CONFIRMATION

A life-long commitment to Jewish learning is one of BETC’s core values. As such, we hope and expect that our students will continue their Jewish learning through high school and beyond. This special program is for students in grades eight, nine and ten. The program offers students the opportunity to deepen their Jewish knowledge. They are encouraged to explore and wrestle with issues, ethics, traditions, texts and theology in a Jewish context that will serve to shape their Jewish identity as young adults.

Confirmation students meet on Thursday nights from 6:00-8:00 pm. Students who want to meet with their friends, socialize, and eat before class begins are encouraged to sign up for the dinner option.  Dinner is offered at 5:30.  Interested students will need to register for the whole year. Students in grades eight and nine take core courses by grade level for the first hour.  In the second hour, students have a choice of elective courses.

Grade eight students take a day trip to Boston (including a self-guided walking tour and scavenger hunt, visits to local American Jewish History exhibits, or visits to local historical shuls, and dinner).  They explore the roots of our Jewish tradition in our home city.  Grade 9 students enjoy a weekend in Jewish New York, visiting Ellis Island, participating in unique and inspiring Kabbalat Shabbat services at B’nai Jeshrun, and touring the Tenement and Jewish Heritage Museums.

Students in 10th grade have the opportunity to study with Rabbi Kraus.  They also participate in a special trip to the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C. for a Teen Political Action Seminar. This four-day program, called L’Taken, focuses on Judaism and social action. The program includes creative worship services, social action training, and a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Representatives and Senators.  There is also an opportunity to tour the Holocaust Museum and Washington, D.C.  In addition, students have a weekend retreat, or Shabbaton, to prepare for their Confirmation.  On the festival of Shavuot, tenth grade students who successfully complete the Confirmation program will be confirmed through a service created and led by the class.

Grade 8 Core Course:
Jewish Identity Through Time and Place
Who were the Jews throughout history and who are the Jewish People today? This year we will begin to explore some pieces of this mystery. Our classes will 1) give us a whirlwind overview of Jewish history, from Abraham to the founding of the Modern State of Israel and 2) allow us to look at social and personal concepts such as identity, group membership, and treatment of “the other” that shaped pivotal moments in the course of Jewish History. In particular, we will examine the first pre-Talmudic Jewish diaspora, the Rabbinical period, the Spanish Inquisition, the Haskalah or Enlightenment, and the Sho’ah (Holocaust). When we reach the period of Haskalah, we will take some time to examine the denominations of Judaism that grew out of that moment in history, including the Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and Orthodox Movements. Most importantly, we’ll start to think about the question, “Who are you and your peers as Jews?”

This course is largely influenced by and inclusive of resources from the Facing History and Ourselves Curriculum.

Grade 9 Core Course:
God/Prophets
What does it mean to believe in God?  Do you believe in God?  What kind of God?  Where, who, when, how?  It is a time honored Jewish tradition to struggle with these questions.  Ninth graders enter the wrestling ring with God and with themselves, and share and learn from one another. Students will explore their questions about the place of God in Judaism and in their lives.  We’ll look at Jewish views of God throughout the ages, God's name, teshuvah (or repentance), Betzelem Elohim (in the image of God), Concepts of Good and Evil, “When bad things happen to good people”, Faith and Hope, Prophets and Prophecy, and Modern Day Miracles.  In addition, special time and emphasis will be given to the Prophets and the lessons they tell us about leadership and ethics.  We’ll look at modern life issues with Jewish texts as a resource in developing critical thinking skills, leadership ability, spiritual connection, and a personal code of ethics.   Finally, in anticipation of the great 9^th grade Jewish NY City trip, we’ll learn a bit about the city, its Jewish history, its neighborhoods and places of interest, and investigate the roots of some of our families who arrived in America through Ellis Island.