2023-24 School Year
We are thrilled to open registration for our 2023-24 school year, which includes a variety of unique and meaningful Jewish learning opportunities and experiences for teens in grades 8-12.
Each program is open for a specific age group, and takes place over a different portion of the school year. The costs listed below are all inclusive, and cover flights (if applicable), transportation, accomodation and program fees.
While members of the partnering synagogues (as listed at the bottom of the page) are privy to higher subsidies, registration is open teens who belong to other temples, as well as unaffiliated ones.
Program Menu
HiBuR is an innovative and immersive exchange program that fosters connections between teens from the Boston MetroWest area, and Beit Sefer Hugim, a public high school in Haifa. Through HiBuR, teens develop person to person connections, learn about each other’s Jewish cultures and identities and develop a sense of Jewish Peoplehood that extends beyond local and national boundaries.
The program includes two mifgashim (gatherings in Hebrew) in which teens visit each other’s families and communities, an extensive curriculum for MetroWest participants, as well as a year-long joint curriculum with the Hugim school.
The Boston mifgash, which takes place in the fall, begins with a joint weekend in NYC and continues with a week of home hospitality in the Metrowest area. During the Israel mifgash over February break, the teens spend a week with their hosts in Haifa and end with a weekend together in Jerusalem.’
Program Dates
- Boston mifgash – October 5-15, 2023
- Israel mifgash – February 14-25, 2024
- Monthly seminars – September 2023 through March 2024
Age Group
- All 10th graders, 11th graders on a case-by-case basis
Cost
- The cost which includes all flights, travel, accomodation, and programs is $3,550 for teens affiliated with the partnering temples.
J-LOFT will be sending a group of 8 students to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar – a three-day event designed to help Jewish teens discover their power to be an effective advocate & a voice for justice in the nation’s capital. It’s informative, educational, and so much fun, with lots of time to explore D.C. and make friends from across North America!
Program Dates
- L’taken Seminar – January 26-29, 2024
- Monthly prep-seminars – October ’23 – January ’24
Age Group
- 11th and 12th graders
Cost
- While the final cost could slightly vary, the estimate is $600 for affiliated teens, including flights, accommodation, and seminar fees.
With our first trip in April of 2023 being a huge success, we are thrilled to offer this unique opportunity again in the spring of 2024. The service trip includes 5 days of volunteering at “habitat-style” projects and exploring New Orleans, and is open to teens who will be in grades 8-9 in the 23-24 school year.
Program Dates
- Service Trip – April 14-19, 2024
- Monthly prep-seminars – October ’23 – April ’24
Age Group
- 8th and 9th graders
Cost
- While the final cost could slightly vary, the estimate is $750 for affiliated teens, including flights and accommodation.
J-LOFT teens organize and run and annual MetroWest MLK Day of Service, and you can be one of them! The event itself will take place on January 14, 2023, and preparation will begin in early November.
Program Dates
- Day of Service – January 14, 2024
- Prep-sessions – November 2023 – January 2024
Age Group
- 8th – 12th grade
Cost
- Free
The Monthly Meetups are where all students come together for an evening of fun, food, friends, and inspiration.
The Meetups are held on Sunday nights, once a month, each time at a different location (usually one of the partnering synagogues). Each Meetup includes an intriguing guest speaker, a hands-on workshop, or a special activity, dinner, as well as a grade-based class taught by our clergy members.
While the Meetup calendar for 2023-24 is still being planned, here are a few example of Meetups from the past:
- Stand up and improv night with comedian and advocate Pam Schuller.
- Musical workshop with the Afro-Semitic Experience.
- Passover cooking workshop.
- Sustainability from a Jewish perspective with Dayenu.
- Lag Ba’Omer bonfire and BBQ.
- Electives: Jews and Comedy, Israeli Music, Jewish Sci-Fi.
Program Dates
- Schedule will be announced soon
Age Group
- 8th – 12th grade
Cost
- $75 (no fee for participants of HiBuR, L’taken, or NOLA Service Trip)
Registration Form
Please note that filling out this registration form is not a commitment on your part. Once your form is received, we will contact you based on the program(s) you selected. You’ll be given additional information and if desired, instructed on how to complete the registration.
