J-Serve Event Planned for April 15
by Natania Lipp
Last summer, Jewish high school teens constructed the Jewish Community of Louisville community garden at their annual J-serve event. Over the summer, the JCC summer campers tended the garden and brought the fresh produce over to the Jewish Family and Career Service’s Food Pantry.
This year, on April 15, from 1:30-4:30 p.m., Jewish teens from grades 6-12 will come back to the garden and continue to work on the garden. From starting as seeds, to becoming food that serves older citizens, the garden has become a circle of life within the Jewish community.
J-serve is an international opportunity to participate in a Global Youth Service Day with other Jewish teens from around the world. BBYO awards grants for J-serve projects each year, and this year the JCL received $1,800.
With the help of at least 75 teens,more fresh produce will be available for the summer camp children to pick and bring over to JFCS.
Improvements to the day’s program are expected, including using more available space and adding Judaic content as well as other activities. All Jewish teens are encouraged to come together for a day of service to make the community a better place!
For more information or if you have any questions regarding J-Serve Operation SOS, please contact David Siskin at 238-2701 or dsiskin@jewishlouisville.org.
BBG Six Folds Sleepover
by Rachel Bass
Jay Levine BBG has plunged into their term of recruiting 8th graders, and it has been incredible so far. The first BBG event the 8th grade girls were invited to was a six folds sleepover on February 26. It was themed What Makes You Beautiful. The six folds of BBG are sisterhood, social action, Jewish heritage, recreation, creativity, and community service. Because it was a six folds sleepover, each fold was covered in an activity.
Sisterhood: We played a step across the line game, where two girls read statements about body image – it was a great way for the girls to comfortably open up to each other. We also partnered up randomly and wrote our partner’s name in an acronym, sharing it with the group.
Social action: We watched a video about CEDAW – a treaty to make women around the world officially equal to men. We learned why we should appreciate our beauty and not take for granted what we as girls and women are given because others like us are not as lucky.
Jewish heritage: Our Sh’licha (who is in charge of community service and Judaism) led a very meaningful Havdallah service to end Shabbat. We also decorated our very own Kiddush cups!
Recreation/Creativity: We tied these two fold together; decorating the Kiddush cups counted as creativity. We also had a spa session filled with facials, nails and uncontrollable laughter. It was a great way for the girls to bond in a non-serious way.
Community service: Each girl brought $5 to go towards tzedakah and was required to bring one bathroom/kitchen item for Gilda’s Club. We gathered over 20 things for them and will be making a box to put it in and deliver it personally!
The night was a very memorable one – the younger girls got a taste of what it’s like to be in Jay Levine, and the older members got to bond with and get to know their soon-to-be sisters. The younger and older girls got paired up as big and little sisters; we broke up into groups to have good and welfare, a BBG tradition that allows girls to tell each other what’s on their mind without judgment. Lastly, we all really learned about what makes us beautiful and had a fun time doing it!
BBYO Bowling Recruitment Event
by Deborah Levin
On February 26, Louisville BBYO hosted a bowling recruitment event at Ten Pin Lanes. There were around 40 teens there (both boys and girls). This event was the kickoff of our recruitment for BBYO. All Jewish teens in 8th-12th grade were invited.
Starting January 1, second semester 8th graders were eligible to join BBYO and they should! BBYO connects teens with their true Jewish identity and at the same time, introduces them to Jewish teens, much like themselves, all across the United States and the world. BBYO is a life changing experience