4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95405, 707 360-3000

Congregation Beth Ami

Education

Nursery School
Religious School K-7th
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Chaverim Teen Program
Adult Education

Chaverim

Chaverim, a new program for 8th through 12th grade Sonoma County Jewish teens, provides a unique venue to inspire continued involvement in Jewish life, offering vibrant social and educational opportunities for Jewish youth. Members meet twice a month for a director-led peer dinner discussion evening, and meet monthly for social activities and community events.

The twice-monthly meetings provide Jewish teens a weekday “retreat,” where they can experience social interactions and engaging discussions centered around Jewish ethical topics relating to teens and teen life.

The program’s monthly events range from camping trips, excursions, and a ski trip, to dances, social action events, and other celebrations. Members can also choose to participate in planning events through leadership and leadership training opportunities.

The birth of this program was inspired by Congregation Shomrei Torah’s successful Tzaddikim program and Congregation Beth Ami’s long-respected Kehillah program. The best of both programs have been brought together in a new format, bringing meaning and Jewish continuity to post B’nai Mitzvah students.

The program is overseen by Congregation Shomrei Torah’s Rabbi George Gittleman and Congregation Beth Ami’s Rabbi George Schlesinger, and is supported by a parent-led Advisory Committee.

Chaverim is directed and taught by Rick Concoff, MA

Rick Concoff has been involved in youth services and education for over 30 years. Rick attended UCLA, University of Judaism, and Antioch University, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters of Arts in Social and Communal Programming and Counseling. In addition to being the teen educator and director of Kehillah for the past 14 years, his work has included JCC Camp Program and Executive Directing, Educator at Congregation Shomrei Torah, Director of Camp Chai for 13 years, and Consultant on Jewish Education. Rick has also led High Holiday services for the Sonoma County Jewish youth community, and in 2006, he received the Diller Teen Educator Award for Informal Teen Education from the Bureau of Jewish Education. Rick currently is a teacher and guidance counselor at Summerfield Waldorf School in Santa Rosa. He is also a performing and recording Violinist and Orchestra Director, as well as part of the Klezmer group “Serenade”.

The program began with a Kickoff BBQ on Sunday, August 26, 2007, and ends with a closing event in late Spring 2008.
Director-led peer dinner discussions for all grades begin in September 2007 and run through mid-May 2008.
Social events and activities begin with a camping trip at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park over the weekend of Sukkot, September 28-30, 2007.

A complete calendar of meeting dates, activities and events will be sent with your enrollment package once we receive your registration.

For more information, please contact:
Rick Concoff, Program Director, at (707) 823-3916 or concoff@sbcglobal.net.

For more information about Rick Concoff's experience with the Kehillah program, 1992-2007.

Chaverim is a beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties.