BESTY Teens

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 social events with local synagogues, bi-monthly lounge nights, and monthly learning opportunities, 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 2021-2022 BESTY BOARD

Co presidents: Gabe Young and Ella Levi
Vice President/Social Action: Sienna Joseph 
Programming Vice President: Levi Weider
Communications Vice President: Talia Penzell
Membership Vice President: Jaidan Jenkins-Kiefer
Fundraising Vice President: Zac Elovitz
Secretary: Lily Lustig
12th and 10th Grade Representative: Hannah Spector
11th and 9th Grade Representative: Tamara Cortes

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, Johannah Sohn, 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.

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 Religious School community by helping out in classrooms. Please contact our Director of Congregational Learning, Johannah Sohn for more details at jsohn@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.

Program Costs

Tzedakah Board: $675
(Includes: $100 for the group’s philanthropic giving fund AND BESTY membership)

BESTY membership (Post B'nai Mitzvah -12th Graders): $575
(BESTY membership includes admission for all events)

TZEDAKAH BOARD DATES