This is a pivotal year, focusing on discussions focusing on ethical and religious dilemmas. Students are guided to work through these dilemmas to determine their own opinion and their own potential course of action. Topics are prompted by Jewish life and life in general.
Some topics covered include:
• Repentance, Penance and Yom Kippur
• Natural World and Belief in Judaism
• Kashrut
• Law and Personal Responsibility
• Do you believe in God? Does it matter?
• Missionary activities to convert Jews to Christianity—methods and arguments.
• Jewish young people and their families—who owes what to whom?
• Rites of Passage: discussion of brit/naming ceremonies, bar- and bat-mitzvah, confirmation, marriage, divorce, having children, death and mourning.
• Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionism—similarities and differences.
• Abortion and contraception—respect toward and attitudes toward those of the opposite sex.
• How Jewish Do You Want to Be?
• Women and Judaism
• Domestic Violence—Jewish Attitude
• Suicide and Judaism
• Responsibilities toward others.
• Brief topics concerning American Jewish history.