Download Word Document: Click Here
TSTI Teen Trips to Philadelphia and New York City Expose Students to History of American Judaism
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., March 29, 2019 – Hebrew High students at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) in South Orange recently enjoyed two field trips that showcased different aspects of the American Jewish story, from immigration to the U.S. to modern-day Jewish life.
Ninth-grade students spent a whirlwind weekend in Philadelphia exploring their Jewish roots within the foundation of the United States’ history and American society. Highlights included tours of:
- The Alfred W. Fleisher Memorial Synagogue at Eastern State Penitentiary, the first synagogue in an American prison. The synagogue dates back to the 1920s and is fully restored. Students also saw Jewish artifacts that were discovered during the restoration.
- The National Museum of American Jewish History, where they especially enjoyed exhibits on Jewish summer camps and the American bar/bat mitzvah experience.
- Congregation Rodeph Shalom, founded in 1795 and the oldest Ashkenazic synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
The teens also visited Constitution Center, stopping for a photo on the main lawn before leaving the city with great memories and a deeper understanding of Judaism in America.
TSTI’s tenth-graders took their confirmation class trip to New York City’s Lower East Side, where they shared a meaningful time exploring the Jewish immigrant experience. The teens were fascinated by how much American Jewish history began and continues today within one condensed area. Stops included:
- The Lower East Side Tenement Museum
- The Museum at Eldridge Street, located in the historic, beautifully restored Eldridge Street Synagogue, where they gathered for a group photo
- Landmark Jewish shops in the neighborhood
Social time included seeing “The Prom” on Broadway and as with every weekend field trip, they shared Havdalah at the Hotel to mark the end of the Sabbath.
Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) is a dynamic, inclusive Reform congregation that offers numerous ways for members to connect with and celebrate being part of the Jewish community and the world. Welcoming Jews by birth or by choice, interfaith, traditional and non-traditional families, and children of all abilities, TSTI provides lifelong learning and enriching programs for all members through a full complement of religious services, early childhood and religious school education, cultural programs, and activities that foster connection, engagement and community outreach in a joyful, judgment-free environment. Located at 432 Scotland Road in South Orange, TSTI draws members from Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Short Hills, Millburn, Livingston and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.tsti.org.
Photo Caption:
Teens from Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel’s Hebrew High recently enjoyed educational fields trips focused on the Jewish immigration experience and American Jewish history. Ninth-graders toured sites in Philadelphia (left) and tenth-graders toured NYC’s Lower East Side.
###
About Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel
432 Scotland Road, South Orange, NJ 07079
Follow TSTI on Facebook and Instagram
Media Contact:
Caryn Starr-Gates
Caryl Communications
(201) 796-7788
Email: caryn@caryl.com