Teen Programming

Tzedek America Online

Tzedek America, the leader in immersive and experiential social justice education for Jewish teenagers, will provide ten 60-minute digital social justice workshops throughout the academic year. These powerful sessions, available to synagogues and day schools in North America, will inform, encourage, and inspire Jewish teenagers to face the social justice issues of North America and the world. 

Each motivational workshop elevates the voices of individuals and families impacted by social injustice and connects Jewish teenagers to Jewish texts, traditions, and values. 

Participants can expect each highly produced online experience to incorporate frontline speakers, engaging media, curated breakout groups, idea-sharing, and achievable action plans.

The teen program will meet at 4pm on Sunday afternoons approximately three times each month. Twice each month (one time per month in the community program and one time per month in an SMS-only reflection and debrief) we will be part of a community social justice program created by Tzedek America (the link for more information is below). Tzedek America provides all of the pre and post-learning materials.

SMS Teen VTP (Virtual Theater Arts)

Once a month students will meet with congregant Doug Kaback, Professor of Drama at Cal State Northridge.  Doug will create an opportunity for our teens to explore dramatic arts and cultural identity. Over the course of ten sessions on Sunday afternoons, teens will enjoy improvisation script writing and theater games to create original characters as they reflect on today's times. All conducted via Zoom, students will engage in a dialogue about their Jewish identity: family, spirituality, education, gender roles, aesthetics, food and more. Performances and monologues will be recorded, and if teens desire, can be shared.

In addition, teens may continue to serve as Yad B’yad mentors with our younger students, and some will serve as Madrichim for our online classes.