TYG Guide 2005 11/1/05 9:56 AM Page 1

TYG STARTER GUIDE

I N F O R M ATION FOR NFTYITES A N D ADVISORS TO USE IN TEMPLE YO U T H GROUPS AND HOME CONGREGAT I O N S

Your el d e rs shall dream dreams, and your youth shall see visi o n s . — Joel 3:1 TYG Guide 2005 11/1/05 9:56 AM Page 3

Biennial Edition, 5766

Welcome to the NFTY Temple Youth Group Starter Manual! Opening up to this page is your first step in creating heightened connections to , p r ofound educational experiences and meaningful relationships for the teens of yo u r congregation. It is our hope that this document serves as an effective roadmap for your adult and youth leaders as they join more than 450 other Reform Jewish congregations who support Temple Youth Groups, (TYGs). This guide is meant to provide a working canvas on which you can paint the personalities of your own teens—there is no cookie-cutter model to TYG success. There are, however, fundamentals that have proven successful over the years. This document was created to encapsulate the very best of our best practices. There are amazing advocates of informal whose wisdom went into making this manual a reality. As it was passed from writers to editors and back again, it began to take on the life and spirit of what NFTY is all about. It is a collective work, and would certainly not be complete if even one of these hands had not had a part in the process. The foundation they created has made our work on this so much more meaningful. To you, we are so grateful: Eve Rudin Director, URJ Kutz Camp & former NFTY Director Amy Gertkoff former Kutz Camp Staff & Faculty Rachel Mersky Woda f o rmer Director of NFTY Education & NFTY Assistant Dire c t o r Eric Chafetz NFTY Intern, 2003-2004 Lauren Belferder NFTY Intern, 2004-2005 Jesse Paikin NFTY Summer Intern, 2005 Andy Shoenig NFTY President, 2005–2006 Allison Lauterbach Corps and Meitav Fellowship Coordinator We hope that this becomes more than a manual, but a working guidebook to help you cultivate and nourish your TYG. Photocopy and use the programs in the Appendix. Utilize the Helpful Resources sections of the manual. Visit the NFTY website, www..org, on a regular basis for additional programs and ideas—the website is updated almost daily. Reach out to your counterparts on the regional level, who truly do the work they do specifically to help cultivate new membership in our NFTY regions. It is our goal, in the regions and in the North American office, to be your partners in progress. Please be in touch if we can help you in any way.

B’hatzalicha, Hope Ann Chernak Melissa Frey Goldman Managing Director of NFTY Assistant Director of NFTY [email protected] [email protected] TYG Guide 2005 11/1/05 9:56 AM Page 5

INSIDE…

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS NFTY? What is NFTY? 7 NFTY History 7 NFTY’s Goals and Values 10 The Structure of NFTY 12 What is ? 13 NFTY’s Programs and Events 14

CHAPTER 2: FIVE MONTHS TO A WORKING TYG (A MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE) Month #1—Framework 19 Month #2—Planning Membership Event #1 20 Month #3—Evaluation and Next Steps 22 Month #4—Establishing TYG Leadership 23 Month #5—Moving Right Along 24

CHAPTER 3: LEADERSHIP ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Roles and Responsibilities of the TYG Executive Board 29 The Art of Leadership 30 Specific Duties of TYG…: 31 President 31 Programming Vice President 35 Social Action Vice President 36 Religious and Cultural Vice President 38 Membership and Communications Vice President 39 Treasurer 42 Secretary 43 TYG Advisor 44

CHAPTER 4: PROGRAMMING NFTY Educational Programming Overview 51 A Guide to Groupleading 52 Program Format Sheet 55 Programming Road Map 56 TYG Guide 2005 11/1/05 9:56 AM Page 6

CHAPTER 5: SOCIAL ACTION Social Action Tips 61 Social Action Projects for TYGs 61

CHAPTER 6: RELIGIOUS & CULTURAL PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES The Philosophy of a Creative Service 67 The Choreography of a Service 68 The Process of Compiling a Service 69 Evening Service Outline 71 Morning Service Outline 73 Havdalah Service Outline 75 Service Outline 76 Writing Divrei Torah 78 Religious & Cultural Programming for TYG’s 79

CHAPTER 7: PUBLICITY How To Make Great Fliers for Your TYG 83 Publicity Hints 84 Phone Calls—DOs and DON’Ts 85

CHAPTER 8: FUNDRAISING Why Fundraising is Important 89 How to Raise Money 89 Effective Fund-raisers for Making Money Fast 90

CHAPTER 9: TO INFINITY AND BEYOND Setting Realistic Goals for Your TYG 95 Last Word 96

APPENDICES Master Event Checklist 99 Understanding the NFTY Program Format/Program Outline 100 Sample Membership Form 103 More Mixers and Membership Ideas 104 NFTY Map 107 NFTY Dictionary 108 TYG Guide 2005 11/1/05 9:56 AM Page 7

CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS NFTY?

Where ther is no vision, the people peri sh . — P r o v e rbs 29:18 TYG Guide 2005 11/1/05 9:56 AM Page 9

WHAT IS NFTY?

WHAT IS NFTY? Stemming from a historic tradition of both Jewish and non-Jewish European youth movements, the North American Federation of Temple Youth (otherwise known as “NFTY”) is the Reform Jewish religious youth movement that fosters leadership at the national, regional and congregational level. It is advised by a set of adult Jewish youth professionals. Comprised of more than 500 local synagogue youth groups, NFTY also functions as a youth organization, an affiliate of the Union for , as well as a program of the Union’s Youth Division. There is a healthy balance between those aspects of NFTY that are youth-led and those that are directed by its adult advisors. Whether functioning as an organization, program, or youth movement, NFTY is a Reform Jewish community for high school students. NFTYites forge and build friendships, lifelong Reform Jewish identities, and leadership skills through community building, worship, social action, and experiential youth-led Jewish educational programming. Many NFTYites serve as NFTY leaders on the local, regional, and even North American levels. Many NFTY Leaders continue on to become both lay and professional leaders of the Reform Movement.

A SHORT NFTY HISTORY NFTY was founded in 1939 as the youth arm of the (formally known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations). It was created at the urging of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods in order to provide an outlet for young people to engage in the life of their synagogues. NFTY’s early membership was comprised of college-age youth, rather than high school, and its national officers were in their twenties. At that time, there were three NFTY regions—, , and New York. Growth in the number of Temple Youth Groups (TYGs) and NFTY regions continued steadily without significant change until 1948. At that time, NFTY held its last National Convention (until the 1980’s), adopting a new constitution that created major structural changes in the young organization: NFTY Conventions were dropped in favor of summertime Leadership Institutes, the membership of NFTY was changed to high school, and the regions were given a larger role in determining programming and policy. In 1951, NFTY entered the camping movement by, for the first time ever, holding its Leadership Institute at the Union’s newly purchased camp in Oconomowoc, WI. The camp, which would later come to be known as the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute Camp, was the first of 12 Union camps. Since their creation, they have influenced the lives of thousands of NFTYites who have come to the camps for summers of work, study, and fun. 1952 was NFTY’s Bar Mitzvah year. As a programming gimmick, the idea of emphasizing mitzvah programs and projects that “serve others rather than ourselves” was introduced. This idea has influenced NFTY ever since.

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1954 was a year of significant expansion. In addition to two National Institutes, the number of regional summer camp sessions exceeded a dozen. The first NFTY Advisor’s Institute was sponsored and an experimental first NFTY trip to and Europe was launched. The number of regions grew to 16, and the total number of regional conclaves exceeded 100. The NFTY Office published two newsletters and dozens of programmatic resources. 1960 was NFTY’s 21st birthday. It marked this milestone by taking the theme “Coming of Age,” and announced: “Na’aseh V’Nishma—We Will Do and We Will Hearken.” The Na’aseh V’Nishma program was NFTY’s first attempt to guide local TYG programming by providing guidelines for balanced excellence. In 1961, NFTY inaugurated the Eisendrath International Exchange (EIE) Program. Three boys from NFTY went for a semester of study to the Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, Israel, and three Uruguayan girls came to NFTY homes in the . Today, EIE is an exceptional high school semester in Israel program, and usually sends more 100 NFTYites per year to Israel. From 1962-1965, NFTY focused on innovation in international programming. The NFTY Summer Antiquities Tour brought NFTYites to see the sights and meet the Jewish youth of Europe and Israel. The NFTY Bible Institute provided a thorough touring experience in Israel. Mitzvah Corps programs sprung up in , Israel, Mexico, and also in New York and Chicago. Today, almost every NFTY Region has a Mitzvah Corps Program. In 1965, NFTY acquired its own national camp—the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. Beginning that summer, Kutz became the site for NFTY’s Leadership Institutes, Board Meetings, and other national programs. It continues to be the headquarters for NFTY Leadership Training. In the late 1960’s, NFTY’s emphasis on mitzvot led it to the forefront of social action programming. In all of its programming, NFTY stressed the idea that young people can make a difference in the world. In addition, the use of guitars in NFTY worship and NFTY songs became an important trademark for NFTY and eventually the Reform Movement as a whole. The number of NFTY Regions in this period totaled 21. In 1970, NFTY began to offer outreach programming to its alumni on college campuses, with one of its first programs taking place at the US Military Academy at West Point. Those programs grew into the Union’s College Education Department. Throughout the 1970’s, NFTY’s international program expanded. The NFTY Israel Academy replaced the Bible Institute and more and more groups traveled to Israel each summer. While NFTY Mitzvah Corps in Israel grew, NFTY added an Archeological Dig to its summer travel menu. By the end of the decade, hundreds of NFTYites were experiencing Israel each summer. Starting in 1971 with a $100 loan from the Union, NFTY also began to record its music on albums. These albums helped create a sense of unity as the music was now easily distributed throughout . Today, NFTY continues this tradition, although CD’s have replaced the original vinyl LPs. The URJ Kutz Camp began a major innovation in 1972. The various programs for fostering leadership skills, Jewish study, and creativity that had each been offered separately were combined into the NFTY National Academy. Noted professionals and scholars were called upon to bring their expertise to NFTY. At the same time, the NFTY National Torah Corps at Kutz Camp developed a program of serious Jewish study and exploration for leaders seeking to deepen their Jewish knowledge and identity.

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In the 1980’s, NFTY’s Na’aseh V’Nishma program was replaced by the Chai project, then the Kavod Award, and then the Award (originally known as the Tikkun Olam B’Shem Adonai Award Program [TOBA]). The newest form of the program, TOA, offers flexible guidelines for well-rounded TYG programming based on the NFTY study themes each year. In 1983, NFTY re i n t roduced the NFTY Convention in Washington, DC. NFTY Conventions are now held every other year in a major North American city. The events also created a professional training opportunity to bring together adults who cared about young people under the auspices of the Union’s Youth Workers Conference. In 1993, NFTY and the Association of Reform Zionists in America (ARZA) formalized their relationship, further commit- ting NFTY to Israel and to North American Zionist activity. In 2005, at the NFTY Convention in California, NFTY finally formalized their relationship with Netzer Olami (Noar Tzioni Reformi), the international Reform . In a historic plenary meeting, the youth delegates voted to become an official snif (branch) of Netzer Olami. NFTY is now proud to boast that it belongs to the largest youth movement in the world. Now that we have entered our sixth decade, NFTY is comprised of over 750 TYGs in 19 NFTY Regions throughout the United States and Canada, holds more than 150 Regional Events each year, serves several hundred NFTYites at the URJ Kutz Camp–NFTY National Leadership Center every summer, and has sent tens of thousands of young people to Israel. NFTY as the Reform Jewish youth movement values Jewish education, t’filah, tikkun olam, leadership development, k’hilah k’dushah: Reform Jewish community, personal growth, Am Yisrael, and Eretz and Medinat Yisrael. In the more than 60 years of its existence, NFTY has touched the lives of literally thousands of young American through the programs it runs and the relationships it fosters. NFTY has influenced both the Jewish community and the world as it has let its voice be heard on the issues that confront us as Jews and as human beings. NFTY alumni, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, have taken their places in the leadership of the Reform and general Jewish community, both in North America and in Israel. Graduates of NFTY programs are prominent in the c re a t i ve arts, communal, political, and Reform Jew i s h spheres. These alumni agree that NFTY has helped its participants grow as people, as artists, as leaders, and as Reform Jews. We look back at our history with pride and look to our future with hope.

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NFTY’S GOALS AND VALUES

THE EIGHT NFTY VALUES The following describes the Eight NFTY Values. For more than 60 years, the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) has offered thousands of young people the opportunity to explore and live Reform Judaism. Today, more than 500 Reform congregations throughout North America sponsor Temple Youth Groups, bringing the NFTY experience to more than 10,000 high school-age young people. Through involvement opportunities offered by congregations, our 19 NFTY regions, and on the North American level, NFTYites strive to forge their identities in consonance with the goals and values of Reform Judaism. NFTY’s Goals • Instill Jewish identity • Increase synagogue participation among high school youth • Foster long-term commitment to the ideals and values of Reform Judaism • Create today the Reform Jewish congregants of tomorrow NFTY’s Values • Chinuch: Jewish Education • T’filah: Worship • Tikkun Olam: Religious Action • Manhigut: Leadership Development • K’hilah K’dushah: Reform Jewish Community • Hitpatchut: Personal Growth and Ethics • Am Yisrael: The Jewish People • Eretz v’Medinat Yisrael: The Land and State of Israel

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NFTY IS COMMITTED TO... Chinuch: Jewish Education NFTY is committed to providing young Reform Jews with the solid foundation of information they need to make informed Jewish decisions. What rituals will they observe? What is their connection to Israel? What values will they espouse and pass on to their children? NFTY strives to make Jewish learning both accessible and enjoyable through experiential informal Jewish education. Most NFTY programs are researched, prepared, and executed by NFTY leaders under the guidance of NFTY regional advisors, clergy, and educators. T’filah: Worship NFTY wants its young people to have meaningful experiences for living and praying Jewishly. NFTY helps young people find their connection to God and the role that faith can play in their lives. NFTY worship services are unique for Reform Jewish teenagers in setting, style, and choice of music. Tikkun Olam: Religious Action NFTY recognizes that young people are extremely concerned about the fate of the world in which they live. Commitment to tikkun olam—repairing the world—has always been a major component of the NFTY experience. Through community service, speaking, lobbying, and rallying on current domestic or foreign political issues, NFTY remains committed to learning, caring and making a difference in the world. Manhigut: Leadership Development In order to create the Reform Jewish leadership of tomorrow, NFTY fosters the Reform Jewish youth leadership of today. Through a variety of elected and appointed positions from the youth group level up to the North American level, NFTYites acquire leadership skills through peer-led programming, taking stands at general board meetings, and networking. Adult advisors serve as role models and guides in these endeavors. K’hilah K’dushah: Reform Jewish Community NFTY strives to create a holy Jewish community in which all NFTYites feel a sense of belonging, friendship, safety, and purpose. Through local, regional, and North American events, NFTYites experience a meaningful Jewish community where each person is considered made B’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God. Hitpatchut: Personal Growth and Ethics Through Jewish community, adult mentorship, leadership development, Jewish study, social action, and spiritual exploration, NFTY aims to give Reform Jewish youth the ethical tools to make decisions in their day-to-day lives. Am Yisrael: The Jewish People NFTY is part of a larger Reform Jewish and Jewish picture. NFTY is a branch or a snif of Netzer Olami (Noar Tizioni Reformi), the international Reform Zionist youth movement. Being a member of NFTY also means being an active Jew, whether through study, dialogue, or action. Eretz and Medinat Yisrael: The Land and State of Israel NFTY is the official Youth Movement of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA). NFTYites actively engage in its support of the State of Israel through study, action, summer trips, and our EIE High School Semester in Israel program.

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THE STRUCTURE OF NFTY NFTY’s heart and soul is the local URJ synagogue Temple Youth Group (TYG). While each local TYG differs in organization, focus, size, and character, the Temple Youth Group is the outlet for the highly engaged Reform Jewish teenager in a Reform Synagogue. While some TYGs only meet five times a year for social programs, many TYGs meet over 20 times each school year and offer a full variety of social, leadership, educational, and social action programs. TYG ’s are linked together by geographic region into NFTY’s 19 regions. While each NFTY Region is somewhat unique in character, program, and traditions, all NFTY Regions run leadership training for local TYGs, as well as camp, hotel, or home-hospitality based conclaves or institutes that focus on Jewish themes, community building, worship, and social action for general NFTY membership. The 19 NFTY Regions are as follows:

NFTY Central West (CW) NFTY Northwest (NW) NFTY Chicago Area Region (CAR) NFTY Ohio Valley (OV) NFTY Garden Empire Region (GER) NFTY Pennsylvania Area Region (PAR) NFTY Michigan (MI) NFTY Southern (SO) NFTY Mid Atlantic Region (MAR) NFTY Southern Area Region (SAR) NFTY Missouri Valley (MV) NFTY Southern Tropical Region (STR) NFTY New York Area Region (NAR) NFTY Southern California (SoCAL) NFTY Northeast (NE) NFTY Southwest (SW) NFTY Northeast Lakes (NEL) NFTY -Oklahoma Region (TOR) NFTY Northern (NO)

The 19 Regions are, in turn, joined together on the North American Level. North American NFTY events and programs include the Summer NFTY Leadership Academy at Kutz Camp, NFTY —leadership training and board meeting for newly elected regional board members—held every June at Kutz Camp, a mid-year February board meeting held at the URJ Kutz Camp, NFTY in Israel Programs, and the biennial NFTY Convention.

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WHAT IS NETZER OLAMI WHO WE ARE AND WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?

Netzer stands for Noar Tzioni Reformi (meaning ‘Reform Zionist Youth’) and is the International Reform Zionist youth movement, home to thousands of young people in a range of countries spread over four continents. Netzer Olami (meaning ‘Worldwide Netzer’) is based in Jerusalem and is the central, headquarters for all of Netzer’s snifim (branches) around the world. Netzer currently has snifim in the following countries: Britain (RSY-Netzer and LJY-Netzer), Holland, Australia, Argentina, Spain, Russia, Belarus, , South Africa, Ukraine, Baltic Countries, Netzer Israel (Noar Telem), and North America (NFTY). Netzer also has ongoing relationships with Reform Jewish youth and is in the early stages of developing snifim in Brazil and Switzerland. In the various snifim, there are weekly meetings, summer and winter camps, residential Shabbatot, hadracha (leadership) training events, activism days, study events and seminars and much, much more. Netzer Olami works to bring together all of these young people in both ideological and practical ways, especially in Israel. Netzer Olami encourages as many chanichim (members) as possible to come to Israel for short-term summer tours, on our long-term leadership program, Shnat Netzer, and for various other seminars and conferences. They also help to provide shlichim, educational emissaries, who go over for a few years to help the young people run their movement in their own countries to several of the snifim. As a youth movement, Netzer believes in youth empowerment and that young people should run things for themselves. A central feature of the snifim is that young people organize and run their own programs, and also take responsibility for the major decisions affecting the movement. Each year in Israel there is an International Ve i d a (Conference) where policy for the whole movement is set by the young people who constitute its leadership. As a youth movement, Netzer Olami also believes in the ideology of Reform , and in taking an activist stance, striving to bring about the practical realization of that ideology in our world.

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NFTY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

In addition to the thousands of TYG and regional events which are held each year, NFTY and the Union for Reform Judaism Youth Division provide several programs which offer oppor- tunities for personal growth and learning for all of its members and Reform high school students.

THE NFTY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AT THE URJ KUTZ CAMP-NFTY NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CENTER The NFTY Leadership Academy at Kutz Camp is a program unlike any other in North America. Each summer we create a dynamic, teen-only, college campus-style community dedicated to building self-esteem and self-confidence. This informal environment is the ideal place for teenagers to learn, play, and work together with Reform Jewish youth from around the world. The Academy is structured to serve the needs and interests of high school students. As future leaders, participants choose their own programs to prepare them to take on roles of leadership and mentorship in their youth groups, religious schools and congregations, and participate in intensive educational programs in youth leadership, , social justice and Jewish arts. The camp faculty is made up of our Movement’s most gifted Jewish professionals. Since its founding in 1965, Kutz has been the place where the present leaders of the Movement share their experience and wisdom with the next generation. Camp alumni regularly go on to local, regional and continental positions of leadership within the Reform Movement. Many become Jewish professionals; countless more continue to be actively involved in Jewish life.

NFTY CONVENTION & NFTY LEADERSHIP TRACK AT THE URJ BIENNIAL The “modern” NFTY Convention was held for the first time in Washington DC in 1983. Hundreds of NFTYites gathered from all over North America for the four-day event. The NFTY Leadership Track is a program run by NFTY concurrently with the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial. This program provides NFTYites with the opportunity to learn and pray with the Reform Movement, and also participate in special and unique youth programming. The Leadership Track is held on the off-years of the NFTY Convention. The NFTY Convention or the NFTY Leadership Track at the Biennial can provide you with a sense of belonging to a large, North American movement, and provide opportunities to deepen your understanding of yourself, your world and your Judaism.

THE NFTY TIKKUN OLAM PROGRAM The NFTY Tikkun Olam Award is designed to involve TYGs throughout North America. The Tikkun Olam Award program is run simultaneously in all 19 NFTY regions, and given to the TYG that produces the best program on the NFTY Study Theme in each region. These winning programs are then recognized later on at NFTY’s North American level. The Tikkun Olam Award promotes both TYG and North American programming, teaching TYG participants across North America the art of informal education and programming.

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Every TYG is truly a resource from which to learn. It is time that we start working together as one, so programming in TYGs across North America collaborate and yield interesting and engaging programs of the highest quality. It is for all of these reasons that we invite you and strongly urge you to implement the Tikkun Olam Award: NFTY’s Creative Programming Award in each of your Temple Youth Groups. For more information on this program, please visit our website at www.nfty.org/resources/programming/toa.

NFTY NORTH AMERICAN BOARD MEETINGS NFTY holds board meetings for its general board leader- ship each year. The NFTY general board consists of repre- sentatives from each of the regional boards (elected mem- bers from each of NFTY’s 19 regions attend) and gathers to conduct NFTY business. At the meetings, board members network with one another and debate resolu- tions. These meetings determine both NFTY’s stance on the issues of the day and the way in which NFTY operates. NFTY MECHINA is an opportunity for NFTY regional and executive officers to gather at the beginning of each summer for several days of leadership training and fun at Kutz Camp. Mechina provides participants with opportunities to meet youth leaders from around the continent and prepare for the upcoming year. NFTY’s Mid-Year Board Meeting is a general board meeting (elected members from each of NFTY’s 19 regions attend) held in February of each year. It is held at the URJ Kutz Camp during non-Convention years.

NFTY ISRAEL PROGRAMS NFTY offers an exciting selection of summer and semester programs in Israel. NFTY Israel experiences build on the Jewish identities of participants while forging lasting bonds of personal connection with the land, people and history of Israel. NFTY in Israel NFTY offers a summer in Israel program. In this program, participants hike, climb, discover, and explore with new friends from across the continent, returning home with endless personal accomplishments, meaningful memories and stories they never forget. NFTY’s Eisendrath International Exchange (EIE) is a semester abroad program immersed in the culture and history of Israel. EIE is a four-month academic semester program, during which participants have the opportunity to experience Israel as a “resident,” and not simply as a “passer-by.” Carmel is a yearlong Reform Jewish learning and living experience in Israel that combines academic and informal learning opportunities. It is designed for students who have recently graduated from high school and is appropriate for students whether or not they have been on other Union for Reform Judaism programs in Israel. Participants study at the University of Haifa and the Reform Movement’s Lokey International Academy of Jewish Studies at the Leo Baeck Education Center, returning with a year of Academic

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study and credit. Participants form a living Reform Jewish community of learning, celebration, participation in tikkun olam projects in the community and extensive field trips in Israel. For more information on NFTY Israel programs, please visit our website at www.nftyisrael.org/summer/index.html, and for more information about Carmel, please visit our website at www.carmelisrael.org.

URJ CAMP INSTITUTES The Youth Division also provides the opportunity for NFTYites to spend their summers as senior campers or staff members at one of our camp institutes. We have camps located throughout North America that provide thousands of young Jews with knowledge, growth and fun during the summer months. The concept of total Jewish living includes both study and recreation in a balanced program tailored to the needs and abilities of each age group. For more information on these programs, please visit our website at www.urjcamps.org

MEITAV YOUTH FELLOWSHIP The Meitav Youth Fellowship is a three-year program of intensive Jewish learning and leadership training. Meitav brings together the Union for Reform Judaism’s strongest youth programming into a comprehensive whole. There are four main programmatic pieces to the Fellowship: • Rising 11th graders spend a summer of social action work with the NFTY Mitzvah Corps. • During the fall semester of their junior year, Meitav Fellows study in Israel on the Eisendrath International Exchange. • During the summer between their junior and senior year, Fellows participate in leadership training at URJ Camp Kutz. • Every May they attend a Meitav only retreat at URJ Kutz Camp. For more information on these programs, please visit our website at www.meitav.urj.org.

NFTY’S MITZVAH CORPS SUMMER PROGRAMS Commitment to tikkun olam— repairing the world—has always been a major component of the Reform Jewish experi- ence. In every generation, the youth of our Movement has led the way, showing deep concern for the fate of the world in which we live. NFTY is therefore especially committed to learning, caring and making a difference in the world. The NFTY Mitzvah Corps allows Reform Jewish teens to experience social action at its best. Mitzvah Corps combines direct hands-on involvement in communities that desperately need the energy, dedication and love that youth can provide with programs based on Jewish, social and ethical issues. For more information on these programs, please visit our website at www.nftymc.org.

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