Youth News

Read about our 2008 Solomon Schechter Awards.

Read about our 2007 Solomon Schechter Award.

A Message from USY President Arielle Russell

Shanah Tovah!

Hi my name is Arielle Russell and I am the President of the Temple Emunah chapter of United Synagogue Youth, or USY.

Many of you may ask what is USY.

USY is not just an organization; it is a way of life. USY is a youth organization in which Conservative Jewish teens from all over the country can participate. USY changes and affects its members’ lives forever. From the way we practice Judaism to the friends that we make, from conventions, which all of us love and cherish, to the dances where friendships are made, the love that USYers have for USY is truly amazing and indescribable.

Youth Programming

Click here to go to the Lexington USY web site.

Click Youth News for the latest stories.

Do you want to know more about USY? Read
this message from USY President Josh Basseches.

Message from past USY President Arielle Russell.

Read about our 2008 Solomon Schechter Awards.

Read about our 2007 Solomon Schechter Award.

Temple Emunah’s United Synagogue Youth (USY) program provides numerous fun and exciting ways to meet and hang out with other Jewish youth. The Youth activities also develop and maintain strong connections to Jewish values, culture, rituals, and awareness of Israel. These goals are accomplished through our religious services, educational programs, and leadership training opportunities, as well as our sports teams and social programs. As part of New England Region United Synagogue Youth (NERUSY), Temple Emunah teens and pre-teens have the opportunity to participate in fantastic regional and international programming, connecting them with the wider Jewish youth community.

On the local level, we offer a broad range of programming, covering grades 3-12, in the following Temple Emunah Youth Groups:
• Noar- 3rd and 4th graders
• Kadima- 5th and 6th graders
• Jr USY- 7th and 8th graders
• Sr USY- 9th-12th graders

Exciting programs offered through the Youth Department include:
• K.N.I.S.H.- Shabbat afternoon activities following Junior Congregation services that connect younger and older students within grades 3 through 6
• Basketball and volleyball teams in regional USY sports leagues
• Teen Minyan
• Lounge nights
• Social programs, such as bowling, mini-golf, rock climbing, movies, and canoeing
• Purim Carnival, with activities for the entire Temple Emunah community
• College Outreach mailings to our graduates before Hanukkah and Pesah
• Inter-chapter events with USY groups from other synagogues

From the USY Constitution:
“The general aim of the United Synagogue Youth program is to bring about a meaningful and fully reciprocal encounter of Judaism, the Jewish people, and the Synagogue on one side, and the Jewish teenager on the other. As a result of this encounter, the Jewish teenager will, firstly, demonstrate and experience how the Jewish way of living, through study, action and fellowship, leads to personal fulfillment and growth while meeting his/her spiritual and social needs, and secondly, make a significant contribution to his/her synagogue, community, society and the Jewish people.”

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