Associate Director for Youth and Teen Engagement
Congregation Beth El, South Orange, NJ
About Congregation Beth El
We are a thriving and progressive Conservative synagogue located in a vibrant, diverse
and family-friendly town outside of New York City. As one of the fastest growing
congregations in North America, we serve over 400 families. We operate a preschool
with 100 students, a Jewish Learning Center (religious school) with 180 students and
provide daily services and programming for all demographics. Beyond our large
religious school, many of our families send their children to a nearby Jewish day school.
Walking through our doors, you will see and experience the following:
• All ages, genders and backgrounds engage in Jewish life and activities together. We
welcome and affirm everyone- this includes Jews-by-choice, non-Jews living Jewishly,
singles, Jews of Color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
• Social justice is embedded in everything we do. We learn, engage in direct service,
and build partnerships across lines of difference in the greater South Orange
Maplewood community.
• Deep commitment to living Judaism within and outside of our synagogue. We
celebrate in the streets, engage meaningfully in both traditional and nontraditional ways
in our homes, and prioritize building connections through our community.
Rabbis Jesse Olitzky and Rachel Marder serve as Beth El’s spiritual leaders. Rabbi
Olitzky has been in his role since 2014, was named on The Forward’s list of “America’s
Most Inspiring Rabbis” and is an active leader in bringing issues of social justice to the
forefront of the national Jewish community. Rabbi Marder has been in her role since
2018, is a Wexner graduate fellowship alum and has taught at IKAR in Los Angeles and
developed curriculum for the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
Overview
We are seeking an Associate Director for Youth and Teen Engagement who will help
teens grow in their Jewish identity, commitments, and connections, be a positive role
model, and create social, educational, and activism-based opportunities that foster
relationships among teens. We are looking for collaboration and support within the
Jewish Learning Center (JLC), Beth El’s dynamic Religious School, to bridge the gap
between our different educational models and build a Jewish learning experience that
starts in pre-school and seamlessly continues onwards into college and beyond.
The Associate Director for Youth and Teen Engagement will report directly to the
Director of Education, and work with them to develop and support meaningful and
experiential learning for our community.
Responsibilities
Youth Programming and Education: The Associate Director for Youth and Teen
Engagement will work with professional and lay leaders to plan, promote, and execute
social, educational and social action-oriented programming with an emphasis on
students in grades 5-12. This position will utilize community resources to network and develop innovative forms of engagement for teens. Responsibilities include:
o Creating opportunities for meaningful and trusting dialogue with and between young adults in our community, both inside and outside of the synagogue, and develop relationships with their adultso Plan, promote and lead bi-monthly social programming for teens spanning 5th-12th grades, including the teen programming at the annual synagogue retreat and high holidays
o Plan, promote and lead bi-monthly educational programming for teens spanning 8th-12th grades including an annual teen trip (previous trips included a Civil Rights trip to Alabama and a Democracy in action trip to Philadelphia)
o Build the capacity of teens to lead programming and influence our approach to teen engagement for years to come
o Coordinate and manage the teen and youth group calendars and teen budget; ensure procurement of all materials and supplies for all programs
o Develop and implement Shabbat options for teens including alternatives to services and Friday night Shabbat dinners
Madrichim Leadership Training Program: The Beth El Madrichim Leadership program develops students (8-12th graders) into leaders. This position will oversee and coordinate the Madrichim program, which involves assisting in our religious school classrooms and synagogue programming. Responsibilities include:
o Build a network of committed teens who show promising leadership potential to work with our elementary aged students at the JLC
o Plan, promote and lead bi-monthly leadership training classes for Madrichim
o Observe, provide feedback, and conduct an end of year evaluation for all participants
o Collect, organize and process all related employment paperwork
JLC Support and Collaboration: JLC, or Jewish Learning Center is our supplementary educational program for PreK-7th grade. This role would support the Director of Education in a multitude of responsibilities at the JLC. Responsibilities include:
o Work onsite Sunday mornings from 8:30am-1pm and Wednesday afternoons from 3:30-6:30 pm to support with arrival/dismissal, student needs, and family communication
o Coordinate written family communication [ex: weekly class-specific newsletters and programming updates]
o Administrative work such as teacher payroll and family communications
o Support programming through materials preparation, space set-up, and planning
o Collaborate with the Director of Education to support staff and support instructional lesson preparation and planning
o Assume Director of Education responsibilities when absences occur
Other Important Notes
o
o Other duties may be assigned based on skill set
o This role includes a presence on weekends and during high holidays, and when the JLC is in session (September through May)
o We provide a flexible schedule that respects work life balance
Qualifications & Experiences
You love building Jewish community, creating meaningful learning experiences, and working with children and young adults. You think boldly, yet you listen deeply. You are self-directed and highly collaborative. You are a big picture thinker who’s also committed to the details. You are kind, curious, dynamic, and dedicated. You hold a bachelor's degree and have 2-3 years of experience in Jewish educational settings. You are able to operate in a variety of settings using a high level of interpersonal skills such as informal learning, social programs, and facilitating groups.
Compensation
The salary range is $65,000-$70,000 based on experience. Beth El provides excellent medical coverage at no cost to its employees. We also offer dental, vision, and life insurance plans. Compensation includes family and parental leave, vacation days, and professional development opportunities.
Start Date
The target start date for this role is August 1, 2025.
Questions & Application
If you are interested in learning more about the Beth El community email Nomi Kornfeld, Director of Education, atnkornfeld@bethelnj.org
Interested candidates should submit their resume and a one-page cover letter to search@bethelnj.org. The cover letter should answer the following:
• Why are you interested in this role?
• What are your top three professional strengths? Please provide an example for each.
Equal Opportunity Employment
Congregation Beth El is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in recognition of its values, commitment to social justice, and responsibility to its spiritual leaders and staff, congregants, and the communities within which it lives and works. It strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, veterans, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
