Youth Group Newsletter (September 2014)

The Temple Sinai Youth Group, NUTSY, welcomes the newly elected board for this year:

Erica Thureson, President
Casey Bachman, Social Action Vice President
Robert Silverman, Programming Vice President
Joey Siegel, Religious and Cultural Vice President
Julia Silverman, Membership and Communications Vice President
Gabri Silverman, NFTY (National Federation of Temple Youth) Representative

NUTSY has been selected to host NFTY Northeast’s Fall Conclavette the weekend of November 14–16. Members of NUTSY will host nearly 300 Jewish teens from our NFTY Northeast region at Temple Sinai in a weekend of prayer, learning, and fun! The entire congregation is invited to join the NFTY Northeast community for a teen-led Friday night service on November 14 in the Temple Sinai Sanctuary. NFTY services are creative, engaging, and full of ruach (spirit), and are an amazing opportunity for anyone who wishes to be immersed in joyful prayer and song! Throughout the remainder of the weekend, NFTY teens will participate in peer-led programs and workshops, Shabbat and Havdalah services, and a dance party on Saturday night.

Although the Fall Conclavette is technically teen-hosted, NUTSY will be relying on support from our entire congregation to successfully execute such a large event! There are various ways that all Temple Sinai members can be a part of this incredible experience as volunteers and/or as host families. NUTSY will need your help facilitating the activities, and providing and serving food. We will require adult chaperones during the dance, among other roles. The volunteer position in greatest demand will be for families to house the approximately 300 teen participants on Friday and Saturday night (November 14 & 15). Typically, each family that volunteers to host teens will have 3–10 teens in their home. Previous host families have found this to be a deeply enriching and meaningful experience. Teens sleep in sleeping bags on couches, floors, or beds, so please don’t feel limited by the physical space of your home when considering taking on the role of a host family. If you are interested in finding out how you can be a part of this amazing event as a volunteer and/or host family, please attend our Volunteer Information Meeting on Wednesday, Septemher 10, at 7:30 p.m. This meeting is open to all members of the Temple! If you would like to host, but cannot come to the meeting, please call the Temple office (860/561-1055) to let us know.

Surrounding this very exciting experience, NUTSY will also be offering Temple Sinai teens in grades 8–12 a fulI calendar of fun and meaningful events throughout the school year, kicking off with our opening meeting on Wednesday, September 3!

There will also be a series of four large Junior Youth Group events throughout the year offered to Temple Sinai members in grades 5–7. Event descriptions and dates for NUTSY and JYG (Junior Youth Group) events will be released to the Temple calendar in late September, so be sure to keep an eye out for updates!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me new-message24

B’Shalom

Mitzi Young, Director, Temple Sinai Youth Programs