Youth Groups
B'nai Israel Federation of Temple Youth - BIFTY
Introducing…B’nai Israel’s Tween Scene
Rosh Hodesh: It's A Girl Thing
An Invitation for Parents
NFTY - NE
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BIFTY
B'nai Israel Federation of Temple Youth
BIFTY is B'nai Israel’s youth group from 9th to 12th graders. All Jewish teenagers are invited to attend one or all of our programs and activities throughout the year - we welcome all new members. You can check the BIFTY bulletin board for upcoming events.
BIFTY, the high school youth group has been off to a great start. This year, with co-presidents Emily Levine and Shira Underberger leading the way, the group has been very active and fun, as well as being involved in several social action projects.
To start off the year, BIFTY planned and organized the High Holy Day food drive. We stapled the collection bags and passed them out on Rosh Hashanah and then collected the food and loaded the trucks on Yom Kippur. All totaled, this year we were able to donate 7562 pounds of food to The Connecticut Food Bank. It was an impressive amount of food and we thank the B’nai Israel Community for their generous food donations.
In October, BIFTY had a first time event (thanks to Rabbi Gurevitz who shared with us what her congregation in the UK did this each year) that raised money for Habitat for Humanity. For Sukkot, we planned a Sukkot Sleep-out – we raised money by ‘Sleeping in the cold, so others won’t have to’ and asked for sponsors. People pledged money to sponsor a BIFTY member for sleeping out in the Sukkah. Although it was a very cold night (as many of us remember), 9 BIFTY members slept out in the sukkah for the entire night. Again, thanks to the fortitude of the high schoolers and the generosity of the sponsors (most were B’nai Israel members that attended the Sukkot Friday night service) BIFTY was able to raise over $1,500 for Habitat for Humanity. It was a great, fun night and we are hoping to make it an annual event!
As far as our weekly programs go, we have seen some new faces, as well as some of the regulars from years past. We are always so excited to see new people showing up and joining us. We hosted a PIZZA in the HUT for the 6th and 7th graders during Sukkot and ran a ‘BIFTY style’ program after having dinner outside. We have had a Family Feud night, a Badmitton Tournament and are looking forward to some upcoming events. We are gearing up for the LeeVees concert where we are having a BIFTY dinner beforehand and inviting some of the local youth groups in our area to join us. We are also looking forward to having this year’s 8th grade class to join us soon.
We have had a very active group attending regional events as well - Levi Leap (huge regional dance), in October and Fall Conclavette in November. BIFTY had a significant showing at both events and we hope to continue to grow and more and more of our high schoolers take advantage of all that NFTY-NE has to offer.
As always, BIFTY continues to host weekly programs generally on Thursday nights from 7-8:30. (the first Thursday of the month is a board meeting) Our schedule is posted on the BIFTY board in the religious school wings and our monthly calendar is posted on the temple website. If you have any questions, feel free to contact anyone listed below. We welcome any high school student to come and see what BIFTY is all about – for one program or for them all!
2006-2007 BIFTY BOARD |
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Membership VP- Jared Dworken |
Margot Manasevit |
Programming VP- Jacob Blumenthal |
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Communications VP- Arielle Berger |
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Social Action VP- Sarah Guariglia |
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Religious and Cultural VP- Alex Rich |
Immediate Past President- Jacob Prosnit |
NFTY-NE Rep- Danny Harris |
Advisor: Shari Nerreau |
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| Trumbull students (l to r) Jenna Cavicchia, Bianca Dudas, Juli Juabsamai, Ben Davis, Ashley Edwards, Julie Cavicchia, and Kate Laursen stand near an exhibit they made outside the library in Trumbull High School to raise awareness about the crisis in Darfur. (John Galayda/Connecticut Post) |
B'nai Israel Students build on their Confirmation Class experience in Washington D.C.
Trumbull students aid
Darfur charity
Genevieve Reilly Staff writer
TRUMBULL — For local students, a trip to the nation's capital has brought home a tragedy on the other side of the world.
During their annual trip to Washington, D.C., with their synagogue, B’nai Israel in Bridgeport, 16-year-old Trumbull High School juniors Jenna Cavicchia, and Ben Davis first learned about the genocide in Darfur, Africa, when they had to choose an issue on which to lobby Congress.
"I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of this," Cavicchia said last week of the experience. "I was really shocked."
When the pair returned to Trumbull, they decided to organize a chapter of STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition at the high school.
"Our two main goals are to raise awareness and funds," she said. So far, the club, which meets every other Monday at the high school, has raised almost $1,000, which is sent to STAND.
STAND is an umbrella organization of more than 600 high school and college chapters dedicated to helping put an end to the genocide in Darfur.
Letting their fellow students know what was happening in Darfur — where about 400,000 people have died since 2003 — has been the biggest hurdle, club members said. About 20 students have joined the club.
"Nobody knew about it," Julie Juabsamai, 16, said.
Many fellow students, Cavicchia added, "didn't even know what genocide was."
The war in the Darfur region of western Sudan began in February 2003. The victims are the non-Arab or African tribal groups of Darfur.
The deaths result not just from attacks by Arab militias in the region, but also from malnutrition and disease.
There are estimates that about 90 percent of all ethnic African villages have been destroyed.
"They've gotten a lot of comments like, 'Why aren't you doing something about the problems here,' " said Joseph O'Dwardy, the club's adviser. "What's amazing is it's a global issue. You're talking about genocide and these kids are concerned enough to know it's important and I think that's pretty amazing."
Cavicchia said that as human beings, it's everyone's job to help one another in times of need.
"I think we've lost touch on how to put yourself in someone else's shoes and that's the reason why I decided to start this club," she said.
To raise funds, the club has sold green bracelets, and to raise awareness has a photo display exhibited in the high school's media center.
Carvicchia said the Trumbull group may also take part in DarfurFast next year, during which they ask people to give up a luxury, be it a magazine, or a cup of coffee at Starbucks, and donate its value to STAND instead. This year's DarfurFast was held Oct. 5.
For more information on STAND or to make a donation, email voicestandarfur@yahoo.com.
A REPORT FROM OUR TEENS
To Rabbi Prosnit and the Board of Trustees,
After returning from our NFTY trip to Israel, we would like to thank you for contributing to our amazing excursion. With the help of our congregation, it was possible for us to embark on an amazing journey through the land of Israel.
Our three days in Prague opened us to the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. After visiting the Terezin Ghetto, Old Town Square and Charles Bridge, we flew to Cyprus to begin our re-enactment of the Exodus voyage of 1947. Over the next three days, we sailed across the Mediterranean Sea until we reached Haifa.
We spent the next four weeks all around Israel. We had many worthwhile experiences such as climbing Masada, swimming in the Dead Sea, camping in the Negev and praying at the Kotel. We saw Egypt and Jordan, snorkeled in the Red Sea, and spent five interesting days with eight Israeli teens.
Although we were not able to travel up north because of the war in Lebanon, we had a great experience nevertheless and gained knowledge about Judaism and what it means to be a Jew.
Thank you for enabling us to experience such a worthwhile, educational and enjoyable trip.
Sincerely,
Hannah Carron, Drew Barlaam and Matt Viens
Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!
Girls in grades 6 & 7 and 8 & 9 now have the opportunity to participate in a very special program we are proud to be sponsoring for a second year. Rosh Hodesh, an ancient Jewish holiday marking the new moon and new month, is also a time when Jewish girls gather together.
Our “girls only” groups (one for 6th and 7th graders facilitated by Andrea Goodman, LCSW, and one for 8th and 9th graders facilitated by Jen Goldberg, PhD) meet monthly on Saturday mornings to do ritual, munch, talk, learn and celebrate being who they are.
Curious? Please join us! For more information, contact Rabbi Gurevitz.
The
Gesher (Bridge) Initiative:
Building Bridges with Elias Howe School's
Family
Resource Center
Bridgeport,
CT
Who: 6/7/8 graders
What: Making a Difference!
- Being a PEER to younger students in Bridgeport
- Helping youth LEARN through educational games
- Feeling good about BEING THERE for other
When: TBA
When: We are leaving 3:30 p.m. SHARP from
B'nai Israel
When: Return at 5:30 p.m.
RSVP:
Jill Tarlov, 372-8402
RSVP:
Myra Shapiro, 268-1727
PARENTS:
To make this a success, we need parents to join us
PARENTS:
for driving and chaperoning.
PARENTS: Please
let us know when you RSVP.
Gesher is a program to teach our youth about the significance of serving our local community in serious, compelling ways. An initiative of our Youth Committee, our goal is to model ongoing acts of social justice with parents and children, together.
Attention Parents—The Youth Committee Needs You!!
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Are you looking for ways to help foster your growing child’s Jewish identity?
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Would you like to see your children involved in more Jewish-oriented social action activities?
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Would you like to help make life-long Jewish memories for your pre-teen child and his or her peers?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, please consider joining B’nai Israel’s Youth Committee. Our students in grades 5 -12 need our support! For more information, please contact Debbie Viens, Youth Committee Chair, at 576-8824.
NFTY-NE
- Want to see what is happening in Reform Youth Groups throughout New England?
- Want to connect up with other teens from those groups?
- Lost your application forms for a NFTY-NE Conclavette or other event?
- Have questions about NFTY-NE?
- Want to print out a section of the EBW manual?
- Want to contact your liaison officer?
Announcing NFTY Mitzvah Corps 2006! Indulge your passion for social action through daily hands-on service projects. Live with Jewish teens from all over the country who are dedicated to changing the world. Learn about Jewish, social and ethical issues and how to change the community in which you live. Travel and experience different cultures while forming life-long friendships.
There are currently three NFTY Mitzvah Corps programs: Bay Area Mitzvah Corps in San Francisco, CA; Urban Mitzvah Corps in New Brunswick, NJ; and Mitzvah Corps of the South based at URJ Jacobs Camp in Utica, Mississippi. Kutz Camp, Warwick, NY also has a Mitzvah Corps for teens to work with Jewish children with autistic behaviors.
To find out more click here, e-mail or call 212.650.4071.
"Come and learn with us. Even though we may all live far away from each other, NFTY now has the chance to be one communityof learners, all of the time. Learn something about what might be going on in your own life, and everywhere else across North America. Find out how it relates to you. And then add your voice to the mix."
— Jeremy Gimbel, NFTY Religious & Cultural Vice-President Speaking at NFTY Convention, February 20, 2005, 11 Adar1 5765
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