Dear CBS Family,

I am delighted to share with you that our member and friend Lisa Gottfried has been named teen advisor.  Lisa brings a wonderful background in  working  with teens, a passion for empowering  youth and a real commitment to strengthening our teen program at CBS.

Lisa grew up in Philadelphia and was very involved in BBYO programs and held many leadership roles.  She also worked at Jewish summer camps.  She and her husband Louis worked together at Camp Judea here in California.  She currently teaches at New Technology High School in Napa as the Digital and Interactive Media Educator.  She and Louis have been members of CBS since 2000 and their three children Abie, Mo and Leah have grown up in  our community.  She has been active in CBS throughout the years as a teacher and as a member of the Youth Committee and Board.

This summer CBS again sent a large cohort of our kids to Camp Newman, the URJ overnight camp up in Calistoga.  There is nothing more wonderful than summer camp to instill a love of Judaism and community and it seems unanimous that all our campers had a great time.  Many of the teen campers came home and immediately expressed that they are interested in staying in touch with Camp Newman friends through various NFTY activities scheduled throughout the school year.

Our youth group will be associated with the  NFTY: the National Federation of  Temple Youth.  NFTY’s Mission statement is: “NFTY is a movement that builds strong, welcoming, inspired communities through teen-powered engagement. Together, we pursue Tikkun Olam, personal growth, youth empowerment, and deep connections, all rooted in Reform Judaism. NFTY’s Central West Region (NFTY-CWR) encompasses northern and central California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii.”

Since arriving here, I have had  the privilege of officiating at over 30 Bnai Mitzvah!  Most of  those young people are now in the 9th-12th grades.  Our focus will be those grades with some programs designed for younger people.  Many of our programs will be held with other teens from all around the Bay Area.

Lisa will be in touch with all teens and their parents via email in the next few days to schedule our first organizational and informational meeting sometime in August and she’s so excited to help facilitate connections, leadership and a love of Judaism for our teens at CBS!  Lisa can be reached at lisa@gottfried.org.

Please join me  in welcoming  Lisa to this important  role at CBS.

My best,

Lee