Youth Groups
Some of our teens after having attended a Youth Leadership meeting with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, URJ President
Outlined events are currently being done differently due to COVID, such as sleepovers, trips, etc. As protocols change, these events will begin to return to “normal”.
We’re extremely proud of our young people at Temple Har Zion. Our Temple Youth Group – MHarZY – is a very active group that is part of wider NFTY-NEL (North American Federation of Temple Youth – North East Lakes region).
Through our involvement in this youth movement, our kids get to learn leadership skills, take part in social, educational and religious experiences, which include youth services, camp experiences and retreats, city-wide field trips and overnights. They also get to visit other cities for region-wide events that focus on sharing Jewish values, learning, services and song-leading.
Through these local, regional and semi-annual North American events, our teens become leaders in the community.
Our groups at Har Zion encourage age-appropriate engagement. Our Youth Advisor supports and guides these groups – coordinating and attending programs throughout the year. Please reach out to him for more information.
MHarZY – Grades 9-12
MHarZY is a fantastic opportunity for teens to connect with their friends in a social, educational and cultural environment, while creating opportunities to build new and lasting relationships with classmates, as well as teens from other teen groups across Ontario and North Eastern Great Lakes region.
Events offered range from social overnights, social action and community service for local and international Jewish charitable organizations to cultural based learning opportunities. Getting involved can lead to very strong leadership skills, and allows our teens to develop skills that will help them in high school and in their future adult lives. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and to help with younger Temple youth programs. The senior teen youth group also belongs to NFTY-NEL, the North East Lakes region of NFTY, and has between four and seven trips per year to different locations to participate in leadership conferences, retreats and camp getaways.
JHAZY – Grades 7 & 8
The JHAZY youth group is a fun way for our Grade 7 and 8 students to continue building on the relationships they have developed with their classmates in an informal and engaging environment. Events are socially focused and infused with Jewish components to allow students to begin to develop an identity of who they are as a young Reform Jew, as well as to develop the social skills necessary as high school approaches. Overnights, weekend retreats and youth services are just some of the programs available to JHAZY members. JHAZY also has the unique opportunity to attend two NFTY regional events for the year, where they will meet with other grade 7 and 8 students across Ontario and the North Eastern Great Lakes region.
Club 5/6 – Grades 5 & 6
Club 5/6 is a great introduction to Temple youth programming. We focus on basic socialization skills and the forming of new relationships. Students get to have some fun outside of the usual religious school environment; three or four events are held each year, including Har Zion’s annual Pesach Chocolate Seder. This is a great opportunity for everyone to connect with their Temple friends and have some fun outside of the classroom.