Cteen Junior Program Details and Outline:

Social Action:

  • Jewish Foundation for Group Homes/Makom:

Teens will be doing a joint program with the Makom Life Home around Purim time- Hamantash Baking & Purim party.

Makom Life is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the independence, dignity, choice, and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities, regardless of faith or creed. Makom’s programs support more than 200 individuals in over 70 sites throughout the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. Support is provided through Makom’s residential, transitioning youth and social programs.

More Info: http://www.makomlife.org

 

  • Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington

Teens will learn what they can do to help those facing illness and serious health challenges. Teens will create several different projects to be donated to Children’s Inn at NIH and other area hospitals.

 

Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit, volunteer based service organization that provides assistance to people facing medical and related challenges. BCGW cares for the physical and emotional needs of the Jewish ill, the elderly and their caregivers in the community, and partner with health-care professionals to help meet the unique needs of Jewish patients.

BCGW supports and maintains kosher pantries at area hospitals and provides ongoing community education to promote awareness of the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim.

BCGW serves all segments of our community, as well as patients who travel to the region to seek medical treatment at area hospitals and NIH. By offering all our services without cost, we free people to focus on their recovery without additional financial stress.

More Info: www.bikurcholimgw.org

 

  • Eden Kosher Homes

Teens will lead a Challah baking program with residents of Eden Kosher Homes.

Eden Kosher Homes is a charming and elegant private assisted living home, located in a residential neighborhood in Potomac, Maryland. Eden Kosher Homes opened its doors in 2010 in response to the need for a small, high-quality kosher assisted living facility where Jewish seniors could remain active in a neighborhood environment.

More Info: www.edenkosherhomes.com

 

  • Israel Social Action

Teens will partner with several Israel based organizations to help support Israel, among them Chabad's Terror Victims Project.

 

Chabad's Terror Victims Project (CTVP) is a non-profit, humanitarian organization. From the moment an act of violence takes place, G‑d forbid, CTVP’s emergency response teams are there, forging an immediate bond with the victims and their families, bringing them financial, practical, emotional, and spiritual support as they struggle to reclaim and rebuild their lives.

Whatever the crisis, CTVP is there.  We stay with all these families for as long as they need us – whether weeks, months or years. There is no end point to our help except the family’s ability to re-enter their lives successfully. Only then do we move quietly into the background, but still remain available for those times when the horror inevitably reasserts itself and help is needed once again.

More Info: www.ctvp.org

 

  • Imadi

Teens will volunteer at the Children’s Activity Center of Imadi.

 

Imadi is an empowered network of support for families facing a life-changing pediatric medical condition. Through concierge case management, patient advocacy, and therapeutic programming, imadi provides a customized client experience to families facing complex pediatric health diagnoses.

More Info: Imadi.org

 

  • Our Giving Kitchen

Teens will collaborate with Our Giving Kitchen at Chabad of Chevy Chase to cook up and package meals for those in need.

 

At Our Giving Kitchen, people from all walks of life come together to cook up change and nourish our neighbors in need—one delicious, homemade meal at a time.

 

  • Thanks and Giving to our Firefighters

In conjunction with Thanksgiving, teens will bake delicious Pumkin Pies and deliver them to our brave firefighters, along with cards of gratitude for all they do.

 

  • Cookies for Cops

Teens work together to bake delicious cookies and other goodies that they will personally deliver to our dedicated first responders.

 

  • Pizza for the Homeless

Teens will personally make and pack up delicious pizzas to be delivered to those who need.

 

Guest Speakers:

 

  • Sheri Heller- Holocaust Education

Sheri is the child of a Holocaust survivor. Through the Maggid Program of JCRC, Sheri will share her mother’s story with the teens with the intention of imparting the importance of remembering the atrocities of the Holocaust and its impact.

Maggid gives children of Holocaust survivors (2Gs) the unique ability to learn more about their parents’ narratives and help them to share their family’s experiences publicly.

Our program connects peers who can relate to these uniquely difficult conversations and who know the importance of preserving these narratives. Together, participants develop compelling presentations and hone strategies for effective engagement with young audiences.

 

  • Rabbi Mendel  Bluming

Rabbi Mendel Bluming will lead several intriguing and engaging discussions on critical topics for teens.

Rabbi Mendel Bluming is the Chabad representative in the Potomac Maryland area and serves as the rabbi of the Chabad Shul of Potomac. He received Rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Hillel Pewzner of Paris France, a leader in France's rabbinate, kashrut and Jewish educational system, and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz of Jerusalem Israel, author of the Steinsaltz Talmud amongst many other works.

He was ordained as a Jewish judge, a Dayan, by the late Rabbi Pinchas Hirshprung, the Chief Rabbi of Montreal, considered one of the foremost Torah scholars of our generation.

Rabbi Bluming is a highly respected Rabbi in the Greater Washington area and served on the Board of the Federation. He is a leading authority for many day to day halachik questions for hundreds in the

community. In addition to his scholarly wisdom, he sensitivity guides hundreds of people in their interpersonal relationships, helping them build stronger and trusting relationships with their spouses, children or friends.

  • Karen Barall:

Karen is the Director of Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization's Washington, DC office. As Hadassah's Director of Government Relations, she is Hadassah's chief lobbyist in Washington where she advocates for Israel's safety and security, combating anti-Semitism and Women's Health initiatives such as affordable access to fertility treatments. Barall served as Mid-Atlantic Director for the Orthodox Union Advocacy, where she managed the OU Advocacy’s efforts in Maryland and Pennsylvania.  Karen also worked as Director of Maryland Government and Community Relations for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, where she organized the agency’s state and local legislative efforts, secured millions of dollars in state and local funding.

Before joining the JCRC, Karen served as a politically appointed foreign affairs officer in the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism and as Special Assistant for Community Affairs to New York Governor George Pataki.

Karen has an extensive background in Jewish communal service and grassroots activity where she has actively served in leadership roles to encourage community activism. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Lander College for Women of Touro College. Karen and her husband Allan live in Potomac, Maryland with their two children.

Karen will be one of the presenters on the Israel panel discussion.

 

  • Chaya Myriam Morrisson:

Chaya Myriam Morrisson was born and raised in Abidjan,Côte d’Ivoire. She is married, a proud mother of four, and an essential member of Chabad of Potomac. Chaya Myriam will share with the teens about her journey to Judaism and the lessons she picked up along the way.

 

Trips :

  • Sunflower Bakery-“Where Caring is our Main Ingredient”

Sunflower Bakery is an exciting enterprise that combines skills training with actual work experience. Their mission is to prepare individuals with developmental or other cognitive disabilities for employment in baking and related industries through skilled, on-the-job training. These are challenging times for many, but challenges are even greater for individuals with disabilities. Sunflower Bakery provides training critical for achieving workplace success in a totally inclusive environment. Their trainees produce high quality, kosher, non-dairy baked goods for businesses, schools, organizations and individuals in the greater Washington, DC area.  They work alongside adult volunteers and staff, who do not have disabilities, to better simulate a typical bakery experience.

More Info: www.sunflowerbakery.org

 

  • Amazing Art Studio

Teens will design and decorate their own ceramic Seder Plate

 

  • JCrafts Chocolate Workshop:

Bean to Bar + Chocolate Creations!

  •  Discover where chocolate comes from! Participants learn the process of making chocolate from scratch. Hands-on activities include roasting, deshelling, and grinding cacao beans!  -Learn fun facts about the kosher diet, the multi-billion-dollar kosher food industry, and the meaning and messages behind popular kosher delicacies.
  • Create your very own chocolate creations!  Using cutting-edge technology, participants mold kosher-themed and fun items out of chocolate while exploring the role that food plays in Jewish culture. It’s a hands-on, gastronomical adventure!

For more info: Jcrafts.org

 

 

In House Programs:

  • Jews Eat Veggies Workshop by Natasha Nadel:

Natasha Nadel leads Hands-on, practical food workshops for Jewish communities, women’s groups, teens, families, schools, wellness programs, and workplaces.

Her workshops combine healthy cooking, plant-forward recipes, realistic meal prep, colorful food, and practical kitchen confidence. Programs can be adapted for kosher, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, or allergy-aware settings. (All workshops are kosher).

These are not formal nutrition lectures or all-or-nothing wellness programs. They are practical, friendly, hands-on experiences that help people make food they can actually repeat at home.

 

  • Chanukah Chopt!

Get ready for the most epic and intense Chanukah cooking competition! In this showdown, teens will compete to create the tastiest and most creative Chanukah dish, with surprise ingredients! Special judges will determine the winner 😊

 

  • Jewish Canvas Painting

Mr. Mark Yonkovitz is a noted artist who has been painting beautiful masterpieces for over 3 decades. Mark will lead the teens in a guided canvas painting, depicting a Judaic scene.

 

  • Starbucks, Slime, and Study of the Soul

Ever wondered what exactly is the journey of the Jewish soul? What is it’s connection to the body? What happens when someone passes away?

Teens will participate in a fascination conversation led by Rabbi Sholom Bluming and learn about the Neshama in a novel way.