CONFIRMATION ACADEMY

Confirmation Academy

8th Grade Modern Jewish History & World Religions: 8th graders will travel back in time to the period when the first Jewish settlers arrived in the United States. We will go through the historical timeline of Jewish life in the U.S. and the establishment of the state of Israel. Teens will also study the world’s major religions through a Jewish lens. They will compare the differences and similarities to Judaism. Teens will learn more about Judaism in the process and get an insight into how to respond to issues on college campuses for Jewish students.

9th & 10th Grade Teen Philanthropy: 9th and 10th graders will spend the year learning about local non-profit organizations and the importance of philanthropy through site visits to local organizations, hands-on service and group discussions. Teens will also learn about the Jewish values related to giving.  After learning about the issues facing our community, the teens select an issue on which they focus their philanthropy and solicited grant proposals from organizations that work on those issues. They then review the grant proposals and award grants from a philanthropic pool comprised of personal contributions from the Teens that are matched by The Tzedakah Collective.

8th-10th Grade Electives:  

Jewish Food, Culture & Cooking -This elective will dive into what it means to cook and eat “Jewish Food.” We will talk about what Jews of different regions eat and where certain traditions came from. Teens will have the opportunity to make and eat various types of traditional Jewish food. We will also discuss the prayers over each type of food and the Jewish values surrounding them.

Jewish Law & Ethics - In this elective, teens will learn about different Jewish laws and will get to play out scenarios to help better understand the Mishnah. They will also discuss some common tough topics for teens from a Jewish perspective. These topics may include (but are not limited to) body image, racism, sexual orientation, etc.

Please call Jennifer James at 215-627-6747 with any questions about Confirmation Academy.