Doing Our Part to Secure the Jewish Future (November 2015 KOL)
First, the bad news: Jewish birth rates are down worldwide, except for Israel. Over a million Jews identify as Jewish in America without doing anything Jewish, or supporting any Jewish causes or institutions, and those peripheral, self-identifying Jews have no desire or sense of obligation to continue the Jewish people. History would indicate that the majority of those Jews and their descendants will be lost to the Jewish people in a generation. Jews are choosing to not “do Jewish” even though we have the greatest freedom in our six millennia history.
Now the good news: TBS affiliation is up this year. We saw a resurgence of children entering our younger grades. Forty of our 11thand 12thgraders are enrolled in our religious school and almost double that number are working as madrichim (religious school teaching aides) – all of them excited about “doing Jewish.” TBS teens are coming to temple and they are on a trajectory to lead meaningful adult Jewish lives. We have a full time youth worker, because our teenagers matter to us. Over 200 committed Jewish teens will come to TBS for NFTY-MAR’s fall Kallah in a few weeks. We are blessed that at least two of the adult volunteers coordinating the weekend have little children and are volunteering, because teens matter to them. Teens who continue connecting Jewishly through religious school, youth group, and Jewish summer camp are significantly more likely to lead future Jewish lives than those who don’t.
If there is to be a Jewish future, it is in the hands of these teens who are coming. We are not a mega-congregation with a big building. We are a well known and well respected congregation with a big heart. We know that having a memorable weekend could be a lifelong memory that these young people will carry forward into their Jewish lives. And we are all working hard to put together programs, services, and experiences that will impact this generation, which will impact this generation, which will be our Jewish future.
Please take teens into your home whether or not you have teens of your own, and if you can’t, then offer to drive so that other families can host more teens, as we are only permitted to house a child if there is a seatbelt and adult driver for each trip to and from TBS. House or drive. Is that too much to ask to secure the Jewish future?
Help us make this Kallah amazing. Help us show TBS in the best light. Help by doing your part to secure the Jewish future.
Faithfully yours,
Rabbi Perlin
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