Who in their right mind would want to host 140 teens at their congregation for the weekend? We would want to and we did it! This “we” is collective. Truly all of us made this Kallah, this weekend NFTY-SAR Winter Kallah, a success. With dozens of host families from Temple Emanu-El, countless helpers at mealtimes, and endless support from our families, Temple Emanu-El hosted an incredible weekend for NFTY-SAR (the Southern Area Region) that we should be very proud of.
NFTY is the youth wing of the Union for Reform Judaism. And NFTY is unique because all events are driven by a partnership between teens and adults. In the case of Temple Emanu-El, Rabbi Rachael and I take a deep interest in the success and mentorship of our teens. No other synagogue in the region receives the amount of direct rabbinic interaction that our teens experience at Temple Emanu-El. Over the past two and a half years, we have seen a growth and popularity in TEFTY, Temple Emanu-El’s youth group that has not been present in over a decade!
TEFTY teens are running a full calendar of events for the teen members of Temple Emanu-El. Our teens just finished planning the most recent Winter Kallah for the 140 teens in our region. And most importantly, two Temple Emanu-El teens, Ben and Lily Ragals were just elected by their peers to be on the regional board of NFTY-SAR--a HUGE accomplishment! Ben will serve as the regional Social Action Vice President and Lily will serve as the regional Membership Vice President. To put this in perspective, Temple Emanu-El has not had a regional board member since 2009-2010--over a decade. Rabbi Rachael and I are so proud of Lily and Ben, and we know that they will represent us well in our NFTY region.
While belonging to any Jewish youth movement is important, NFTY and TEFTY are both unique because of the connection the teens receive with their synagogue and their rabbis. NFTY is a more intimate setting that is proud to be affiliated with the Reform Movement. We want kids to grow up to be proud of their Jewish identity, to have lifelong relationships with their rabbis, and to always know that Temple Emanu-El is their spiritual home. This is possible, if not certain, through our youth programming from Kindergarten through 12th-grade. Our teens will graduate into adulthood knowing that they have the tools to succeed as independent Jews, and that Temple Emanu-El stands with them throughout their lives.
In the next few weeks, we are going to start planning our youth calendar for 2020-2021, if you and your child/teen would like to get involved, we would love to have you. Message Rabbi Rachael or me if you want to make sure you are signed up for the excellent programming ahead.
L’shalom
Rabbi Max
Arlene Katz says
Rabbis, mazel tov on the successful weekend “we” hosted. Clearly it was your hard work and coordination that made it happen. The TE community came together to create a meaningful, lasting impact on so many young adults, and all of you are to be congratulated. Thank you for all you do to make Judaism so fun, available, meaningful, and compelling to the next generation!
Steven Blaske says
Rabbi Max,
i enjoyed your article and, more importantly, have enjoyed and appreciated what the 4 of you (Spike, Lauren, Rachel and yourself) have done for our teens in general and my daughter in particular. I was glad to host 4 teens and get a chance to meet and mingle with “almost adult” Jewish youth who
were great representatives for Jewish Atlanta area youth. It was a pleasure to have them as guests for a couple of days and really a very small inconvenience.
At the end of this school year my family will be leaving Atlanta and I know both she and I will miss the warm ’embrace’ of the Temple Emanu-El family. Thank you for all you do.
Mindy Feinstein says
Rabbi Max,
Congratulations to you and Rabbi Rachel on the success of TEFTY and Winter Kallah!! It has been absolutely wonderful for Leah!! I’m so thankful that you two have worked so hard to grow and improve TEFTY. She enjoys it so much and gets so much out of it. She is truly spoiled by getting so much intimate time with our rabbis and we are so thankful for all of you!!!