BEKI-BJ Kadima USY Job Posting!

BEKI/BJ JOINT YOUTH COMMISSION
 

Two New Haven Area Synagogues 

Seeking Youth Coordinator for Grades 5 to 12

Two Conservative synagogues in New Haven and Woodbridge, CT -- Congregations Beth-El Keser Israel (BEKI) and B’nai Jacob -- have joint award-winning youth programs supervised by a dedicated lay Youth Commission. We are seeking a dynamic Youth Coordinator to mentor 5th through 12th grade youth group members in playing an active role in our synagogue communities through Kadima and United Synagogue Youth (USY). 

Our Youth Coordinator must have prior involvement with youth and Jewish activities. Prior personal or professional involvement with the Conservative Movement of Judaism would also be highly beneficial. Our ideal candidate will be self-motivated, organized, computer savvy, able to work independently, and must have strong verbal and written communication skills appropriate for middle-schoolers, teens, and adults. Car ownership is required. 

Our Coordinator will act as a role model for the youth of the two congregations and will observe the standards of the Conservative Movement in areas such as Shabbat and Kashrut observances when engaged in related program activities. It is important that our Youth Coordinator maintain a presence at each synagogue several times per year, either on Shabbat or during religious school hours. 

There are two areas of responsibility for our Youth Coordinator position: programming, and administration. 

        Programming Areas

• -  Supervision of and participation in local chapter and regional programs. 
  
  
• -  Age-appropriate leadership development with board and group members. 
  
  
• -  Setting a group calendar for Kadima and guiding the USY board to develop a calendar that balances: social activities, Jewish ritual and education, social action (SATO), Israel awareness and education. 
  
  
• -  For Kadima, planning, promoting and implementing programs. For USY, working with teens to help them plan, promote, and implement programs. 
  
  
  
  Administration Areas (Financial, Recruitment, and Communications)

• -  Work with parents, professional synagogue staff, and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) regional and international staff to ensure clarity of goals, logistics, calendar, and conflict resolution. 
   
  
• -  Solicit membership through personal outreach to students, parents, our two synagogue communities, and other Jewish institutions (e.g., day schools, camps). 
  
  
• -  Meet and speak on a regular basis to Youth Commission members. 
  
  
• -  Provide quarterly reports on membership, finances, and attendance to Youth Commission, regional and international USCJ offices. 
   
• -  Substantial group communications and publicity, including maintenance of our Kadima blog, http://www.bekibjkadimausy.blogspot.com, developing email newsletters to regularly inform parents about programs, helping USYers with their Facebook page ("BEKI-BJ USY"), or writing articles for the monthly synagogue bulletins. 
  
  
  
  
  This is a 10 to 15-hour/week position, but there may be more hours initially, and when planning large programs 3 to 4 times per year (e.g., Shabbaton). Currently, our USY group has a bi-weekly lounge night on a weekday evening, and 1 or 2 chapter or regional weekend events/month; our Kadima group has a chapter or regional event every 2nd or 3rd weekend. We provide top pay commensurate with experience. Other benefits include a subsidy for the Jewish Youth Directors convention, and 1-week paid vacation.

New Haven is a friendly, livable city with reasonably priced housing, a large number of restaurants, substantial nightlife, theater, and culture, and easy access to outdoor activities. We are 90 minutes from NYC, and 2 hours from Boston, by train or car.

If interested, please email letter of interest and resume to:  BEKIBJyouthcommission@gmail.com 

Note from a past advisor: The good feeling I got from working as an advisor with the BEKI-BJ kids and watching them grow as leaders in the Jewish community was so special to me that I couldn't completely cut ties once my job was up! I continued volunteering for the BEKI-BJ Youth Commission and the Hanefesh region.  A hearty mazal tov to the USY chapter for winning regional Chapter of the Year in 2014!”