BESTY Teens

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Register to participate in BESTY(all teen programs such as Tzedakah Board, Madrichim, etc)

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Teen Engagement & Community Building

BESTY is an awesome opportunity to discover the depths of Jewish community through developing bonds and strengthening friendships with other teens. Through monthly socials and events including a couple of major retreats, our teens have many diverse pathways into Jewish engagement that are both meaningful and fun. Our teen leadership board and clergy team are deeply committed to creating an inclusive space where your unique presence and contributions are valued.

"Joining BESTY gives you the chance to find a meaningful community that you can become a big part of. BESTY is my second home and my second family. Through thick and thin I have all of my friends from BESTY and I love that I have had the chance to make friends for life. BESTY will always be on of the huge highlights of my life during high school"

- Ethan Cortes, 2020-2021 BESTY President

Our 2020-2021 BESTY BOARD

• President: Ethan Cortes
• Vice President: Hannah Spector
• Programming VP: Ella Levi
• Communications VP: Sophia Roye
• Social Action VP: Jaidan Jenkins-Kiefer
• Religious and Cultural VPs: Gabe Young, Levi Wieder
• Membership VP: Talia Penzell
• Fundraising and Financial VP: Zac Elovitz
• Secretary: Lily Lustig
• Communications VP: Jane Griffin
• 12th Grade Rep: Julia Schachtel
• 11th Grade Rep: Sienna Joseph
• 10th Grade Rep: Tamara Cortes
• 8th and 9th Grade Rep: Chloe Berg

This group of teens is extremely dedicated to BESTY and ensuring that we have great events and. meaningful experiences. Contact Jesse Arzt, Youth Director, at jesse.arzt@gmail.com with any questions about our teen programming.

For those of you who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, my name is Jesse Arzt and I am the BESTY Youth Advisor. In collaboration with Cantor Young and and our BESTY teen board, we have had an amazing time creating fun and meaningful programming for our teen community. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out.

2020-21 CALENDAR

2020 Youth Leadership Initiative: Jewish Identity, Israel and the College Campus
Wednesday evenings, October 14 - December 9
Click here to register

Chanukah Celebration and Shabbat Service
December 11, 2020

Disney Day - Canceled
December 19, 2020

Animal Day
January, 2021

Cooking Night
February, 2021

Campus Culture Climate - Hillel Led
March, 2021

The Great Purim Costume Gala
April, 2021

Campus Culture Climate - Hillel Led
March, 2021

BESTY Board Elections
May 10, 2021
*Exec. Board prerequisites:
– Must have served on board for at least 1 year
– Must be a current member of BESTY and a member of TBESOC.

Teen/Mitzvah Recognition
May 21, 2021

8th Grade Tzedakah Board

Leadership & Changing The World

BESTY teens have many opportunities to contribute to our synagogue and the greater community. Our teen programming offers much more than a place to socialize and “hang out.” Through new experiences, our teens have the chance to learn, grow, and transform the world around them. Our BESTY teens are integrated into our wider Temple Beth El community where they get to share their leadership in our religious school and in some of our biggest synagogue events and holidays. Our 8th Grade Tzedakah Board gives away thousands of dollars to make a difference in our community, supported by the wisdom of our Jewish tradition.

Tzedakah Board is a philanthropic foundation of eighth graders who commit time outside of school to engage in questions of how to fix our broken world. In this influential and dynamic program, participants learn about Jewish wisdom on charitable giving and social change, financial literacy, and modern philanthropy, and then award $4,000 – $10,000 to organizations that they deem effective in making the world a better place. Each registered participant contributes $600, which includes $100 to the group’s philanthropic fund. It is our hope that your child contribute some or all of the $100 to this fund (most use gifts received celebrating their bar/bat mitzvah). The group funds are pooled, and then matched by an anonymous donor, and students also participate in a group fundraising activity to increase the total amount they will grant to the organizations and causes they value and choose to support. Participating in the Tzedakah Board will give teens the following:

Greater sophistication about money and how it can be leveraged to make positive change in the world.
Deeper knowledge about how the wisdom of Judaism can inform your decisions about money and how to use it for prosperity for all
Connection to other Temple teens around the mission of making a difference in the world.
A remarkable extracurricular activity on your resume to help open the door for college and other job positions when you reach that stage.

Madrichim

Become a mentor and build relationships with younger students with this opportunity to stay connected to out Hebrew School and Shabbat Chai communitie by helping out in classrooms. Please contact our Program Director, Wendy Yesharim for more details at wyesharim@tbesoc.org

Passport to Regional Events
Since TBESOC is affiliated with both Reform and Conservative national movements, the BESTY community is included as part of both the local NFTY Reform teen chapter and the USY Conservative teen chapter. BESTY members can participate in Regional Youth Events, allowing them to make friendships with an even wider group of teens.