By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
It took three years to build from the ground up, but the work has paid off. Last month, Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation’s chapter of United Synagogue Youth was named international chapter of the year at its annual convention.
“The international award is the entire continental United States, so it’s a big deal, and I think it just represents an amazing accomplishment for this chapter,” said Briana Goldstein Roberts, the group’s advisor.
Focusing on programming that combines Jewish learning and fun activities, such as a 35-part murder mystery Shabbat dinner that cast the teens as different historical and biblical characters, quirks and all, Roberts said the current group of high schoolers has allowed her and their parents to step back so they can put their own ideas into practice.
“My teenagers are incredibly creative,” she said. “The kids really step up to the plate and take a leadership role.”
In addition to their social learning activities, USYers meet each month with Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum or other speakers to talk about subjects pressing on their minds.
The group won regional chapter of the year last year for the Pacific Northwest’s Pinwheel Region, where Roberts said the teens could see how their chapter’s model was successful. But they didn’t realize they had been noticed at the top echelons of the organization.
“On an international level, our kids had no idea how much more we were infusing into our programs,” Roberts said.
When the current board began rebuilding the chapter three years ago, they had a goal of 20 participants in each event. These days that number tops 40, with new members coming in all the time. But as the current board members begin to graduate, Roberts said there could be some challenges ahead.
“Moving the chapter forward, we have to make sure we don’t get complacent,” she said. “We have to make sure we are building more of our leaders and targeting who want to be involved.
“It’s a great thing to have this accomplishment and be on a high, but we want to keep going.”