Teen/High School Programs

Madrich/Teen Leadership Program

The Teacher Assistant/Madrichim Program is designed for teens who want to stay connected, build friendships, and take on a meaningful role in our Religious School community as Madrichim/Teaching Assistants. Available weekly during Religious School hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Sundays, the program allows teens to support younger students, work alongside our educators, and become an active part of the life of our school. Blending hands-on leadership training, Jewish learning, and experiential activities, the Madrich Education Program helps teens grow as mentors, role models, and emerging Jewish leaders.

Youth Group

Open to teens in 8th - 12th grade, The Village Temple Youth Group is a welcoming space for teens to connect, have fun, build friendships, and take part in meaningful Jewish community life. Throughout the year, teens gather for social activities, lounge nights, movies, Broadway outings, trips to local Jewish and non-Jewish places of interest, social action projects, and cultural enrichment.

Youth Group members also take on important leadership roles within our congregation, including participating in High Holy Day services, volunteering in our Soup Kitchen, and helping plan and run holiday celebrations for younger Religious School students. This year, we are also building a Youth Group Board to nurture teen leaders. Whether teens are looking for friendship, leadership, service, or simply a place to belong, The Village Temple Youth Group offers a vibrant and meaningful context for Jewish community.

Led by Sari Rosenberg, Teen Education & Youth Leadership Coordinator

Hebrew High

8th Grade: Shleimut — Growing Into Yourself. Eighth grade is a powerful year of transition, as students begin to ask deeper questions about who they are, where they belong, and what kind of person they want to become. Our 8th grade teen program will focus on shleimut, the Jewish value of individual wellbeing and wholeness. Through Moving Traditions’ engaging curriculum, students will explore identity, friendship, peer pressure, emotions, and what it means to become their fullest selves as Jewish teens. In a warm and supportive VT community, they will build confidence, strengthen self-awareness, and discover that Jewish life can help them feel grounded, proud, and connected.

Led by Alex Tansky, Director, Education. Meets every other week

Confirmation Class (9th and 10th Grades): Jewish Ethics in Action. This year-long class will include a semester college-level course through Jewish Learning Experience (College-level course for High School students with American Jewish University) spread over the whole year: JST 351, Contemporary Halacha: Jewish Ethics. In it, students will explore Jewish ethics - both the context and time in which they were lived and practiced as well as the way we understand these ancient laws in our lives today. We will learn about what our ancient tradition says about kashrut (food), Shabbat, medical ethics, property laws and social responsibility and how we engage in business, and more. Students will consider how they might apply the underlying values in halacha (Jewish law) to challenging ethical decisions in their own lives and analyze how these rules (or the learning about the rules) impact and support their Jewish identity. We will pause the course in the middle of the year to prepare for the RAC’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar in Washington D.C., during which students advocate for policies that reflect Reform Jewish ethics. This travel and learning-in-action opportunity will occur the weekend of Jan 22-25, 2027. Finally, the class will conclude with preparation for the end of year Siyyum (Confirmation) Ceremony on Erev Shavuot, Friday, June 11th, 2027.

Led by Rabbi Bair. Meets every other week

Advanced Teen Fellowships by Application Only

11th & 12th Grade | Israel Intensive: Navigating complex historical narratives, contemporary Israeli society, and personal connections to Israel, instilling confidence in students about both the aspirations and challenges of Zionism as they prepare for college. 

Led by Sari Rosenberg, Teen Education & Youth Leadership Coordinator

For Following Year: 12th Grade | Partnerships & Pluralism: Connecting with diverse global Jewish cultures, interfaith coalitions, and different streams of Jewish practice across NYC as students learn how to engage in civil discourse and bridgebuilding as they prepare to bring these skills with them into college.