Teen Tzedek (Justice) Program
(NEW!) Monthly Service-Learning with Repair the World
Rabbi Lauren and Debra Fricano are teaming up with Repair the World to host monthly interactive volunteer opportunities that involve a deep dive into learning about Judaism and Social Justice.
Save the dates:
- September 26
- October 24
- November 14
- December 12
- January 16 or 23 (TBD)
- February 13
- March 27
To participate in our Teen programming,, please be sure to (re)register for Makom each year 8th-12th grade as a Teen. If you have not done so already, you will pay a one-time life-time fee of $180. (re)Enroll now: https://www.thesaj.org/school_enrollment.php
**Teen Trip Spring 2022**
SAJ and Bnai Keshet in Montclair, NJ are excited to be re-joining together for an in-person immersive teen trip. We will go to Georgia for Etgar’s SouthEast Civil Rights Journey for a deep dive into issues of race, racism, and anti-racism. We’ll immerse ourselves in the questions that confront all of us and that have animated so many of us for the past many years, from slavery to mass incarceration, civil rights to Black Lives Matter. We’ll explore the importance of and complexity of the issues as both Jews and Americans.
This trip is will be April of 2022. It is open to all 9th-12th grade students who have membership at SAJ or Bnai Keshet, and who are registered as a Teen.
Participating in this trip also involves some pre-trip preparatory sessions, and post-trip reflection and reunions.
Save the dates
- September 30 Q&A Logistics session for families.
- April 3 Trip Prep Session for Teens
- April 8-9-10 Trip to Etgar
- April 24 Post Trip Reunion for teens
- May 14th Teen’s Collaborative Dvar Torah at Main Sanctuary Services
There is a cost for the trip to provide for housing and transportation.
To participate in our Teen programming, including this Trip, please be sure to (re)register for Makom each year 8th-12th grade as a Teen. If you have not done so already, you will pay a one-time life-time fee of $180. (re)Enroll now: https://www.thesaj.org/school_enrollment.php
RSVP to rabbilauren@saj.nyc
Past Teen Trips
SAJ will likely cycle through these trips again in the future.
In 2018, SAJ teens participated in the Religious Action Center (RAC) for Reform Judaism’s L’taken Social Justice Seminar where they learn about the government and advocacy, explore Jewish values related to issues they care about, and lobby in front of the staff of their elected officials on topics they have researched and prepared.
In March 2019, SAJ teens travelled to Portland, Oregan for a hands-on Jewish experience with Tivnu, gap-year and educational Jewish program that engages participants in hands-on work building houses alongside and for the homeless, among other grassroots and social action projects. Along with the building work, students met with and learned from the advocates who have made change in their communities. They also had the opportunity to explore a new city and enjoy hiking, swimming, and connecting with a local Reconstructionist synagogue for Shabbat.
If you have questions about the SAJ Teen Tzedek program, contact Rabbi Lauren, rabbilauren@saj.nyc.