Teens

Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not the culmination of Jewish involvement at NSTE; it is the gateway to a lifetime of engagement in Jewish communal life.

Our teens take their learning outside the classroom and engage in the life of the congregation through participation in:

• Mitzvah Day teen projects
• Yom Kippur Afternoon Teen-Led Service
• Assisting in our Meah Hebrew and Religion School
• "Teen Torah Tag Team” - leining as a group on special Shabbat mornings
• Involvement in Netzer, our movement’s youth organisation
• Participation in our Choir
• Pizza and discussion with the Rabbi on topics of special interest to teens

Teen Torah Tag Team (TTTT)

With a large cohort of 27 b’nei mitzvah students in 2017, the Tag Team was established as ‘the next frontier’ in our students’ Jewish journey, with the aim of keeping teenagers interested and engaged in congregational life following their ‘big day.’

 At the shul’s Tag Team services, held approximately every six weeks, participating teenagers take responsibility for leyning the entire morning Torah reading. In addition to leyning, the teens also chant the Haftarah, lead other blessings throughout the service, are called to the Torah as a group for the maftir aliyah, and enjoy a special Mi Shebeirach blessing as a group. Sometimes, the teens even deliver the d’rash!

At the conclusion of the service, the Tag Team and congregation are treated to a special ice cream and chocolate kiddush.

Transitioning from B'Mitzvah to Tag Team

Immediately following their bar or bat mitzvah ceremony, students become eligible to participate in the next upcoming Tag Team service. Some prefer to start gradually, reciting blessings they learned for their bar or bat mitzvah ceremony, rather than leyning Torah. Others are eager to dive right in!  

To encourage participation on the Tag Team, Rabbi Roberts often invites Tag Team teens to share “words of the wise” (words of encouragement about b’nei mitzvah or joining the Tag Team) with current b’nei mitzvah students, who are all encouraged to attend the Tag Team services. In addition, soon each bar and bat mitzvah student will receive the gift of a yad from the congregation at their ceremony, which they are then invited to bring along and use when they leyn in a Tag Team service.

Tag Team teens also engage in other activities throughout the year, including NSTE’s annual teen-led Yom Kippur Afternoon service and social opportunities, such as their recent Pre-Pesach Pizza Party.

To find out more, please contact Rabbi Nicole.