Noar Night: Temple Isaiah’s Teen Education Program for 8th-12th Graders
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Click here to register for Noar Night 2010-2011.
$25 Early Bird Discount for 2010-2011 Registration Expires May 16th!
Noar Night begins next year on October 6, 2010
Wednesday Nights from 6:45-8:30 p.m.
Noar Night is a place where teens unplug from their cell phones and Facebook profiles, and experience significant face to face interactions. It is a time where homework is temporarily set aside for meaningful conversations and the opportunity for self-discovery. Through the support of their peers, teachers and clergy, teens find that they are not alone as they encounter a world of challenging questions and elusive answers.
Noar Night begins with dinner, relaxing, and letting the stress of the day take a back seat to laughter and conversation. The evening continues with Mevchar: Choice! an opportunity for teens to choose from a variety of activities such as art, music, sports, schmoozing, current events, yoga, drama, and more. Limmud, Jewish learning by grade level, rounds out the evening. Each grade’s curriculum helps the teens develop a dynamic, relevant, and personalized Jewish identity as they explore the intersection of Jewish tradition and contemporary issues. Our evening concludes with Siyyum, a time to put our arms around each other as we sing songs and evening prayers.
Schedule
6:45-7:05 Dinner
7:05-7:30 Mivchar: Choice!
7:30-8:25 Limmud: Grade Level Learning
8:25-8:30 Siyyum: Closing Circle
Limmud: Grade Level Curriculum
8TH GRADE
Eight graders begin a two-year cycle that will be continued in the ninth grade year. Through movies, TV shows, art, music, discussions and more they will ask the same question that Moses asked God, “Mi anochi?” or “Who am I?” They will explore the intersection of their current lives with events leading up to the Holocaust, focusing on issues such as tolerance, individual and group identity, peer pressure, prejudice, and more.
8th Grade Shul-In! In the Fall the 8th graders will spend the night at Temple bonding as a class.
9TH GRADE
Ninth graders embark on a journey of self discovery. On the path to unraveling their Jewish identities, they tackle stereotypes, different definitions of Judaism, and Jewish perspectives on gender, sexuality, dating, drugs and alcohol. Along the way they will have the amazing opportunity to learn about themselves and bond as a class.
9th Grade Shul-Ins! Once in the Fall and once in the Spring they will spend the night at Temple getting to know each other better and exploring these topics in a more personal setting.
10TH GRADE: CONFIRMATION
During the year of Confirmation, students will learn with Rabbi Forrest and Rabbi Graetz. As they develop a connection with their teachers and their peers they will explore the three parts of Hillel’s famous quote (Pirke Avot 1:14): “Im Ain Ani Li Mi Li… If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” Through an intersection of Jewish text, prayer and discussion students will gain tools and support to manage life’s challenges. Answering the question, “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” they will focus on their responsibilities to their own community, to Israel and the world around them.
“If not now, when?” After spending a weekend at the Religious Action Center’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar (see below) they will have the skills to start making a difference.
10th Grade Washington DC Trip: Religious Action Center’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar
The highlight of Confirmation is an extended weekend trip to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C. They’ll travel with Rabbi Graetz & Rabbi Forrest for an intense four-day kallah focusing on public policy and social activism through a Jewish lens. They will visit Capitol Hill to lobby their Senators and Representatives on issues they have studied, and they’ll have an opportunity to tour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and experience Havdalah services at the Jefferson Memorial.
11TH & 12TH GRADE
Eleventh and twelfth graders explore the challenges of graduating from the comforts of the Isaiah teen community by discussing, defining and declaring what they are looking for in a Jewish community beyond high school and in their own lives. Throughout the year they will explore unique ways that Jewish adults incorporate Jewish values and ethics into their professions and everyday lives. Members of the Temple Isaiah community will join the class to share their stories. Afterwards the class will then expand upon the ethical issues brought to light by the presenter. To enhance their learning, the class will join together for two Shabbat experiences—one at UC-Berkeley Hillel and the other at a young adults Shabbat service.
2009-2010 Schedule of Sessions & Important Dates
September 2009
19th Teen Rosh Hashanah Service, 11:45 AM (Adult Lounge)
28th Teen Yom Kippur Service, 11:45 AM (Adult Lounge)
October 2009
7th Noar Night Begins
9th Confirmation Meeting & Shabbat Dinner
14th Noar Night
21th Noar Night
28th Noar Night
November 2009
4th Noar Night
11th Noar Night
13th 11th and 12th Grade Shabbat at UC-Berkeley Hillel
14th-15th 9th Grade Shul-In
18th Noar Night
20th-22th NFTY Fallinter
21st-22nd 8th Grade Shul-In
25th No Noar Night – Thanksgiving
December 2009
2nd Noar Night
9th Noar Night
16th Noar Night
19th LAFTY works at Winter Nights
23rd No Noar Night – Winter Break
30th No Noar Night – Winter Break
January 2010
6th Noar Night
13th Noar Night
15th-18th NFTY/Camp Newman West Coast Party
20th No Noar Night – Study for finals!
27th Noar Night
February 2010
3rd Noar Night
10th Noar Night
12th-15th Anachnu LA Trip!
17th No Noar Night – Post LA Trip Break
24th Noar Night
28th LAFTY runs Purim Carnival
March 2010
3rd Noar Night
4th-8th Confirmation Trip to Washington D.C.
10th Noar Night
12th 11th & 12th Grade go to Late Shabbat in San Francisco
17th Noar Night
19th-21st NFTY Mitzvah Torah Corp
24th Noar Night
31st No Noar Night – Passover
April 2010
7th No Noar Night – Spring Break
14th Noar Night
21st Noar Night
28th Noar Night
May 2010
1st-2nd 9th Grade Shul-In
5th Noar Night
12th Noar Night – Final Session
16th Noar Night Graduation for 12th Graders & Family
19th Confirmation Rehearsal
21st Shabbat Service of Confirmation