September 05, 2010   26 Elul 5770
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Rivty-The Riverdale Temple Youth Group  

 

Greetings everyone! The Youth Group is proud to say that February’s ice skating event was a success and much fun

was had by all. Our March event was scheduled to be the long-awaited weekend trip to Washington D.C., where we

were to visit the Holocaust Museum and see the famous cherry blossoms, among many other exciting events.

April brings Mitzvah Day, and the Youth Group will be celebrating by helping clean up the Bronx River! This will

hopefully be followed by a kayaking trip on a later date.

E-mail us at rivty.nyc@gmail.com for more information; the more people we can get the better!

Have a great month,

Renata and David

Co-Presidents

David Greenblatt and Renata Gerecke

Renata: renatavg@yahoo.com; David: dagreenblatt@gmail.com

General Youth Group: rivty.nyc@gmail.com


Gail Birnbaum with some of the youth group members
From Our Extended Family  

Written on Rosh Hashanah:

I had a great day today, even though I wish I could have been with family. I was connected to the director of the local

Jewish Community Center and he, in turn, connected me with a large Jewish community here in Youngstown. There

are about 2,300 Jews (though only 25 years ago there were 6,000, he told me) and a number of synagogues. I met with

him yesterday morning and he invited me to attend services with him this morning and to a dinner tonight. I went to

services and really enjoyed them—they reminded me a lot of Riverdale Temple stylistically, and there were even a lot

of older people! A lot of people knew that I was working with the Obama campaign (and one of the girls on my team

is also Jewish so she came as well), so people came over to say hi and give us support or tell us how much they

disliked Obama, so it was interesting.

It was a much-needed break from our constant campaigning (even though we had to talk a little bit about

politics). It was also weird to think that a year ago I was in Delhi in a synagogue. I was also called tonight and invited

to a lunch tomorrow and I already have a home for break fast next week! The executive director of the Jewish

Community Center not only set up meals on Rosh Hashanah for me and found me a synagogue, but he also is

giving me a month-long pass to the JCC so that I can work out and get meals (though I probably won’t be able to use

it), but it’s just really nice and welcoming.

Being Jewish is so nice sometimes.

—Anna Fogel

Note: Since September 22, Anna Fogel, daughter of Beth Jacob and Jim Fogel, has been working on the Obama

campaign in Youngstown, Ohio.
Meet the Youth Director for RivTY  
Gail Birnbaum is the youth director for RivTY.  During the day, Gail is a statistical health analyst, but don’t let her vocation fool you. A product of the Reform Movement, Gail has been involved with the NFTY program and youth leadership for more than a decade.

She has worked in various facets of Jewish education.  During her undergraduate course work, Gail taught fifthgrade Hebrew and religious school in Rochester, New York. She spent a year in Israel studying, exploring, and teaching English through art installations. While getting her graduate degree in Minnesota, Gail spent two years as youth adviser for a local synagogue in the Twin Cities.

Gail is excited to help Riverdale Temple grow and encourage our youth in developing strong Jewish identities. She looks forward to partnering with the clergy and parents of Riverdale Temple to provide the best experience possible. She’s excited to introduce herself and meet you all. Please do not hesitate to contact her if you have any questions or concerns for the youth group.

Gail lives in Riverdale with her partner Marisa and their two kittens (ages 5 and 3). She has traveled to Israel three times and can’t wait to go again. Her favorite candy besides chocolate is gummies, and her next big challenge is taking a hip-hop dance class.
Youth Groups  

  Junior & Senior Youth Groups

Riverdale Temple has both Junior & Senior Youth groups. The Junior youth group is open to 6th - 8th graders, and the senior youth group is open to 9th - 12th graders.

Under the guidance of Riverdale Temple's Director of Education, the youth groupers gain leadership, planning, and organization skills:
The Senior Youth Group board consists of high school students who plan all youth group activities, which include lounge nights, social action programs, a ski trip, National Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) conventions and conclaves and creative services (both erev Shabbat and Havdallah).

The Senior Youth Group also acts as a role model for the students who are involved in the Junior Youth Group.


The Junior Youth Groupers are less involved in the programming of their activities, but are involved nonetheless. They have an activity approximately once a month, and their activities encourage Jewish involvement, social time and making a connection with Riverdale Temple.


By learning about our Jewish heritage in an informal way, and by becoming a vital part of a community, the young people achieve a sense of joy in Jewish living, accomplishment in seeing their plans come to fruition, and develop a commitment to ideals and values of Reform Judaism.


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