USY TEENS

It is a special experience to grow up in a synagogue like this one, where teens feel comfortable and at home, empowered to create their own meaningful moments and build their own community in a way that speaks to each of them. Beth El is unique, in that it brings together teens from different towns, schools, Jewish youth serving organizations, and backgrounds. However, when they are at Beth El, this is their community, created and cultivated by the teens themselves, who make Beth El their own.

Over the past few years the Beth El teens have helped the evolution of our teen community happen. The Teen Leadership Board brings their authentic selves forward when creating these opportunities for the rest of the teens, involving and informing them in the decision-making process and planning too. Beth El teens want to attend these programs and are excited to be a part of this community, inviting friends from outside Beth El into this community too.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our community, as most did, had a tough time adapting to the obstacles thrown our way. Despite the challenges and the fact that in 2020, New Rochelle became the epicenter of the pandemic, Beth El teens persevered and pivoted the community to an online space, taking walks on Zoom on Friday afternoons, playing games, participating in a book club, and so much more – they adapted programs on Zoom for holidays too - making Sushi in the Sukkah and the Chocolate Seder fun and different too. Additionally, weather-permitting, they held socially distanced programs outdoors, like movie nights and football games, ice cream socials, and more.

They even held last year’s Teen Leadership Board Elections outside, electing a new teen leadership board to help innovate our community for the ‘21-’22 school year. And they did it. This past year, the Beth El teen community has continued to flourish from the ground up. In a grassroots way, these teen leaders created a new version of our teen community. Teens came together monthly for fun programs created by the teen leaders of Beth El to create an incredibly successful year including: the biggest Sushi in (Rabbi Fisher’s) Sukkah event we’ve ever had, more Shabbat services and meals than in recent years, bringing more teens to in-person programs like a Movie Night and Cupcake Wars that we could have ever expected during this pandemic, and giving back to the community through preparing for our Purim Carnival, Midnight Run, and Israel education and advocacy programming too.

Beth El Teens have created a unique community for teens, by teens, with individuals involved in USY, BBYO, different hobbies, Jewish clubs at school, and so much more. It is the most special thing to see that it does not make a difference what other communities in which these teens participate. They are Beth El Teens when they are here. Beth El is really that unique – we hope that teens participate in and identify with all of the communities in their lives – and we pride ourselves on Beth El being a separate super important and formative component of their teen selves. Beth El has become a space for any and all teens to feel at home – no matter their school, hobbies, other affiliations – Beth El is its own, special place for all of our teens. We had such a successful year and cannot wait to see what ‘22-’23 brings us.

Have a great summer! The Beth El Teen Leadership Board ‘21-’22 (Eitan, Cooper, Ana, Hannah, Logan, Arielle, Jeremy, Lucy, Hannah, Lily, and Naomi)