jim joseph findings presentation

7/24/2019 Jim Joseph Findings Presentation

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TEEN RESEARCH FINDINGSAPRIL 2015


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The National Incubator appreciates the

support of the following foundations:


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RATIONALE, OBJECTIVES, &METHODOLOGY

RATIONALE

Theoutcomes, indicators, andmeasurementtoolsthatwillgauge

Jewisheducationandengagementamongteenswillhelp:

LocalfundersevaluatenewlocalinitiativesThefundercollaborativeconductacross-communityevaluation

ofallinitiativesunderthestewardshipofAIRandRosovConsulting

Educators, funders, professionals, andpolicymakersassessthe

impactofteenprogramsacrossdiversesettings


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Aliteraturereviewonadolescentdevelopment,Jewishidentity,

andrelevantstudiesbyJewishandsecularorganizationsworking

withteens

Interviewswithfieldprofessionals, researchers, andfunders

Qualitativeresearchincludingdigitalethnographies, teenfocus

groups, andinterviewswithJewishparents

RATIONALE, OBJECTIVES, &METHODOLOGY

METHODOLOGY


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NEW FRAMEWORK

COREQUESTIONS 8DIMENSIONS

WhoamI?AdamLAtzmoTheSelfDimension

AdamLHochmatoTheKnowledgeDimension

WithwhomamIconnected?

AdamLZmanoTheTimeDimension

AdamLChaveroTheHumanConnectedDimension

AdamLMekomoTheSpiritualDimension

TowhomamIresponsibleinthisworld?

AdamLKehillotav TheCommunalDimension

AdamLAmoTheJewishPeopleDimension

HowcanIbringaboutchangeinthisworld?

AdamLOlamoTheGlobalDimension


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DIMENSIONS

NEW FRAMEWORK


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Qualitative research: digital ethnographies, teen focus groups, parent interviews139 participants, ages 12#-17, 4 groups per city, 16 interviews with Jewish parents (4 from each city)

LOS ANGELES

DENVER

BOSTON

NEW YORK

ATLANTA

BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES, & METHODOLOGY

FOCUS GROUP METHODOLOGY


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RESEARCH FINDINGS


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What can wedo to these

teens?

FROM RECIPIENTS OF JEWISH LEARNING AND EXPERIENCES

PARADIGMSHIFT


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TO WHOLE PERSON LEARNING

Howcanwe

understandthe

teenasawholeperson

PARADIGMSHIFT

Andensure

Jewishlearning

expandsthem

aspeople?


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WHOAMIRESPONSIBLEINTHISWORLD?JEWISHPEOPLE

Somehigherconnectedteens

hadaparticularistmindset:

Manylowerconnectedteenshada

universalistmindset:

DIFFERENTMINDSETSEMERGED

AMONGTEENS

ObviouslyImhorrifiedatwhathappened,butIdon'tknowifInecessarilylikefeel

worsebecausetheywereJewish. Ifeellike

allhumanlifeshouldbevaluedasthe

same. Becausethelossofanylifeisawful,

regardlessofwhetherornottheyreJewish.

OLDER, LOWER-CONNECTEDATLANTATEEN

Thesetwomindsetsarenotalwaysmutuallyexclusive. Mostarticulatedfeelings

ofbothparticularismanduniversalism, flowingbetweenthetwomindsetsoften.

EvenifIdislikesomeofmyfellowJews, IfeellikeIhavetostandupforthemif

peoplearetreatingtheminameanway.

Becausewerethesame. Wereconnected.

YOUNGER, HIGH-CONNECTEDBOSTONTEEN


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WHOAMI? SELF

TEENSAREINVOLVEDINAWIDEARRAY

OFACTIVITIESTHATOFFERREAL-LIFEBENEFITS

Theseactivitiesmakethemfeel

Asenseofaccomplishmentandpride

Engagedintellectually, physicallyandsocially

Thattheyaredevelopingskillsandtalentsthatwillpositivelyimpact

theirlivesbothinthepresentandfuture


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Being Jewish make me feel

PROUD

BeingJewishmakesmefeelproud,strong, andindependent. Becausewe

Jewshavebeenthroughalotinhistory

andwevestillsurvived.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTEDBOSTONTEEN

CONNECTED

BeingJewishmakesmefeellikeImconnectedtosomethingbiggerthan

myself, whichbringsmeasenseof

happiness. Italsomakesmefeel

immediatelyconnectedwithabiggroup

ofpeoplethatIconsidertobemyfamily

thatIcanrelyon.

OLDER, LOW-CONNECTEDDENVERTEEN

WHOAMI? SELF

TEENSAREINVOLVEDINAWIDEARRAY

OFACTIVITIESTHATOFFERREAL-LIFEBENEFITS


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While some teens engage in Jewish

activities, these were mostly not part

of teens favorite things to do.

Even when Jewish activities are

meaningful, theyre not considered free

time

Even when teens said they enjoyed

Jewish activities, they didnt seemto see them as contributing to

self-development. $

FREETIME

JEWISHACTIVITIES

YET JEWISH ACTIVITIES DONT WIN

MIND SHARE WITH TEENS

WHOAMI? SELF


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WhendescribingtheirJewishidentity, mostteensfeeldifferentand

uniqueSomeexpressedpridein

feelingspecialandunique

Somefeltdiscomfortandtoo

differentfrompeers

These positive and negative feelings were not mutually exclusive.

Beingoneoftheonlyonesmakesyoufeelunique, anditskindofgoodtofeelunique

andyoufeelhappythatyourenotjustlike

everybodyelseatyourschool.

YOUNGER, HIGH-CONNECTEDDENVERTEEN

Theresalotofpeoplewholetreligiondominatetheirlife. Itskindofalltheyare.

AndIdontdothatbecause, Idontbelieve

init Idontwanttohavethatlabeljustbe

whatpeoplethinkofme.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTEDLOSANGELESTEEN

BEINGJEWISHMAKESMOSTTEENS

FEELDIFFERENT

WHOAMI? SELF


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SometeensseethelinkbetweenJewisheducationandBneiMitzvah,

whichwasmostlyapositiveandmeaningfulevent.

PrideinB'naiMitzvahaccomplishmentdoesnotequalfindingenduring

valueinwhattheylearned.

=

WHILESOMETEENSAREJEWISHLY

KNOWLEDGEABLE,JEWISHWISDOMRARELYINFORMSTHEIRLIFECHOICES

WHOAMI? KNOWLEDGE


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TeensweremostlikelytofindJewishknowledgemeaningfulwhentheysawitsconnectionandrelevancetotheirlives.

IwentthroughmyBarMitzvah. Iwasprettymuchforcedtobymyparents, eventhough

theyrenotveryreligious. Religiously, Ijust

dontbelieveinanything.Justreadingmy

Torahportion, itwasallnonsensetome.

ButIguessculturally, ImJewish. Whatever

thatmeans.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTEDLATEEN

AftermyBarMitzvah, IwantedtoknowmoreaboutJewishopinionsonthings. So

wegottogoonatriptoWashingtonDC,

fromaJewishstance, whichwasreallycool,

becausethenwelearnedalotofJewish

opinionsonguncontrolandabortionand

thatkindofstuff. EvenifIdidn'tagreewith

someofthem, itwasjustcooltoknowthat

myreligionhasastanceonthisstuff.


WHILESOMETEENSAREJEWISHLY

KNOWLEDGEABLE,JEWISHWISDOMRARELYINFORMSTHEIRLIFECHOICES

WHOAMI? KNOWLEDGE


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Formost, BneiMitzvahwasahighlypositivesourceofpride,

accomplishment, andconnectiontoJewishlife.

Afewhigher-connectedteenshadasenseofnewlyacquiredJewish

responsibilityinsynagogue.

Ahighlightwassharingtheeventwithfamilyandfriendsand

demonstratingskillstheylearned.

SomeespeciallyenjoyedsharingJewishtraditionswithnon-Jewish

friends.

WITHWHOMANDWHATAMICONNECTED? TIME

BNEIMITZVAH ONEOFTHEMOSTBENEFICIAL

JEWISHACTIVITIES


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BNEIMITZVAH ONEOFTHEMOSTBENEFICIAL

JEWISHACTIVITIES

Becausewehadtopreparesomuch, thefactthatwediditwasjustamajor

accomplishment. Ifweonlyhadtosayacoupleprayers, itwouldnthavebeenthat

bigofadeal, butwedidalot.


Itwasprettycooltoinvitealotofmyfriendsandshowthemsomethingthat

theyhadntseenbefore, seetheJewishculture.

OLDER, LOW-CONNECTEDATLANTATEEN


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JEWISHHOLIDAYS FAMILYANDFOOD

Holidaysareasourceofconnection

Bondwithimmediatefamily, visitextendedfamily, andenjoy

familytraditions

Hanukkah, Passover, RoshHashanahandYomKippuraremostlypartofteens experience

Someteens(mostlyhigherconnected) foundotherlevelsofmeaningin

thehistorybehindholidays, connectionstoalargercommunity, andthe

feelingthatholidaycelebrationliftsoneabovedailyroutines


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JEWISHHOLIDAYS FAMILYANDFOOD

DuringPassoverit'scooltohaveoneofthosedayswhereitsasit-downbigfamily

meal. Itsoneofthosebigfoodholidays

wherewe'reallowedtojustsitandeatwith

ourfamiliesandtalk. Itsacoolfeeling.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTEDDENVERTEEN

IthinkChristmasisjustaholidayforbigbusinessestomakemoney. ButJewish

holidaysIfeelliketheyremorespiritual.

Yougothroughsomething; eachofthem

hastheirowntypeofpersonalendeavor. IfyouregoingthroughPassoveroryoure

fasting, youfeellikethere'sawholebunch

ofotherpeoplethatarealsodoingit. When

youknowotherpeoplearedoingthesame

stuffyoufeelmoreconnectedwiththem,

youregoingthroughsimilarsituationsas

them.

YOUNGER, HIGH-CONNECTEDLOSANGELESTEEN


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WITHWHOMANDWHATAMICONNECTED? ETHICS

JEWISHFRIENDSAREDIFFERENT

Teens strongly value friendships. Hanging out with friends is a favoritepastime.

Most teens haveboth Jewish and non-Jewish friends, and many

appreciate the diversity.

Some teens felt that theirJewish friendships were somehow different

from their friendships with non-Jews.


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JEWISHFRIENDSAREDIFFERENT

IhavefriendswhoareJewish. IhavefriendswhoarentJewish. Ivebeenfriendswith

almostallofthemsincekindergarten. I

don'treallyseehowitmakesadifference. I

invitedallofthem,JewishandnotJewish, to

mybatmitzvah. Soreallyitsjustnever

reallymadethatbigofadifferencetome. I

connectequallywellwithallofthem.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTEDLOSANGELESTEEN

IhavealotofJewishfriendswhoIcandiscussmanythingswith, thatIcan'twith

myfriendsatschool. WhenImwithmy

Jewishfriendsitmakesmefeellike, Ican

talkwiththemaboutmyreligion. Butwithmyfriendsinschool, theyjustget

confusedwheneverItalkaboutmy

religionandIhavetoexplainittothem

andIdonthavetodothatwithmyfriends

fromsynagogueandcamp.

YOUNGER, HIGH-CONNECTEDATLANTATEEN


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FAMILYISTHEMAINSOURCEOF

JEWISHCONNECTIONMostteensdescribedpositiverelationshipswiththeirfamilies.

ParentsareaprimarysourceofJewishidentityandvalues, along

withHebrewschoolandcamp.

Fewteensreferencedadults(i.e. sportscoaches, campcounselors)

whoarerolemodelsormentorsintheirlives.

OnlymymomssideisJewish, soformeIlikebeingJewishbecauseitssomethingthatmymomdid, andIlikeseeingwhatshedidanddoingsomethingthatshealsohasalways

doneinherlife.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTED, LOSANGELES


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WITHWHOMANDWHATAMICONNECTED? SPIRITUAL

SPIRITUALITY IS A FOREIGN TERM FOR TEENS

The term spirituality did not resonate with most.

Yet some articulated their ideas with depth.

Most teens agreed that you can be spiritual without being

religious

TRADITIONAL JEWISHCONCEPTS OF GOD, PRAYER,

AND HOLY TIMES AND SPACES

TO NATURE OR MEDITATION INFLUENCED MORE BY SECULAR

AMERICAN CULTURE


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WITHWHOMANDWHATAMICONNECTED? SPIRITUAL

BUTNOTANUNFAMILIARCONCEPT

Insteadofspirituality, teenspreferredthetermsconnection or

reflection.

Higher-connectedteenscouldstepback, reflect, andconnectwith

somethingbeyondthemselves.

Mostteensbelieveinsomethingbeyondthemselves. However,

formost, reflectionandconnectionwerenotrootedinJudaism.

WhenIthinkofspirit, Ithinkofapresencethatyoucantsee, butsomethingsstillthereandcanbehelpful, andIfeellike

thatsGod.


IfeelwhenI'monthesoccerfield Ifeellikeitsareallyweirdplace, butitswhereIliketogotothink. ThatswhenIfeelmost

connected.

OLDER, HIGH-CONNECTEDDENVERTEEN


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Community is important to teens (even if it isnt a term they use).

Those who find community inJewish settings feel theyre

close, welcoming, and

supportive.

Most of these feelings referred

to camp and close friends they

develop there(over role models

and the Jewish ethos).

However, some lower-connectedteens felt very differently about

Jewish community.

Synagogue as a place where they

could not be themselves, or felt

disconnectedbecause they

didnt share the same knowledge

or levels of observance.

FEELING PART OF SOMETHING

IS INVALUABLE

TOWHOMAMIRESPONSIBLEINTHISWORLD? COMMUNAL


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WhenImatcampIfeelcompletelydifferentthanwhenImhere. Itgivesmea

senseofwhatthecommunityisreallylike

andhoweveryonereallytreatseachother.

Idontknowhowtosayit butIfeelmore

connectedandmoresafearoundpeople.Safeisthewrongword, butmore

comfortablearoundpeople.

OLDER, HIGH-CONNECTEDATLANTATEEN

WhenImaroundotherJewsatservices, italmostmakesmefeellessJewishandless

connectedtothembecauseIdontreally

doasmuchasmostpeople. SoImightnot

alwaysunderstandwhattheymeanby

somethingtheyresayingandthatmakesmefeelalittlelessconnectedtothem.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTED

LOSANGELESTEEN

TOWHOMAMIRESPONSIBLEINTHISWORLD? COMMUNAL

FEELING PART OF SOMETHING

IS INVALUABLE


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TOWHOMAMIRESPONSIBLEINTHISWORLD?JEWISHPEOPLE

LEARNING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST BLENDSPARTICULARISM AND UNIVERSALISM

Holocaust resonates as an important part of Jewish experience

Heritage, history and Jewish identity

Most were knowledgeable about the Holocaust even if they haventstudied it in Jewish educational settings.

Some teens feel that the moral lessons drawn from learning about

the Holocaust reinforce commitments both to the Jewishcommunity (particularist) and to the world at large (universalist).


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LEARNING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST BLENDSPARTICULARISM AND UNIVERSALISM

Theholocaustwashorrific. Butifyouthinkaboutit, inahorriblyironicway, itactuallydidbenefittheJewishpeople. Butforourgeneration, andforgenerationsbeyondus, because

ofthehorriblethingsthatHitlerandtheNazisdidtotheJews, weactuallyhaveabetterchanceofgrowingasareligion. Forourentirehistory, wehavebeenprosecutedandhated.

AnditsortofcametoaheadwiththeHolocaust. ItwasthebiggestJewish Iguessyou

couldcallitextinctioneventinourhistoryanditopenedalotofpeopleseyestoour

situation. Andashorribleasitis, ifitdidnthappen, wherewouldwebenow? Comingfrom

that, weasapeoplekindoflearnedhowtocarryyourselfandadvocateforyourselfand

advocateforothers.



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HOWCANIBRINGABOUTCHANGEINTHISWORLD? GLOBAL

DOING GOOD IS AN IMPORTANT VALUE,

BUT SELDOM A JEWISH VALUEAlmostalloftheteenscontributetosocietyandeffectpositivechange.

Theseexperiencesaremeaningful, evenifdonetofulfill

requirements.

Somefamiliaritywithmitzvah andtzedakah; afewwithTikkun

Olam.

Someteensstronglyrejectedtheideathatdoinggoodislinked

specificallywithJudaism.

Uncomfortablewiththeparticularismthatimplies.

Insteadtheyhadamoreuniversalistmindset- eitherthatall

religionsarecommittedtoimprovingtheworld, orthatdoinggood

isapersonalchoicenotdependentonreligion.


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HOWCANIBRINGABOUTCHANGEINTHISWORLD? GLOBAL

DOING GOOD IS AN IMPORTANT VALUE,

BUT SELDOM A JEWISH VALUE

IthinkthatalotofthefoundationofJudaism, isntjusthowtobeagoodJew,

technically, buthowtobeagoodperson. I

thinkitteachesyouabouthelpingthe

needy, helpingthepoor, givingtothosein

need.


IdontthinkJudaismanddoinggoodreallygotogetheratall. Becauseitsaysin

Judaismthatdoinggoodisgood, butit

alsosaysthatinmostotherreligions, soI

dontthinkitsnecessarilyjustforJews I

thinkanyonecanbegood. Itjustdepends

ontheperson.

YOUNGER, LOW-CONNECTED

LOSANGELESTEENS


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ISRAEL: VARIEDPERCEPTIONANDCONNECTIONS

Ithinkevenifyouhaventbeenthereyouprobablyhaveaclosespiritual connectiontoit,

youveheardaboutitandyoumighthavefamilythere, youprobablybroughtituponewayor

another. Soitsoneofthoseplacesthatwhenyougo, youllprobablyfeellikeanotherhome.

YOUNGER, HIGH-CONNECTEDDENVERTEEN

For some teens, Israel is a homeland that is a source ofconnection, meaning and pride


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Formostteens, regardlessoffeelingstowardsIsrael, issuesaroundwarandviolencewerealmostalwaysacknowledged.

Iwantedtowritehome[todescribeIsrael], butIhavePolishandSovietRussianlineage,

whichprobablyatsomepointtracesbacktoIsrael. But, Ireallyjustfeellikeit'sanorigin

pointsoImindifferenttowardsit. Idliketoseethewall WailingWallorwhatever. Ithink

thatsacoolideainitself. Butoverall, ImnotsuperexcitedaboutIsrael.


For others, Israel is a place both geographically and emotionally

distant, and sometimes a source of tension because of the public

perception of Israel or feeling the need to defend Israels actions.


ISRAEL: VARIEDPERCEPTION

ANDCONNECTIONS


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CLARIFYING QUESTIONS


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CITIZENSOFTHE

WORLD

DIVERSE FRIEND

GROUPS

JUDAISM AS PART OF

THEIR IDENTITY

BUSY LIVES WITH VARIOUS,

MEANINGFUL INTERESTS

FEELING UNIQUE/

DIFFERENT BECAUSE

THEYRE JEWISH

JUDAISM A SOURCE OF

CONNECTION

SEEKING LIFE-RELEVANT

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

FAMILY IS PRIMARY

SOURCE FOR JEWISH

IDENTITY

PARADIGMSHIFTWholepersonlearning

Howmightweunderstandthechildasawholeperson, and

ensureJewishlearningexpandsthemaspeople?


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WHEN DESIGNING EXPERIENCES FOR JEWISHTEENS, KEEP THESE TEEN CENTERED

QUESTIONS IN MIND

HOWWILLTHISENGAGEME

INTELLECTUALLY,

PHYSICALLY, ANDSOCIAL?

HOWCANISHARETHIS

WITHMYFRIENDS? (JEWISH

ANDOTHER)

HOWCANIAPPLYTHIS

TOMYLIFE?

HOWWILLTHISHELPME

DEVELOPSKILLSTHAT

WILLBENEFITMYLIFE?

HOWWILLTHISHELPME

FEELPROUDOFBEING

JEWISH?

HOWWILLTHISHELPME

BEABETTERCITIZENOF

THEWORLD?

HOWWILLTHISHELP

MEMAKETHEWORLDA

BETTERPLACE?


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COREQUESTIONS 8 DIMENSIONS CONDENSED OUTCOMES

WhoamI?

AdamLAtzmoTheSelfDimension

1. Jewish teens have a stronger sense of self.

2. Jewish teens feel a sense of pride about being

Jewish.

AdamLHochmatoThe

KnowledgeDimension

3. Jewish teens have experienced learning that has

been both challenging and valuable.

4. Jewish teens have learned things that enable

them to be more active participants in Jewish

communities

WithwhomamI

connected?

Adam LZmanoThe Time

Dimension

5. Jewish teens learn about and positively

experience Jewish holidays and Shabbat.

Adam LChaveroThe Human

Connected Dimension

6. Jewish teens establish strong friendships.

7. Jewish teens develop strong and healthy

relationships with their families.

8. Jewish teens develop significant relationships

with mentors, role models, and educators.

9. Jewish teens are able to express their values and

ethics in relation to Jewish principles and

wisdom

AdamLMekomoTheSpiritual

Dimension

10.Jewish teens develop the capacity (skills and

language) that allows them to grapple with and

express their spiritual journeys.

NEWOUTCOMES


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COREQUESTIONS 8 DIMENSIONS CONDENSED OUTCOMES

To whom am Iresponsible in

this world?

Adam LKehillotav The

Communal Dimension

11.Jewish teens feel connected to their various

communities.

Adam LAmoThe Jewish

People Dimension

12.Jewish teens develop the desire and

commitment to be part of the Jewish people now

and in the future.

13.Jewish teens develop a positive relationship to

the land, people and State of Israel.

How can I bringabout change in

this world?

Adam LOlamoThe Global

Dimension

14.Jewish teens are inspired and empowered to

make a positive difference in the various

communities and world in which they live.

NEWOUTCOMES


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DISCUSSION

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