Teens Archives

Creating New Jewish Spaces in the Middle Schools of Atlanta

As an innovation initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, JumpSpark supports new projects in Atlanta that enhance Jewish engagement and build community among Jewish teens and preteens.

One new initiative launching in 2020 are Jewish Clubs at metro Atlanta middle schools. These pluralistic, non-denominational, and unaffiliated clubs give preteens a safe, low-barrier environment to hang out with other Jewish preteens at their school, fostering community and sense of Jewish values. Jewish clubs at many area high schools and a small number of middle schools – such as the Jewish Student Union, North Springs Charter School’s Jewish Culture Club, and the Jewish Federation’s grant to Chabad of North Fulton middle school clubs – have been very successful at creating welcoming spaces that Jewish teens and preteens gravitate towards each month and find lasting relationships with other Jewish youth.

To accelerate this success and create continuity for Jewish teens in Atlanta, JumpSpark is working with community parents and teens to launch even more clubs. With a helpful toolkit and a Spark Grant to support costs, JumpSpark is equipping families to create clubs in their schools.

Jewish middle school clubs meet once a month at a time that’s convenient for your community. Middle schoolers will gather over food and have social time to get to know each other. The preteens will also engage in a short, fun activity with Jewish content led by a local Jewish educator.

Interested in a club at your teen’s school? Learn more below!

Your Role As a Parent

As a parent, your role will be to help sponsor the launch of a Jewish club within your teen’s middle school. JumpSpark will offer support on the direction and vision for the club in its first year and as a partner, will provide program planning, curriculum, and financial resources throughout the year.

After the pilot year, JumpSpark will offer grants to parents taking on more of the club’s program planning of the club. JumpSpark will continue to support the conceptualization and execution of monthly club meetings.

Steps to Success

Decide on a creative club name that fits with your school’s culture
Connect with Jewish teachers or teachers interested in supporting Jewish students to be official club sponsors
Meet with the principal or upper school administration to talk about the club objectives
Put together a list of communication mediums to use recruit and disperse info for parents and students
Run the first meeting
Watch your teen’s Jewish identity grow!

What Parents Are Saying

“As a parent of two middle school kids, I see the value in a Jewish middle school club to instill in the kids their sense of community and appreciation for their cultural. While this does not have to be an exclusive club for only Jewish students, it does provide a sense of identity for kids and allows them to share their perspectives and experiences with their peer network.” – Ben Taube

“One great thing about our large public middle school is the true and vast diversity of the student body. In this environment, though, it can be difficult for my daughters to meet and foster friendships with other Jewish students. This club allows for Jewish students in different grades and from different elementary schools to meet and to explore their shared valued and beliefs. It also provides an opportunity for interested non-Jewish students to learn more about Judaism and to work on service projects together.” – Sydnei Terry Rubenstein

Questions? Interested in starting your own club? Contact Jessie Schwartzman, JumpSpark Manager, at jschwartzman@jewishatlanta.org

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

JumpSpark Brings Moving Traditions to Atlanta

While a majority of Jewish teens will become b’nai mitzvah, many drop out of Jewish life soon after, leaving the Jewish community just when they’re figuring out who they are. To bridge that gap and not lose teens on their Jewish journey, JumpSpark is partnering with area synagogues and Jewish organizations to launch Moving Traditions teen groups and incorporate educational curriculum into existing programs throughout the city this school year.

Moving Traditions connects the issues teens care about most – from body image, friendship, social and academic pressure, romance, and sexuality, to enduring Jewish values. The content fosters positive peer-to-peer relationships with trained educators and mentors, and inspires an ongoing connection to Jewish community.

Shevet, for teen boys in grades 8-12, reimagines the transition from boy to young man and gives teen boys a safe space to explore masculinity, friendship, and sense of purpose that Judaism has to offer. A B’nai Mitzvah program helps 6th and 7th graders and their parents develop strong communication and empathy as they prepare to become and parent a teen. Learn more about the programs and how to enroll your teen at an info session with Moving Traditions leadership and JumpSpark on Wednesday, October 30^th.

Learn more about the Moving Traditions info session ››

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

Change Maker of the Year: Steven Resnick

On the first Sunday this May at the Hadassah Greater Atlanta Chesed Awards, we were honored to name Steven Resnick, Youth Director at Congregation Etz Chaim, as the inaugural JumpSpark Change Maker Award recipient given to a Jewish professional who has made an impact in the lives of Atlanta’s Jewish teens and community.

Steven was inspired by his own experiences in USY, BBYO, and Hebrew High School to pursue youth education as his career and has built an impressive resume with years of growing the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism youth programs in Florida, Massachusetts, and now Atlanta. Working with the other Atlanta Youth Directors, the Jewish Youth Directors Association, and JumpSpark Professional has helped him grow as an educator and engagement professional, become more confident in his own abilities, and learn new ways to approach educational opportunities.

In his 2 years at the Etz Chaim Youth Department, he’s created a safe space for grades K-12 to call home, ask questions, and explore their spirituality and growth.

“I hope the youth I work with learn from me that there isn’t one way to be Jewish… we all have different backgrounds and different knowledge bases, but that doesn’t mean that we’re any more or less Jewish than anyone else. I hope they leave our Youth Department feeling confident in their Jewish identity and remembering, in my opinion, one of the most important tenants in Judaism: hachnasat orchim, or ‘hospitality’.”

Mazel Tov and Thank You for your dedication to our community’s teens, Steven!

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

Conquering Confidence: Practice Makes Perfect

Nadia Bilchik is an editorial producer for CNN. Before she came to speak to us, I honestly didn’t even know who she was. After hearing what she had to say, I don’t think I’ll ever forget her.

Feeling somewhat anxious in certain situations is a common feeling for me and for so many others. Teen anxiety is higher than it ever has been. Whether it’s severe or not, it can make little things like raising your hand to speak in class or talking to new people so much harder than they should be.

I work myself up so easily about many things, making it hard for me to try new things. It sometimes takes some convincing to get me to go to large events and new places. I’ve always wished I didn’t have to live with any worries, so, when I saw the topic for the meeting, I was very curious. I went into the meeting not sure what to expect, and came out of it with knowledge I didn’t know was available.

Bilchik explained that she had created a four-step guide on how to conquer and calm your nerves before doing something that is out of your comfort zone. The first thought that came to my mind is that this meeting is perfect for me! She went on to explain each of these steps.

1. Think of happy past moments
2. Show interest
3. Breathing exercises
4. Show energy

They include: thinking of happy past moments, showing interest in the topic at hand, doing breathing exercises, and showing energy. The first is pretty self explanatory: think of memories that make you happy and hold onto them to take your mind off of the worrying. It was interesting to hear everyone’s happy moments.

The second involves a tactic of not using “I” statements. We did an exercise where we had to have a conversation with someone else and could use only questions in response to our partner. This gives the person that you are talking to reassurance that they have your full interest and attention.

*Katie applying the 4 steps to confidence*

The third step to calm nerves is all about breathing. Taking deep breaths is a way of refreshing your mind and body. It helps slow and control your heart rate and it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.

The last step is to show energy and engage in the conversation. You can show energy simply by standing up straight and putting a smile on your face. This shows confidence and makes you approachable. Bringing up topics that you and whoever you are talking to are both interested in is a great way to engage another person. This helps the conversation flow. With practice, all of this combined will eventually allow you to be able to comfortably start conversations with anyone.

Since this meeting, I already have and will definitely continue to use this process a lot throughout my life. I am overjoyed that Nadia Bilchik shared her wisdom with me and my fellow strong women. •

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

Change Maker Spotlight: Varda Cheskis Sauer

This month as we name our Change Maker, we want to do things a little differently and chat with our honoree, Ms. Varda Cheskis Sauer. A teacher by trade and a champion for creating more places and ways for teens to connect with Jewish life, Varda is known and beloved by the hundreds of students that come through the doors of the Jewish Culture Club at
North Springs Charter High School.

This spring after 14 years, she’s moving on from sponsoring the club, but her support and dedication will not be forgotten. Thank you, Varda, for investing in the Jewish teens of Atlanta and for being a Change Maker in our community!

JumpSpark: How many years have you sponsored the Jewish Culture Club at North Springs?

Varda Cheskis Sauer

Varda Cheskis Sauer: I have sponsored the Jewish Culture Club for 14 years! Some students approached me in 2005 about starting a “Jewish club.” Initially I told them no because, with North Springs being a public school, I did not want to violate the law of separation of church and state. Then, we came up with the idea of a Jewish “Culture” Club where everyone would be welcome who might want to join! The rest is history!! We are the largest club at North Springs with the most active membership! Virtually EVERY member attended every single meeting!

JS: Why did you choose to devote so many years to teens?

VCS: I know that most teens have little or no Jewish continuity in their lives from their Bar/Bat Mitzvah years until they have children of their own. That’s a long gap with no Jewish education! My goal was to provide education at every single meeting in order to fill that gap! It was a challenge to figure out a model that would draw students in and KEEP them!! After all, they had to give up their lunch period and social time with their friends! Having Rabbi David Silverman as our main speaker was definitely a huge asset and draw for the students. He has been extremely engaging with the teens and made every meeting fun and inspirational!

JS: Do you have an idea of how many total teens have come through the club over the years?

VCS: My estimate is about 1600 teens came through my North Springs Jewish Culture Club! The club grew very quickly – word spread like wildfire! The club started out with 20 student-teens, doubled in size the next year, and by the 4th year, we had 100 members and could barely fit in any room in the school! By the 10th year, we had 160 active members and were lucky to have the use of the huge Band room and Media Center for our meetings! No classroom could accommodate a club of our size!

JS: What do you most hope they’ve learned from you and the Jewish culture club?

VCS: The teens have experienced a real sense of ‘kehillah’ or ‘community!’ They loved having a regular time when they would learn about Jewish culture with other teens in their public school. Over the years they have told me that they learned so many things about Judaism and its culture that they never studied when younger. They have been taught excellent skills on how to respond to many questions from the general school population. They said this gave them a sense of security within their social circles.

JS: How many years did you work as a teacher and what subject(s) did you teach?

VCS: I was at North Springs High School for 24 years! I taught Sociology and Health Education in the late 1980s for 3 years and then I shifted careers for a few years while raising my children. I came back to NSHS in 1995 and retired in 2016! I created two amazing Internship classes – Mentorship and Magnet Internship. I taught 11th and 12th graders all about the value of internships and then I placed them all out into internships during their class time with me! My classes were definitely a favorite elective for the students!

JS: How else have you worked or volunteered with Jewish teens?

VCS: As a teen myself, I was a volunteer teaching assistant at my own synagogue Hebrew School in Chicago. As a mom, I served on the Adult BBYO Board in the mid-1990s. I chaperoned teens on numerous field trips for the Greenfield Hebrew Academy (now Atlanta Jewish Academy) including their big 8th grade trip to NYC.

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

Consent and Identity: The Importance of Knowing Myself

Rachel Cohn

Coming into this meeting with the poet Caroline Rothstein about consent, I was prepared to have a difficult discussion about the reality of sexual abuse and rape culture. However, this meeting with Caroline pleasantly surprised me. We learned that you cannot give your consent to something without fully knowing who you are as a person.

Caroline speaking to the Strong Women

Caroline told us her struggles with finding her own identity in the form of beautiful poems. She spoke about the hardships she faced every day and the struggles with being a woman in society today. She spoke poetry about sexual abuse and her difficult eating disorder.

Caroline Rothstein

However, to me, the most noteworthy poem was about how despite all these burdens, she still showed up on the other side a strong woman who knew her strong identity. The words Caroline said truly spoke to me and it felt as though she knew me better than I knew myself. I was on the edge of my seat just wanting her to keep chanting about what she was passionate about, for I was also passionate about the same things.

Writing

After that, we had the opportunity to write our own poetry and I found it much easier than I anticipated. Our poems were about being Jewish and women or about being a Jewish woman. I had so much to say and found it inspiring that everyone else did as well. It was comforting to be in a room full of people who have the same beliefs and values as I do.

While I came into this meeting eager to learn about consent, I ended up learning more about identity and the importance it plays in knowing whether or not to give consent to something. Caroline was extremely empowering and I was grasping onto every last word she said. Although this meeting went much differently than expected, I am so grateful for that because what we talked about in this meeting, identity, and being a Jewish woman, are all so important to me and things that I will never stop caring about. •

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

We’re Hiring: Engagement Manager

We’re ready to expand the JumpSpark team! Do you think you have what it takes to join a fun, hardworking organization dedicated to Jewish engagement and education in Atlanta?

Job Description

Title: Engagement Manager

Category: Regular, Full-time Exempt

Reports to: Director, JumpSpark

JumpSpark: Atlanta’s initiative for Jewish teen engagement, connects and collaborates with the community to create more meaningful and defining moments for Jewish teens in Atlanta while enhancing the infrastructure of Jewish education and engagement in Atlanta. JumpSpark invests in existing programs, supports new and innovative ideas, and thinks creatively to meet the needs of teens, their parents, and Jewish educators and professionals that work with teens. Our portfolio includes Teen Programs, Navigating Parenthood workshops, Jewish Professional Development, and Grants.

Job Summary: The Engagement Manager is an integral team member of a growing organization working to rethink teen education and engagement in the Atlanta Jewish community. JumpSpark is part of the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative, a nationwide network working together to develop, nurture, and scale new approaches to teen engagement, and in this role the Engagement Manager will have the opportunity to think creative, new ideas; look at a “big picture” view of community and education trends; and benefit from the wealth of shared knowledge and philanthropic funds dedicated to the future of Jewish teen education and engagement. The candidate should be familiar with the Jewish education and engagement landscape, players, and trends and must be comfortable working in a fast-paced, innovative, and experimental work environment with general supervision.

Responsibilities

Build strong relationships in the Atlanta Jewish community
Strengthen Atlanta’s Jewish teen ecosystem by working with teens, families of teens and educators and professionals who work with teens
Create and manage innovative programming for JumpSpark’s target populations including curricular development and implementation
Work with JumpSpark grantee partners on program implementation and grant oversight
Engage in the national conversation of Jewish innovation and education
Participate in the national network of the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative
Complete a broad variety of tasks as needed to further the mission of JumpSpark

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
3-5 years of experience working in Jewish education or engagement
Knowledge of, passion for, and/or an authentic personal connection to the relevant issues of Jewish communal life and familiarity with the Jewish calendar
An appreciation for the diversity of Jewish identity, expression, and practice
Experience in professional setting with standard business tools
Willingness to learn new systems, programs, and skills as needed
Excellent interpersonal, organizational, written and oral communication skills
A dynamic and outgoing personality with the ability to build relationships with a variety of different audiences and ages
Self-motivated with a willingness to take initiative in a fast-paced, team environment
Demonstrated organizational skills, with attention to detail and proven ability to fill and manage a complex schedule requiring extensive local travel

The above job duties and responsibilities describe the general nature and level of work for employees in this position, but this is not intended as an exclusive or all-inclusive inventory of all duties required of employees in this job.

Interested? Send your resume and cover letter to info@jumpsparkatl.org ›

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

Atlanta Anti-Semitism Summit Educates And Empowers Community

“After Pittsburgh, I sometimes I feel unsafe as a Jew.”

“Why do some people rationalize anti-Semitism while others speak up and fight the same actions?”

“People don’t like Jews.”

Overheard as attendees shared in breakout sessions at the Anti-Semitism Summit: Navigate, Communicate, Advocate on January 6, 2019, these comments highlight the community need for this program presented by Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Temple Sinai, and JumpSpark in partnership with 17 Jewish community organizations.

In response to the tragic mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue last fall, and the growing number of anti-Semitic incidents both in the southeast and nationally, the summit examined the reality of anti-Semitism and how to communicate and advocate for the world we want to see.

David Hoffman, ADL Assistant Regional Director, began the summit by presenting a common understanding of the term “anti-Semitism” and how hate can escalate from attitudes to actions to violence. The ADL plays a role in fighting all forms of hate, including anti-Semitism, and reports a rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents locally and nationally, including in K-12 schools and college campuses.

“Until recently, I rarely heard from parents about anti-Semitic incidents,” said Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Brad Levenberg. “This year it has skyrocketed. People report everything from subtle bias to overt acts. Parents want to know if they are overreacting, but I usually find their instincts are spot on.”

Separate teen and adult breakout groups explored how to communicate within our families about anti-Semitism, and taught how to report and respond to bias, hatred and injustice, whether at school, online, or in the community.

In groups by grade, teens gained awareness of their personal experiences with anti-Semitism, discussed how anti-Semitism exists in their lives, and developed skills to respond to anti-Semitism throw role-playing exercises.

Many teens left saying they were surprised to learn their peers have had similar experiences and were motivated to speak up when they encounter acts of anti-Semitism.

“It’s eye-opening to see that so many people have experienced anti-Semitism and we are not alone,” said one teen.

With nearly 200 parents and teens participating in the event held at Temple Sinai, summit organizers had no idea the demand was so high for such an event. Kelly Cohen, JumpSpark Director, said, “As we see from the large crowd that came to the summit, when we create programs and opportunities that speak authentically to the needs of our community, people come!” •

Visit our Resource Page › for tips and information from the Anti-Semitism Summit.

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

Woman Undefined

Lili Stadler

Whenever prompted with the topic of sexuality and gender identification, I had never thought twice. I would simply brush off the subject since I had always been confident in who I was and who I felt that I was: a girl. I always thought that was a confusing conversation topic, thinking that there was not much to discuss. More clearly said, sexuality was always something simple to me. When preparing for the conversation of gender and sexuality with Dr. Joy Ladin and my peers of the Strong Women Fellowship, I did not believe my thoughts would change. But, seeing different perspectives and hearing the struggles and stories of my peers completely altered what being a “man” or “women” could be.

When you look up the word “woman” in the dictionary, you will find the definition, “an adult human female” or “a wife, girlfriend, or lover”, plus other varieties of that nature. But, I have realized that the dictionary definition of this word barely scratches the surface of what being a woman actually means.

When finishing her empowering story of bravery and transition, Dr. Joy Ladin prompted me and my peers with a question: “What was your experience of growing up as a girl?” To my surprise, the majority of responses to the question, including mine, were negative. We discussed in our conversation the topics that us, as teenage girls in the modern world, face, most of which were feelings of adversity and fear. A few examples included memories of my peers’ parents telling them to change because they were “showing too much”, them getting dress code violations for their bra straps and thighs showing, and their constant fear of slut shaming.

“What was your experience growing up as a girl?”

To my surprise, the majority of responses to the question, including mine, were negative.

Hearing these things, at first, made me feel comforted that I was not the only one who had gone through these things. But, after a while of discussion, I realized how negative this conversation was. I knew we all love being women, but the growing sense of negativity made me feel unsettled. From here, the conversation unintentionally turned into one about what it means to be a woman.

Joy started off this conversation with the topic of gender versus sexuality. She explained to us that these two things do not need to go hand in hand, nor do they have the same connotation to every individual. Once again, this was something I had never thought about before, so my mindset was transformed. I realized that all of those negative memories of growing up a girl made up who we had become. With further discussion, I was inspired that gender and sexuality are not as simple as I thought, and that two people with totally different experiences of being a women could still be defined as one.

We should not be defined by who we are categorized to be, but who we feel we are.

The beauty of the hardships of growing up in fear and shame is that we learn to overcome it and hopefully become who we feel we are inside. The story of Dr. Ladin, although completely unique to the stories of everyone participating in the conversation, led us to the conclusion that being a woman and growing up as a woman can be defined in an infinite amount of ways. We should not be defined by who we are categorized to be, but who we feel we are. •

Charlie Render In JumpSpark

Strong Women Fellowship: For the Love of Pizza and Chris Hemsworth

Meeting the refugees from the Global Village Project was an amazing experience.

Rene Walter

When I had first arrived I wasn’t sure what to expect or who I would be meeting. I stepped into the room where all the girls were and saw teenagers sitting in chairs talking to my friends acting normal and telling jokes.

As I went to sit down and join in on the conversation I greeted everyone with a warm smile and a friendly greeting. Upon getting to know the girls and hearing their stories I realized I could relate to them on many levels. Then once we did the activity where we all listed things we have in common i realized there were a lot more things I hadn’t realized, like that we all didn’t like school and all loved pizza and Chris Hemsworth.

This overall experience was eye opening for me and I realized that just because these girls are from different parts of the world, we are all connected and similar in one way or another. I left that school with so many new friendships and so many new values to take with me. •