JUNE 30 • 2022 | 25
K
esher means connection. Whether
it’s retelling the story of the Exodus
or playing Jewish geography, our
ties to each other strengthen and guide us.
For the teens at Congregation Shir Tikvah
in Troy, Kesher is their community.
CST’s Kesher program includes students
who are in their b’nai mitzvah year
through high school. Students come from
all over the Metro Detroit area to meet
on Sunday afternoon or Monday evening,
depending on the month. The meeting
times reflect the needs of the students.
Each session begins the same way, with a
meal and an icebreaker.
As Mia Halson, 14, put it, “We all
choose to be there. And they feed us. We
bond over food.”
According to Keegan Hull, 13, “Kesher
is more than just religious school; it’s
a friends group and a community …
The older kids treat everyone the same.
Everyone contributes.”
CST’s Director of Lifelong Learning
Sarah Chisholm and CST Youth
Director Carrie Keough work together
to develop programming that meets
the educational and religious needs of
students while strengthening connections
and empowering teens to guide their
own learning. Kesher meets on a flexible
schedule and each lesson stands alone.
For students with multiple commitments,
it means a missed lesson doesn’t impede
progress.
The Earth Day Shabbat Service that
took place on April 22 is a perfect
example of Kesher in action. While it is
not unusual for student groups to lead
services, what made the Kesher-led Earth
Day service different was that it was not
just student-led, but student-created, right
down to the original siddur.
In preparation, students examined each
part of the service, asking why is it there,
what does it mean and how do we make it
meaningful? As students developed their
service, they met regularly with Rabbi
Alicia Harris. The discussion covered not
only how all the parts of a Shabbat service
go together, but what each means to the
congregation. Students were able to ask
questions and share their opinions and
ideas without judgment.
“We get to deeper understanding. We
discussed things and read the Hebrew
together as we put the service together,”
Halson said.
Keough described the student’s process
during the lesson development: “Using
the elements of the service and how
it’s presented, students made sure their
message was interesting to them and that
it would be interesting to others.”
Students included an activity instead of
a d’var Torah. They discussed, examined
and finally developed a craft that allowed
congregants to share in creating art. The
craft using the flora that surrounds Shir
Tikvah made tangible the message of
tikkun olam and how we are all connected
to each other and the Earth.
With their Earth Day service behind
them, what’s in store for the Kesher teens?
It’s Camp Tikvah in Lexington, Mich.,
in late August, an opportunity for the
community to reconnect and relax before
the school year starts. Teens have Shabbos
dinner with the congregation but at their
own table. They can mingle with the
congregation for programming but have
teen-only time as well. These activities
include a bonfire on the beach, kayaking
and time in the high ropes/tree climbing
area.
Chisholm explained, “There is so much
happening that the kids really get up and
get going — even after being up all night!”
Because the teens get so many extras,
they return the favor to the group by
providing about an hour and a half of
supervised babysitting, freeing the parents
of younger children to attend an adult
social hour. The teens keep the younger
ones busy with games, crafts and fun
while continuing to bond and build
community.
Congregation Shir Tikvah is a Reform/Renewal
synagogue located at 3900 Metro Parkway in Troy.
CST is an inclusive and welcoming synagogue that
invites prospective members to attend a service and/
or check out Camp Tikvah in Lexington Mich., Aug.
26-28. Questions can be directed to CST’s Executive
Director Lorelei Berg at (248) 649-4418 or info@
shirtikvah.org.
More than
Religious School
Shir Tikvah’s Kesher program helps
teens build connections.
OUR COMMUNITY
Kesher teens
led Shir Tikvah’s
Earth Day
Shabbat Service
on April 22.
KATHRYN NELSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS