Sinai Temple Teen Center 2012 – 2013
Mission, Michal’s Address, List of Teen Board
Mission: The Teen Center trains and prepares the Jewish leaders of tomorrow. Through leadership boards and skill training, speakers, advocacy, social action, religious engagement, community building, social interaction, education, event planning and more we instill in our teens a love for synagogue, community and Israel, the foundation for a strong Jewish identity, and the skills to lead the next generation. We are also an active participant and chapter in the Far West region of United Synagogue Youth.
From the President: My name is Michal Ashkenazi, and I am the 2012-2013 Sinai Temple Teen Leadership Council President.
My high school journey at Sinai Temple began when I joined our chapter of United Synagogue Youth in 9th grade – a Jewish youth organization that brings teens from all across America together. I went to a couple regional events, which allowed me to meet hundreds of teens from Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and even Utah! But while going to regional events was amazing, back at Sinai Temple there still wasn’t much going on for Teens.
So this past year, our main goal was to get our name out to teens as much as possible. And trust me, it wasn't as easy as it might seem! But we kept working at it and now we have our own teen community here at Sinai Temple and have also been slowly discovered by teens all over Los Angeles. We accomplished this by becoming part of the synagogue again, as well as getting many teens involved. We offered lots of different types of programs, including our monthly Shabbas Shennanigans event, laser tag, paint-bailling and so much more. We even won 7 regional awards for our programming! But we do more than just have fun: the main purpose of our council is to create the Jewish leaders of tomorrow. We do this through leadership training, community service, Israel education and advocacy, as well as religious and social events.
It’s truly amazing how quickly things can change. Two years ago, when I first joined Sinai’s USY chapter, we were a small bunch. There weren’t enough of us to really be called a youth group, let alone form a true leadership council.
Now, you have read firsthand about my experience with the Sinai Temple Teen Center and hopefully can understand how much I’ve been impacted by the program as well as how much I’ve impacted it. Our new Teen Council is working incredibly hard to make next year a truly special one and I strongly encourage any high schoolers to become a part of our community. By attending one of our events, you will be welcomed into a world more amazing than anything you’ve ever experienced!
Calendar Through January
September:
Sunday, September 2: Disney day (regional event)
Friday, September 14: Shabbas Shennanigans
Friday – Sunday, September 21–23: Madrichim Encampment (regional event)
Saturday, September 29: Event TBD
October:
Friday – Sunday, October 5 -7: Teen Center Retreat @ Camp Ramah
Friday, October 12: Shabbas Shennanigans
Thursday, October 18: Elite Speakers Series: Mark Paredes (Mormon’s & Jews)
Saturday, October 20: Opening Dance (regional)
November:
Wednesday, November 7: Elite Speakers Series: Roya Hakakian (Iranians in Exile)
Thursday – Sunday, November 8 – 11: LEAD Convention @ Camp Ramah (Regional Event)
Saturday, November 17: Teen Israel Party @ Brandeis Bardin (Federation Event)
Sunday, November 18: Israel Advocacy Day
December:
Saturday, December 1: Event TBD
Saturday, December 8: Hannukah Party
Friday, December 14: Shabbas Shennanigans
January:
Sunday, January 6: Event TBD
Friday – Sunday, January 11 – 13: USY Kinnus (Regional Event)
Friday, January 11: Shabbas Shennanigans
Tuesday, January 15: Elite Speakers Series: Rabbi Wolpe (Homosexuality & Jewish Law)
Sunday, January 20: Event TBD
Sunday, January 27: Mock Knesset Day – AJU (Federation Event)
2012-2013 Teen Center Leadership Council:
President - Michal Ashkenazi
Programming Chair - Ari Berman
Religious Programming VP - Emily Singer
Social Programming VPs - Allen Simanian, Jasmine Shakib, Leslie Susman Tikkun Olam VPs - Alex Berman, Jacob Komberg Israel Center VP - Arielle Mokhtarzadeh
Marketing Chair - Jacob Pardo
Public Relations VP - Shantal Malmed
Social Media VPs - Jonah Linder, Nicole Tishbi Sinai Akiba Alumni VP - Ariel Bina Religious School Alumni VPs - Brandon Simanian, Ellie Komberg SiHi VP - Callie Komberg 8th Grade Liason - Henry Platt
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