2007 - United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

attended became a member of 613 mitzvah club. Also, during Sukkot, the USYers fulfill the mitzvah of eating
in the Sukkah. We listened to music and ate. USYers will have the chance to eat Israeli food, as they will make
tomato and cucumber salad, eat falafel, and bissli chips.
21. The synagogue does not sponsor a teenage congregation, but we do have a junior congregation, which is for 3 rd
- 7 th grade students. It is part of their Religious School curriculum. The pre-teens lead the majority of the
service, as well as act out the current week’s parsha. We meet twice a month with approximately 10-12
students attending.
22. On the monthly calendar for the youth department there is 1 Friday night and 1 Saturday morning service
scheduled. These are not included as events, but as requirements for both the Kadima and USY boards. They
do not lead services for the congregation, we just attend. We also participate in weekday minyan on nights
where we have a Kadima or USY event, as the start time for each group coincides with the start time for
minyan. In March, the USYers and Kadimaniks also had the honor of leading Friday night services for the
congregation. The Youth Director gave the Dvar Tefilah.
23. The youth department does not have a newspaper, but the Youth Director does submit an article for the
synagogue’s newspaper each month.
24. The synagogue has a confirmation class, where many of our USYers are enrolled.
25. Both the Kadima and USY groups had a joint event where we learned about 5 cities in Israel, about the people,
the culture, and then built each city out of food. We were aided by having the Schlicha from the area help with
slides.
26. Tikun Olam has become very high on the priority list. Over the past 5 years the USYers make pareve pies
(pumpkin, apple, and cherry) for Thanksgiving selling them to the synagogue members. All proceeds go
directly to Tikun Olam. This year was our largest amount sold, as we topped 120 pies. Kadima and USY each
hold their own Chinese auction, where Kadima raised $83 and USY raised $57. The Youth Director also
introduced a new program, a Wing Bowl, where contestants eat as many chicken wings (Kosher, of course)
against other contestants and the audience bets on each round as to who will eat the most in a 2 minute period.
This year TBD USY and Kadima have raised nearly $800 for Tikun Olam, also a new chapter high.
KOACH/COLLEGE STUDENTS
GOLD
Over 900
B’NAI ISRAEL CONGREGATION
Rockville, MD
240-221-2504
B’nai Israel has a long history of making our college students a priority within our congregation. Our College Outreach
Committee continues to find new ways to engage our college students and connect them to the synagogue. Through
monthly emails, holiday care packages and our annual college directory, we maintain contact with our college students
and help to maintain a strong connection to Jewish life.
Our college outreach process has been well received by the students. It is a program that continues to evolve
and expand. Not only do we focus on those students already in college, but we also recognize the need to address the
issues and concerns facing our high school students when choosing a college. Through meeting with a college counselor
to providing important resource material in our annual college directory, we hope to assist our high school students with
making “Jewish” choices when choosing a college.
In addition, we maintain constant communication with our students on college campuses. Not only do we send our
monthly synagogue newsletter, but we also help our college students observe Jewish holidays. We have sent