A group of excited teenagers have joined us for the grand opening of J-teen, the new club for Jewish teens in Ulyanovsk.
The club is geared specifically for ages 13 till 16. These teenagers do not fall into the category of children or youth, which in turn causes this age group to lessen their participation in Jewish life.
There was not one person of that age group at the Seder this Pesach, or at the past Shabbaton! This is shocking, since there were 300 participants who attended the Seder, and nearly 100 people at the Shabbaton!
It is important to note that this is a very essential age group, as they are very young and impressionable, yet extremely independent minded. It is the age to show them the beauty of Yiddishkeit, so that they choose this path for themselves.
The J-teen program runs every Sunday. It starts with an hour of learning and is followed by an educational trip or project. Every other month, there is a trip to a nearby city where they will meet other Jewish teens while learning about our rich Jewish heritage.
This summer, J-teen is planning to organize a traveling camp through Moscow and St Petersberg!
J-teen is partially sponsored by a grant from the Mirishvili foundation through the Federation of Jewish communities of Russia, and the L.A. Pincus fund.
