Social Responsibility

Tzedek B’nai Mitzvah Fellowship

Ages 11-13

The EDCJCC’s b’nai mitzvah fellowship is here to facilitate the process of a mitzvah project in a fun, engaging, and stress-free way!

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Overview

Organizing a bar/bat mitzvah is always exciting, sometimes stressful, and usually a ton of work.

An important component of your teen’s journey to “Jewish adulthood” is a mitzvah project to connect their emerging Jewish identity to Judaism’s call to serve others. The EDCJCC’s b’nai mitzvah fellowship is here to facilitate that process for you in a fun, engaging, and stress-free way! Through this fellowship, teens will engage in hands-on volunteering at sites around the DC area, learn about systems of inequality and avenues for advocacy, and build friendships with their cohort. They will finish the fellowship with a greater understanding of equity issues in our community, Jewish teachings around service and social justice, and how they can use their own personal strengths and passions to engage in changemaking beyond their bar/bat mitzvahs.

The fellowship experience also includes 2 optional personal mentorship sessions with a staff member from the EDCJCC’s Center for Social Responsibility for teens who wish to construct mitzvah projects beyond the fellowship experience and/or to connect the fellowship to their specific bar/bat mitzvah learning. Participants can receive SSL hours for each on-site volunteer project and follow-up components they choose to create.

Who?

Teens ages 11-13 who are on their bar/bat mitzvah journey.

When?

Sundays, November 5 (2:30-4:30 PM), December 3 (1:30-4:00 PM), January 21 (approx. 2:00-5:00 PM), February 11 (approx. 2:00-5:00 PM), and March 10 (2:30-5:00 PM).

Participants will receive a detailed schedule of events after registration.

Where?

November and March sessions will be held at the EDCJCC. All other sessions will be held at service sites located in Washington, DC. Note that the EDCJCC will not be providing transportation to project sites.