Chai School
The tenth grade Confirmation year has always been a highlight of socializing, learning and travel, and the Confirmation ceremony 
is one of the most meaningful Jewish milestones for our young adults.
Classes are not scheduled on conflicting evenings, so tenth graders can choose to enroll in any or all of the following offerings for the 2023-2024 year:
Confirmation Class
The Confirmation year has always been a highlight of socializing, learning and travel. Rabbi Musnitsky looks forward to teaching and exploring together the challenge of addressing modern day issues and Jewish Adulthood, leading to a meaningful Confirmation experience capped by a special service honoring our Confirmands. Includes dinner; 6:30-8:00PM one Wednesday per month. (10/11, 11/1, 12/6, 1/3, 2/7, 3/6, 4/10, 5/8 (Rehearsal) and 5/17 (Service))
Hot Topic Tuesdays with Rabbi Musnitsky
Learn how to see current-day conflicts, events, politics, and history-in-the-making through a Jewish lens, guided by Rabbi Musnitsky. Includes dinner; 6:30-8:00pm one Tuesday per month. (10/17, 11/14, 12/12, 1/9, 2/13, 3/12 and 4/9)
Chai Holidays
Who can get enough of our Jewish Holidays? Join Lynn Anne for project-based exploration of all sorts of Jewish holidays, from the most popular to the most obscure. We’ll cook, we’ll create beautiful and meaningful Judaica, we’ll put together part of this year’s THS Purim celebration(!) – and we’ll have fun doing it! You’ll also be introduced to surprising stories about some of our holidays that we do not share with the little ones. This course meets from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM one Thursday evening per month.
(9/28, 10/26, 11/30, 12/21, 1/25, 2/29, 3/21 and 4/25)
Teen Engagement
THS Teen Travel
We are excited to be able to offer a variety of off-campus opportunities to our teens this year! Day trips include events such as seeing a Broadway play together or visiting cultural events in our area
or nearby cities.
We also offer extended-weekend travel each year for students in grades 10 and up. Every other year, this is an opportunity to attend the L’Taken Social Justice Seminar in Washington, D.C. Details about this year’s exciting trip will be available soon! Students enrolled in Chai School receive special pricing for all teen trips.
Madrichim Program
Students in grades 9-12 can apply for a paid position as one of our JSchool madrichim (teaching aides) on Sunday mornings during the school year. Students who have
never served as madrichim are encouraged to apply at this link.
Returning madrichim should use the placement form at this link.
Shul of Rock Teen Band with Nicole Drasin
Sing or play your favorite instrument in our Shul of Rock Teen Band! Band rehearses approximately two Wednesday nights a month, and performs at select services and events throughout the year.
Special Opportunities
Over the course of the year, Temple Har Shalom hosts special events or guest speakers that will be meaningful for our teens to attend. Last year, THS teens and their families attended our gallery exhibit of photography from the American Society for Yad Vashem, and got to hear from Fred Biermann, who survived the Holocaust as a child and went on to fight for Israel in the early days of its founding. Invitations to these events will go out as they are scheduled.
More Information
Chai School is open to Temple Har Shalom members in good standing. We never want finances to prevent anyone from joining or participating in our community, contact us for more information.
Should you want any further details about school, programs, or enrollment information, please reach out to our Lynn Anne Cutler, Director of Congregational Education, at lynnannec@templeharshalom.org, Heather Schweizer, Director of Religious School & Youth, at heathers@templeharshalom.org, or Amy Greenbaum, Interim Education Administrator, at amyg@templeharshalom.org or give us a call at (732) 356-8777.
What are our students saying?
“Confirmation class for me has always been a place I’ve felt accepted and appreciated for bringing my perspective and I think this idea of acceptance and appreciation of outside ideas is a very large theme in Judaism. Within the Torah, we are told of all of the stories of Moses, Jonah, Noah, Rebecca, Jacob, Isaac, and everyone else, who are all drastically different people with such different perspectives and stories. However, they all have a story to tell and they all have a lesson to learn from. I believe that our Confirmation class represents a smaller scale of this; with everyone here having different stories and experiences to bring to the table. This allows for everyone to have a story to tell and a lesson to teach.”
– N.P., 2022 Confirmand
“This year, we have spoken about many important current and past events, some of which I would never hear about in my school. I took a Holocaust and Genocide elective at my school, and to my surprise, I was the only Jew in my entire class. It shocked me, and sparked my interest in learning more about these difficult topics at Temple Har Shalom. Being Jewish is such a big part of my life…”
– S.L., 2022 Confirmand
