Sarah Loebner

June 18, 2010

My involvement at Beth Am has been fairly widespread throughout my years here. I have participated in almost all of the programs offered, but there are a special few that have played very significant roles in carrying me to this evening of graduation: BATY, Kivunim, and Madrichim.

BATY, which stands for Beth Am Temple Youth, is an exciting place to try out new Jewish experiences that you’ve never done before, and then come back for more the next year. Social justice excursions, Shabbat at the beach, white water rafting – we do it all. Teens lead teens in an effort to promote Jewish learning, community involvement, and having ridiculous amounts of fun along the way. Did you know that at this moment, a group of hardworking youth has succeeded in raising the daunting funds to build a school in Ecuador, and is now beginning to plan their trip to build that school with their own hands? BATY has taught us all the importance of Jewish teens leading together, working together, having fun together, and making change together.

High school (whichever one you attend) is a very stressful place. And an enormous part of that stress is the effort it takes to find somewhere that you belong, and people that want you there. The most beautiful thing about the Kivunim program here at Beth Am is that it meets both of those requirements: every single Jewish teen belongs there, and everyone wants you there. Any Jewish high schooler has the opportunity to call Kivunim his or her own. And at each session we’re presented with so many Jewish learning experiences. Morsels of fascinating knowledge that you had no idea existed placed right in front of you for the taking. No textbooks. No final exams. Just learning from Jewish adults who were once Jewish teens, suffering through high school, just like us.

Beth Am really takes care of its teens. And one thing that many teens find themselves searching for throughout their high school years is….employment. Beth Am delivers with the madrichim program, placing teens in classrooms to assist teachers with their younger classes. But this job means so much more than being a teacher’s assistant. Think back, as far as you need to, to your bar or bat mitzvah, or when you were that age. That beautiful ceremony meant more than the awesome party afterwards. By becoming bar or bat mitzvah, you were entrusted with a great responsibility: to always continue to learn from and about your Jewish faith, and also to teach it. Being a madricha has helped me begin to fulfill this responsibility in my life. When I am a madricha, I am a role model. I attended Sunday Program and Hebrew Program, too. I personally enjoyed it, but I know that some kids don’t feel the same way. I went through just what they are going through, and now I’m back in the classroom to tell anyone who will listen that every class, every lesson, every worksheet was worth it. If you always follow the path of learning, you will find yourself becoming a person who cares about others and who can make the world we live in a more beautiful place. And hopefully, one day the elementary school kids that I’m reaching out to will become madrichim, and they can continue to spread this important message. That means more than any pay check ever will.

Through these programs, as well as many more, Beth Am and Judaism have held an integral role in helping me survive high school and shaping me into the person I am today. The community I have grown up with here will always hold a very special place in my heart, because over the years it has given me strength, courage, and love, and the skills I need to spread all of that to everyone I meet in the years to come.