Youth

Beth El Federation of Temple Youth (BEFTY) is Beth El Temple Center’s youth group. Our mission is to foster the Jewish social, spiritual, educational, and social justice lives of our teens in a fun, informal group of their peers. At BETC, we have two youth groups: BEFTY for 8th – 12th graders and Jr. BEFTY for 6th & 7th graders.

Throughout the year both groups have a variety of programming from pizza parties to creative Shabbat services. Previous events have included scavenger hunts, art nights, snow tubing, trivia time, kayaking, movie nights, Shul-in’s, Mitzvah projects, and more. 

Each group has a youth advisor who has been hired by the BETC Youth Committee. The Jr. BEFTY advisor organizes and leads events; the BEFTY advisor provides guidance to the BEFTY board, which is made up of a group of dedicated teen leaders.  The BEFTY board organizes and leads the BEFTY events. 

Meet the 2024 - 2025 BEFTY Board

     Dora Stodolsky: President
     Eian Schwartz: Communications
     Sam Geiger: Secretary and Rosh Religion
     Alice Zickler: Social Justice and Social Media
     Sierra Brenhouse: Membership
     Eleanor Lind: Treasurer
     Noah Geiger: Vice Treasurer
     Jimmy Lowery: 9th grade representative
     Penny Munos: 8th grade representative

Meet our 2024 - 2025 BEFTY advisors

Rachel Dovek is excited to be back as the Senior BEFTY advisor this fall, working with teens to create meaningful programming. Rachel has been a part of the BETC community since 2018, in a variety of roles including 2nd grade teacher, coordinating high holiday activities, substituting for confirmation, and a previous stint as the Senior BEFTY advisor. Rachel is a graduate of the Hornstein program earning a Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Leadership and the Heller School of Social Policy completing a Master of Public Policy. Outside of the temple, Rachel works at More Than Words with young adults in the foster care system, court involved, homeless or out of school.  At More Than Words, she is primarily focused on housing, court advocacy and case management. In her free time, Rachel loves to play ultimate frisbee and plays competitively in the Boston area.

Molly Shuman is delighted to be joining the BETC community as the JR BEFTY advisor! It has been many years since Molly has been involved with NFTY, but she can’t wait to bring her love of the youth group and the Jewish community to JR BEFTY. Molly graduated from Brandeis University with a Masters in Jewish Professional Leadership from the Hornstein program, and a Social Impact MBA from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management. Molly is also the Assistant Director of the House of Learning at Lehrhaus in Somerville. There, Molly runs all things House of Learning, including daytime co-working, evening classes, and special events. Outside of work, Molly loves cooking, saying hi to any and all dogs, and adventuring with friends.

 
FAQs

How do teens join these youth groups?
All 6th – 7th graders are automatically members of Jr BEFTY and all 8th - 12th graders are automatically members of BEFTY. Teens just have to be part of member families of Beth El Temple Center. There is no membership fee. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information. 

What kinds of events are there?
Some past events have included a scavenger hunt in Harvard Square, decorating the BETC sukkah, apple picking and then baking pies and holding a bake sale to raise tzedakah, a shul-in at BETC (sleeping overnight in the synagogue), and leading a creative Shabbat service at BETC.

How do teens get to events?
Depending on the event, parents may be asked to drive their child to BETC, to a central location like a T-station, or to carpool to the event site.

How can families get more information on these groups & events? 
EmailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get on the mailing list.  The Jr BEFTY advisor communicates by email with Jr BEFTY parents, while the BEFTY Advisor and Board members communicate directly (by email or text) with teens in the BEFTY group.

Is BEFTY connected to any other groups? 
BEFTY is part of a larger organization, the National Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY). NFTY is the Reform Jewish youth movement that fosters leadership at the North American, regional and congregational level. Today, over 500 Reform congregations throughout North America sponsor Temple Youth Groups. We are part of the NFTY - Northeast Region (NFTY-NE).  NFTY’s Northeast Region includes Connecticut (excluding Fairfield County), Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, upstate New York and Montreal, Canada. 

Resources for Jewish Teens: 

NFTY Northeast Website (website for the youth branch of the reform movement)  - https://nfty.org/regions/northeast/

URJ Overnight Summer Camps -https://urj.org/what-we-do/engaging-youth-families-young-children/camp

RAC  (Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism) Teen Justice Fellowship - https://reformjudaism.org/youth-programs/rac-teen-justice-fellowship

Diller Teen Fellows - an immersive leadership program for Jewish 10th and 11th graders - https://dillerteenfellows.org/en/