Confirmation

                                                                                             The Confirmation Program

 

The Reform Movement in Germany developed the Confirmation ceremony in the early 1800’s.  It takes place on Shavuot img 1157when students formally affirm their commitment to Jewish tradition and Jewish people.  The Confirmands lead the service, share personal reflections on their own place in Judaism and receive congratulatory gifts from the leaders of our congregation.  Confirmation serves as the formal conclusion to a young person’s Jewish education and marks their transition to adult learners.

Like most reform synagogues in North America, Temple Israel believes it is a sacred obligation for young people to continue through Confirmation after becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah.  The curriculum challenges participants in the program to affirm their relationship to God, Torah and Israel by the way of examining their responsibilies to the greater world, our community, themselves and others around them.  They will be engaged in a Mitzvah Core program and will also have the opportunity to explore teen issues from a Jewish perspective.  Topics to be studied include Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Gemilut Chasadim,.  Social action, Israel anti-Semitism, Jewish theology, personal commitments to ritual observance and personal ethics.

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Confirmation Trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC                                  

In addition, members of the class will be expected to participate in a personal and/or group experience with Tzedakah, Gemilut Chasadim, and Social Action as well as an annual retreat with Faculty and/or Temple leaders to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

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                                Youth Confirmation