CBI Blogs

This school year marks the beginning of my eighth year as CBI’s Director of Youth Education & Engagement. Through my years at CBI, from a part-time youth advisor to Director of Community Engagement, working with our youth and Tot Shabbat families and now overseeing all our supplemental youth and family programs, I understand what a holy opportunity I have.  

I am helping families raise their children to be Jewish adults who think critically and feel positively about their own Jewish identity.  

To achieve this, we need to be an inclusive, welcoming, and comfortable place. Whether it’s accommodations for one student or using multiple teaching modalities to deliver content, we aim to make Jewish education accessible to all our learners.  

I often tell prospective families that my mark of success is not that a student graduates knowing the correct direction to shake a lulav on Sukkot, but that they have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish community and embody at least one Jewish value in their every day lives.  

To foster this belonging, our teachers have the autonomy to prioritize engagement over other content, we say yes to however a teen is willing to engage with our programs and we often have youth group programs that are “just” opportunities to do something fun with Jewish friends.  

I’m a strong believer that with belonging and values, our youth will stay connected and grow to be teens who will become adults who continue to be or return to Judaism. 

There are many ways that you can help us raise the next generation of positively engaged Jewish adults. 

Support our Sisterhood and Brotherhood by stopping by Internet café on a Sunday morning, shopping at the gift shop or eat latkes and brisket at the annual Hanukkah party. These two groups are instrumental is helping us send so many of our students to Jewish summer camp, furthering our mission.  

Contribute to one of our Youth Education & Engagement funds:  

• Faye Gellman Youth Education Fund 
• Rose Dornbush Youth Experience Scholarship Fund 
• Youth Group Scholarship Fund 
• Zach Avner Inclusion Fund 
• Teacher Appreciation Fund 

Come to Tot Shabbat with your littles. Jewish engagement can start early! 

AND-- Register your kids for Religious School, Hebrew School and youth group by September 2! 

Carly Cera
ccera@bethisrael.org