JTJ 8th-12th Grade page on TJ website

Hot Topics: Where Jewish Tradition Meets the Modern World (8th & 9th Grade)

Passionate teens will have a forum to discuss sensitive issues with the support of their peers, our experienced educator, and the Jewish tradition itself. Sample topics include: love and sexuality, mental health, antisemitism, big questions about God and purpose, politics, and more. We will examine the ways that ancient texts are in conversation with issues that spark interest with Jewish teens. This class is sue to inspire fervent discussion and will engage teens on ways they can use Jewish values to create a better world.

When "Jew" Wish Upon a Star: Jewish Values and the World of Disney (8th & 9th Grade)

Part movie club, part discussion, learners will combine Disney movies and Jewish texts to ask questions at the intersection of Jewish values and the human experience. Some themes will include bravery and fear, (inner) beauty, love, death, and uniqueness. Students will also consider how to reconcile Walt Disney's documented antisemitism and racism with the admirable values found in the legacy of his work. Plus, much, much, much more! Culminating with a separate (but subsidized!) trip to Disneyland, this class is sure to make mensches with imagination.

Judea Goes to College! (9th-12th Grade)

We are extremely excited to announce a new partnership with American Jewish University (AJU).

Link to AJU site

9th-12th grade students can take classes offered at Temple Judea which will earn them college credit! This class, taught predominantly by Rabbi Rosenstein, will be worth 3 general education credits, which students can apply to their intended college or university. These courses have a strict attendance requirement. Registration and payment (and financial assistance requests) are handled directly through AJU. This year's course is: 

"Introduction to the History, Culture, and People of Israel"

Israel’s history, culture and people have always been and will continue to be distinctly nuanced and complex. In this class, taught predominantly by Rabbi Rosenstein, students will explore historical events and statistics pertaining to Israel and teach students how to critically analyze a wide range of subject matter, perspectives and experiences. Topics include the founding of the State of Israel, a timeline of Jewish history in the region, the various versions of Zionism, and the path to becoming an independent country. The course will also explore the multiple wars and attempts at peace which have changed the evolving, contested boundaries of the country. A survey of the lived experiences of Israelis and Palestinians from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds as well as the food, culture, language, art, and poetry which have contributed to a multifaceted society will be discussed.

 JTJ 8th-12th Grade page on TJ website