a casual dinner provided by the host family
where teens can catch up on their week, further develop
their relationships with one another and just relax. The
group then transitions to conversation for the evening — a
topic relevant to their lives now that expands their Jewish
knowledge and strengthens their Jewish identity, facilitated
by Rabbi Shalom Kantor and Barrett Harr, director of youth
education and family engagement at B’nai Moshe.
“This model is a hybrid of
what traditionally happens
in Jewish youth groups and
religious schools. With our
teens’ lives as busy as they
are, a blended model allows
them to have the best of both
worlds,” Harr says.
Topics have included infor-
mation about the Israel/
Palestinian conflict and how
to respond, developing their
personal view of God, anti-
Semitism with a presenta-
tion from the ADL, and the
importance of good and evil
inclinations in their lives.
Per Kantor, gaining and
growing their Jewish identity
and learning what it is to be a
Jew will best prepare them as
they soon step foot on college
campuses.
Congregation B’nai Moshe Rabbi Shalom Kantor
One of the highlights of the
and PB & J teens at AIPAC program was the opportunity
for B’nai Moshe’s 10th grade
students to travel with i Kantor to the recent AIPAC conven-
tion in Washington, D.C.
Not only are these teens engaged in study, they are also
involved in congregational and communal life. This year,
teens helped to build a float for B’nai Moshe’s Chanukah
parade, held the Torahs hostage at the congregational
Simchat Torah service to raise money to send the students
from our congregation to AIPAC and participated in the
community-wide day of teen volunteering — JServe.
PB & J launched in the 2016/17 school year and in one
year has doubled in size. The expectation is that enrollment
will increase by 25 percent in the upcoming year.
The teens report that they enjoy coming because they like
to see their friends, can be relaxed hanging out in the homes
of their friends and the topics are relevant to their lives
today.
For more information about PB & J at Congregation B’nai
Moshe, contact Barrett Harr at BHarr@Bnaimoshe.org or
(248) 788-3600. •