Tenth Grade

Confirmation is a wonderful rite of passage for Jewish teens. Created originally by the Reform Movement as a replacement for the Bar Mitzvah ceremony (no Bat Mitzvah at the time!), Confirmation celebrates older Jewish teens coming of age. Confirmation, however, is more than a vestige of some ancient Jewish practice. As it has developed over the years, Confirmation has become an important life-cycle event. In contrast to Bar- (and now Bat-) Mitzvah, Confirmation is a group event. Students in a class “confirm” their faith together. In addition, they often prepare a Tzedakah project, as a group, as part of their course of study. This emphasizes the importance of communal action that is at the heart of Judaism. Students enjoy a year of study focusing on a variety of topics from the mitzvot given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, to current social issues and concerns. During each class session, the instructor will present materials for discussion, and will explore their relevance for our modern world. Students will be asked to research the mitzvot they have studied, find instances for their use and abuse in daily life, and prepare for a dialogue about their encounters during the following class session.