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From Egypt to Sinai: A Jewish Journey Through Adolescence
manu-El’s High School confirmation is an opportunity for Congregation Emanu-El’s ninth through 12th graders to strengthen their connection to Judaism, the Jewish people, their Religious School classmates and the Emanu-El community, while also building their unique identities and their sense of self.Our Department of Lifelong Learning staff, together with members of the clergy, launched the new High School Confirmation Program in the fall of 2007. In the first year, 11 students participated in a journey that culminated with a formal ceremony during the Eve of Shavuot worship service on June 8, 2008. At that time, the confirmation students, together with their families and members of the congregation, celebrated this wonderful, meaningful and transformative experience. Students demonstrated their commitment to Jewish learning by offering presentations at this ceremony illustrating their connections to study, prayer and community service. Click here to read the students’s reflections.
ABOUT THE JOURNEY
The High School Confirmation Program has been designed to be a communal Jewish journey. This program adds meaning by providing students with the tools to compare the journey through adolescence with the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt and, therefore, lacked the tools and the freedom to act of their own accord. Our tradition identifies the Mount Sinai experience when Moses received the Torah as the moment when the Israelites assumed Jewish responsibility. Similarly, our journey ends at the confirmation ceremony, in which the students affirm responsibility for their own Jewish practice and their own joy, as well as for making the world a better place.
It is important to remember that the Israelites were not simply handed the Torah; they came to stand at Mount Sinai after an unparalleled journey. They escaped slavery, witnessed miracles, overcame incredible obstacles and hardships, and passed through uncharted wilderness. For thousands of years, our tradition has seen this journey as parallel to the one all people take through adolescence. Through our High School Confirmation Program, students will follow a path that parallels the Israelites’ character- and community-building journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The High School Confirmation Program consists of a series of eight structured yet informal educational sessions (or “steps”). Each step in the journey towards confirmation will combine text study, experiential education, and personal reflection with community- and character-building activities. Students are expected to attend all eight steps of the journey. A detailed calendar will be provided before the beginning of the school year.
Each student will have the opportunity to choose an area of specialization that will become his or her vehicle for understanding critical issues through a Jewish lens. Students will choose between three pillars of Jewish communal life: study, prayer and community service. Working together, students will integrate these pillars into the congregational Purim Carnival, a special family dinner and the final confirmation ceremony.
PROGRAM FACULTY
Faculty for the program will include:
- Danny Mishkin, Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Programming
- Rabbi Howard Goldsmith, Assistant Rabbi
- Saul Kaiserman, Director of Lifelong Learning
- Other clergy and staff as guest teachers
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Students interested in participating in the confirmation program should have their parents complete the Religious School registration form (being sure to selcect “High School Confirmation” under “Student Placement Information” and return it to the Department of Lifelong Learning (PDF format, Word format).
All high school students whose families are members of Congregation Emanu-El may participate in the High School Confirmation Program, including students who were confirmed as seventh graders and students who never have attended Religious School.
There will be open enrollment at the first session, “Step 1: Crying Out Against Injustice and Demanding Freedom.” This session will be offered twice; students may participate in either session. The full confirmation calendar, including dates for the opening session, will be available over the summer.
There is an $825 Religious School registration fee to participate in the Confirmation Program. In order to register a student for the Religious School of Congregation Emanu-El, the student’s legal guardian must be a member of the congregation.
If you would like to know more about the Confirmation Program to determine if it is right for your child or to find out about additional teen community opportunities at Congregation Emanu-El, contact our Director of Youth Activities.
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