Kehillah High
10th Grade
​2022-2023

​​Wednesday evenings: 

7:00 - 7:25 p.m.         Dinner
7:25 - 8:15 p.m.         Session A
8:15 - 8:20 p.m.         Break
8:20 - 9:00 p.m.         Session B​

​​​Session A:  7:25-8:15 p.m.

Reform Track

Trimester 1:
​Modern Jewish Thought
10th Grade
​Rabbi David Lyon

Your confirmation year begins by exploring modern Jewish thinkers and their thoughts about God. We will spend time over the next six weeks discussing what it means to confirm your Jewish beliefs, and how the theologies of Martin Buber, Eugene Borowitz, and Milton Steinberg can enhance your own Jewish understanding. Our central text will be my book, God of Me: Imagining God throughout Your Lifetime (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2011). Rabbi Lyon looks forward to welcoming  you to your Confirmation year!
Trimester 2:​
​What Does it Mean To Be A Reform Jew?
10th Grade
Rabbi Adrienne Scott 
​
As you continue your Confirmation year, the question of what you are confirming will be present throughout our sessions together. What does it mean to confirm something? By exploring the goals of the Reform Movement when it was founded nearly two hundred years ago, we will come to discover much about contemporary Reform Judaism today. We will explore both where it was and where it is headed. Rabbi Scott looks forward to helping you answer the question – what does it mean for you to be a Reform Jew?
Trimester 3:​
Creating Your Own Confirmation Experience 
10th Grade
Rabbi Adrienne Scott
​David Scott
​ 
As your Confirmation year comes to a close, we will turn our thoughts toward the Confirmation ceremony itself. Each of you will contribute your talents, personalities, and creativity toward creating your own Confirmation experience. Cantor Trompeter will serve as your guide as you explore what you are confirming and how you can demonstrate this at Congregation Beth Israel.

Conservative Track

Trimester 1:
​Inside Conservative Judaism
10th Grade
Cantor Mark Levine  

Students will explore the history, theology and practicality of living as a Conservative Jew. They will be challenged to consider integrating new information and new lenses into their religious views and to create belief statements which reflect their Jewish understandings at this life stage. 
Trimester 2:
Drawing Contemporary Wisdom from the Sources
10th Grade
Rabbi Ranon Teller  

​Students will explore powerful narratives from the bible to the sages through the Hasidic masters. They will be challenged to apply the values and wisdom of our tradition to the issues we face in the present.
Trimester 3:
Social Issues through a Conservative Jewish Lens  
10th Grade
Rabbi Sarah Fort 
Rabbi Brian Strauss

What does Conservative Judaism have to say about issues that you will confront as a young adult? Do we have something unique to say? You will be surprised by just how relevant our ancient texts can be in our postmodern world.

​​Session B: 8:20-9:00 p.m.

The Israeli Army: More than Physical Strength – Shoshi Leshem

Israelis are strong in lots of ways. We built a vibrant country that leads the world in many areas in less than 75 years, and we did it with more than just our physical strength. In this class, we will delve into a variety of emotions and human characteristics including happiness, anger, and sadness. Learn all about my time in the army, some key characteristics of Israeli life, and how you can become stronger here in Houston with our brand-new community shlicha, Shoshi Leshem.
Music: Where it takes you - Mike Mason (open for 8th-12th grades)

Jewish music has the power to bring people together in a way that is very hard to match. We’ll talk about our favorite Jewish music from camp and synagogue and we’ll explore what it means, why it’s meaningful to us, and how we can share it. Bring your instruments and be ready to play! No songleading experience necessary!
The Ugly Truth: X-Rated Bible Stories – David Scott

These are the stories from Jewish holidays and the Bible that you were too young to hear about in Sunday school. What do we do when we encounter R-rated material in Jewish life that challenges our modern values? These difficult texts about sex, violence, manipulation and revenge will raise some challenging conversations while helping participants come to a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of Jewish history and Jewish values. 
Unpacking bias and fear – Lisa Stone
​
We all have biases—that’s normal. We may forget how those can lead to fearing and hating people we think are different from us. Even in our Jewish community, we may be uncomfortable with Jews of Color, LGBTQ Jews, Jews from other countries, elderly Jews, etc. Racism, antisemitism, anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and more are colliding in our communities these days. Let’s figure out how to help ourselves and others unpack and shift stereotypes so we can be better allies and friends to people in marginalized groups.
Jews and Hollywood- Dr. Stephan Wexler
​
Carl Laemmle (Universal Pictures), Adolph Zukor (Paramount Pictures), William Fox (Fox), Louis B. Mayer (MGM), Warner Brothers. How did a group of Immigrant Jews create the Hollywood system at the beginning of the 20th Century? We will explore the lives of the original great Jewish filmmakers, studio heads and theater owners. We will also look at the Hollywood Blacklist of the 50s and its effect on Jews working in Hollywood. Dr. Wexler is a film aficionado and will inspire you with his stories about the early Hollywood era. 
Modern Anti-Semetism – Alyssa Weinstein-Sears 
​
In Modern-Day Anti-semitism, we will talk about contemporary antisemitism in the news, on social media, and in every day conversation. Why is it happening? How do we stand up?
That’s Sew Jewish – Sarah Yonas

Embroidery has long been a part of Jewish art. From intricate Torah covers and Tallis bags to challah covers and mizrahim, we have always enjoyed needlework. This class will combine learning embroidery and discussions over current Jewish news. Wanna know what Jewish twitter is discussing while creating beautiful pieces of art? Excited to make art and engage in meaningful Jewish discussions? Join us for a great trimester!