Shabbat Shalom! Mazel Tov to our Religious School graduates! We hope that you will join us tonight at 7:00pm during Family Shabbat services as we congratulate our graduates, hear what they have to say about what staying on has done for them and join with us as we encourage out 7th-11th graders to stay in Religious School as well.
When Rabbi and I each were confirmed our congregations had a wonderful ceremony that linked their Confirmation classes to the classes/generations before them. Each of our congregations had a silver chain and each ring represented a Confirmation class. When I was confirmed I stood, with my Mom, on the bima at Temple Beth El of Great Neck and proudly added the ring from my Confirmation class to that of my Mother’s linking us together and linking us to the congregation’s history.
In 2007 Rabbi Holtz, Pam Barkley, and I created a similar ceremony for our High School graduates. Tomorrow night during Family services our High School seniors will see their names engraved on the ring that we presented to their class at the end of their 7th grade year and we will link that ring to the chain of the classes that came before them as well as to the Founders Ring that we created when we began. Our 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grades will also join us on the bima and link their ring to the chain showing their commitment to Judaism and TBA!
The road to graduation begins when our 7th graders commit to remaining in Religious School even after their b’nai mitzvah. Our current 7th grade class will receive their ring and we look forward to them standing on the bima again in 5 years as graduates of our Religious School.
Please join us as we welcome Shabbat and congratulate:
Amanda Cohen
Benjamin Kumka
Abigail Osborn
Adam Parker
Daniel Parker
Adam Prince
Isabelle Rose
As they graduate from TBA’s Religious School.
