YALA

Welcome to YALA Beth El, our high school education program.

YALA Beth El (Youth Are Learning at Beth El!)

Every Thursday night from 6:15-8:00 pm.

Come find out why Thursday nights at Beth El will become the place to be each week! 

YALA Beth El is our Thursday night high school program. Each Thursday night, our teens will gather together and experience community and face-to-face connection! It is a place for our students to temporarily unplug from their homework, TikTok, and Instagram accounts, and join together for meaningful conversations, community building, and opportunities for self-discovery. Each Thursday night, our teens will join together with their peers, teachers, and clergy to feel strengthened by their Beth El community as they encounter the world in front of them! 

YALA Beth El begins with an informal dinner together, allowing the stresses of the day to temporarily take a back seat with conversation, laughter, and community. Our teens then move into grade level connection and learning. During this time, our teens will have opportunities to “check-in” with one another and reflect on their week. Each grade focuses on a particular curriculum helping to support our teens as they continue to develop their own Jewish identities. YALA Beth El concludes with Siyyum, an opportunity to sing our closing song and say l’hitraot – we’ll see you again soon! 

GRADE LEVEL FOCUSES:

• Beth El’s 9th grade program focuses on Kehilla, Hebrew word for community, as they start the year off by diving into our bigger community: Exploring Jewish Peoplehood, including the Jewish diaspora and learning about the marginalized voices of Mizrahi and Sephardi Jewish communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa, celebrating the cultural differences and overlaps with our own identities. By mid-year, the class scales back and inward as we focus on our internal-community - ourselves! - and in what ways we (through sacred text and through modern practice) can best embrace self-care and uplift our inner-Kehillah. We round out the year by examining our bridged Kehillah - connecting the pieces of our inner selves to our outer support network, guiding discussion around friendships, family, and peers to develop understanding, dependability, and healthy relationships for the future.
• Beth El’s 10th grade program places an emphasis on Achri’ut, the Hebrew word for responsibility, as they launch the year by comparing sacred texts of responsibility with how it impacts their own actions and values as we compare the care of ourselves, for our community, and for the planet. The conversations around achri’ut from the start of the year, propel students into the mid-year dive into Judaism and Justice, a winter class series for 10th-12th grade students in preparation for the L’Taken trip to Washington D.C. with the Religious Action Center at the end of February 2025 (our F.A.Q. on L’taken can be found here!). In the spring, students will also dive into the responsibility of finances: covering financial literacy such as budget, savings, credit cards, and more. As we close out the year, our 10th grade cohort will put words into action as they create an end of year action project that correlates with the students’ discussions and passions from the previous classes on justice work. 
• Beth El’s 11th-12th grade program focuses on Kavod, the Hebrew word for respect. As students begin to step into adulthood, we dive deeper into the more serious issues that they are facing as young people today. We focus the fall curriculum on respecting the body and themselves as their conversations stem from topics such as consent and reproductive rights in the Torah to learning about the opioid crisis, including training our students on how to effectively use Naloxone (Narcan) in the event of an opioid overdose. The conversations around respect propel students into the mid-year dive into Judaism and Justice, a winter class series for 10th-12th grade students in preparation for the L’Taken trip to Washington D.C. with the Religious Action Center at the end of February 2025 (our F.A.Q. on L’taken can be found here!). As our 11th-12th graders wrap up the year, they will end their curriculum on kavod by diving into Israel - discussing the conflict, and the possibility for peace, in the Middle East.

YALA Fall Retreat - Sept 19-21
We would love to see your high schooler at YALA's fall retreat weekend excursion September 19-21! Join us as we kick off the year of YALA as we enjoy the great outdoors, build connections, get silly, explore Lake Sonoma, and nosh on smores. Please reach out to Brianna with any questions or concerns and we look forward to seeing you there. A packing list and itinerary will be sent out prior to the retreat!

This program is open to Beth El 9th-12th Graders.

Cost: Teens registered in YALA: $200; Non-registered Teens: $350
Note: Space is limited. Fee includes travel, accommodation, food and fun during the weekend. Registration closes September 5. Spaces Limited.

9th Grade Trip to LA - Oct 10-13
9th Graders, get ready to rock as we take over Los Angeles! From Shabbat on the beach to Disneyland (and hopefully a Havdallah session with a Disney character or two!) to classic Jewish deli dining to a meaningful dive into the Museum of Tolerance, we cannot wait for this weekend of adventure, connection, and fun! Note: Registration priority will be given to our 9th grade YALA students. Space limited.

What's included: Travel to/from Los Angeles, Accommodation in LA, Disneyland day pass, Friday night dinner, Saturday and Sunday Breakfast, and Weekend Snacks! 
Cost: Teens registered in YALA: $450, Non-registered teens (if space available): $600
Note: Space is limited. Registration closes September 14.

L'Taken Judaism & Justice Trip to D.C. (10th-12th Grade) -- January 22-26
Our 10th-12th graders will experience a trip of a lifetime as we travel together to Washington, D.C. While in Washington, D.C., our 10th-12th graders will participate in the L’taken Teen Judaism and Justice Seminar, led by the Religious Action Center. As part of this seminar, our teens will learn how to lobby and bring forward change on issues that are important to them, as well as have an opportunity to lobby directly to Congress.
*To attend L'Taken, 10th & 11th graders must be enrolled in YALA for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Inside Jewish Central America (Grade 12) --- March 19-23 OR March 28-31
We are working hard to plan a new seniors only trip for our amazing 12th grade crew and hope they can join us for a weekend of discovering a new country, people, and culture through a Jewish lens as we dive into Jewish Central America. More details to come and we greatly appreciate filling out this interest form as soon as possible so we can get a rough headcount. Please reach out to Brianna at brianna@bethelberkeley.org with any questions and see you all soon!

Priority registration given to YALA enrolled 12th graders. You can find more information and register here: https://www.bethelberkeley.org/yala.html 

Survey due date August 7. Spaces limited.