Today is February 6, 2012 - 13 Shevat 5772
Jewish Youth Groups Merge in Flushing
In an October 1 article in the Queens Chronicle, Chronicle contributor Anthony Giudice discusses the recent youth group merger between Hillcrest Jewish Center, Hillis Hills Jewish Center, and Israel Center of Conservative Judaism.
According to Giudice, “The program merger will enable the three synagogues to work together, pool their resources and alternate meeting locations with the hope of getting more children to be a part of a community where they can play and learn with similar youngsters.
The addition of second grade students to the program was partly due to the wishes of parents and that, ‘the younger you get someone to start, the more likely you are to keep them,’ [Youth Director Sheryl] Glickman said. The plan is to open up a network for children to meet other Jewish youth, not only from Queens but from all over the world.
Activities range from a board game night, scary movie night, decorating cookies in the shapes of dradles (tops) for the Chanukah season to gym nights held on Thursday evenings.
Last year, close to 100 children joined, and this year, with the addition of the second grade students and a third synagogue added, enrollment could go well past 100.
The youth program has two purposes, according to Glickman, the front door approach which is ‘to keep our kids happy in a synagogue youth program,’ while the other is to ‘create a bond of children to their synagogue and to practice Judaism. We’re hoping to create practicing Jewish adults.’ ”
