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Confirmation (10th Grade)

Adat Reyim's Confirmation Class participates fully in our Teen Program with additional learning experiences with the Rabbi. Focus is on current events and curriculum is student driven.  For information on Confirmation, please contact  Melanie Berman, Religious Education Director, at religiousschool@adatreyim.org

When and how did confirmation originate? At Congregation Adat Reyim, the Confirmation ceremony is held at the age of sixteen since the feeling is that a thirteen-year-old bar/bat mitzvah could not really be considered an adult and fully understand the significance of the Jewish ceremony at such a tender age. The Confirmation ceremony is less than two hundred years old! It was instituted in the early nineteenth century in Germany by the Reform movement and soon struck roots in the general Jewish community at large.

Why is confirmation generally tied to the festival of Shavuot?
In 1831, Rabbi Samuel Egers of Brunswick, Germany held his confirmation ceremony on the festival of Shavuot, the festival of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Shavuot provides the natural connection to the idea of transmitting Torah.

Madrichim Program

"Madrich" (masculine) or "madricha" (feminine) are the Hebrew terms meaning "guide" or "leader." Adat Reyim Religious School has a very successful Madrichim program where our teenagers not only serve as role models and guides to our younger students, but are guided by our staff in developing their teaching and leadership skills while strengthening their Jewish identity. Madrichim support our teachers in classroom activities, assisting the students where necessary, and some Madrichim work in the office.

Students in grades eight and higher serve as classroom assistants in our Religious School. Our Madrichim are tomorrow’s leaders. Many of our teens have the skills to tutor our younger students, assist in the classrooms, and help out in the office. Our Madrichim program offers our teens the opportunity to use their skills and serve as Jewish role models to our students. They have become an essential and wonderful addition to our school program.

Madrichim are required to attend an orientation meeting at the beginning of the year, a workshop at Temple Rodef Shalom in November, as well as a mid-year meeting.

Madrichim can receive community service hours or a stipend for their work, depending on their age. Eighth- through tenth-grade madrichim must be enrolled in the Teen Program to participate.

If you are interested in becoming one of our madrichim, please email Melanie Berman at religiousschool@adatreyim.org

Teen Program

To Register for the teen program, please click here 

We are excited to share some details with you about our teen program.  We are looking forward to welcoming back existing members of the teen program as well as our rising 8th graders and new members.  This year’s program will include a wide variety of activities based on ideas developed from last year’s participants. Our newest members will also be given an opportunity to provide their input at our kickoff event every early September. 

Congregation Adat Reyim is an active supporter of the Am Echad chapter of the Northern Virginia Council of BBYO.  BBYO is a pluralistic youth-led Jewish movement which provides our teens with valuable leadership and community service opportunities as well as the opportunity to participate in regional, national, and international activities.

What kind of programs will be available in the teen program?

Our goal is to provide a wide array of Jewishly fun, engaging, and educational activities for our teens.  Our teens work together to develop a calendar of activities which interest them falling into three categories:  Jewish religion and tradition, community service, and fun and fellowship.  The box below provides an overview of some of our best activities from our teen program.

When does the Teen Program meet?

The regular meeting time is 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Sunday evenings, twice a month. According to the safety regulations determined by the Adat Reyim reopening committee, food will be served safely when possible.  Some activities will be scheduled at other times.

My teen only wants to spend time with friends at Adat Reyim, not participate in BBYO events. How will you address this?

The purpose of Adat Reyim joining BBYO was to expand options for our teens, not limit them. If students only want to participate in local Adat Reyim events, that’s perfectly fine, and they will in no way be penalized if they only attend local events. Our goal is to provide opportunities for our teens to engage in as wide a variety of Jewish experiences as possible.  BBYO opens a whole new set of doors.  Interestingly, some of the teens who were least interested in BBYO at the beginning of last year are the most involved today.

My teen has several commitments. What if he/she can’t attend every event?

Although we would love to see our teens at every event, we understand they are busy.  We will plan to stay in touch with them on a regular basis about upcoming activities and will be as flexible as possible to encourage their participation.   We will keep teens and parents informed of planned activities through Shul Cloud, emails, text messages, and social media.

 

Mon, March 27 2023 5 Nisan 5783