CLASP Fellow and Youth Director

Congregation Har HaShem in Boulder, Colorado and Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI), Boulder’s regional URJ summer camp are collaborating to hire a full-time Youth Director who will also join the team as a CLASP Fellow. CLASP Fellows (Camp Leader And Synagogue Professional) are year-round staff that spend the summer at a URJ camp and the academic year in a synagogue.

This is an incredible opportunity to live in an incredible town and be part of a fun and creative team who are striving to build a community of belonging in our Jewish community.  This individual will help create meaningful Jewish encounters for our young people through classes, casual interactions, programs and events, and future program designs. We seek an individual who is prepared to be a mentor to teens, an invigorator for Jewish experiences, and a team member invested in building community.

Our Community:

• We are the one Reform Jewish congregation in Boulder County, creating meaning in our lives through a wide range of Jewish practices. 
• We strive to be a community of belonging, seeing people for who they are and where they are in their Jewish journeys. 
• We believe that individuals and families should have multiple gateways into Jewish life and learning. We have been experimenting with different programming relating to content, cohort, type of learning (family or peer), schedule and intensity of involvement. 
• We value our tent that we have put up since Covid emerged. Not just because it provides a safer environment, but because it represents who we aspire to be… a place that is open on all sides, providing different entry points, and inviting our folks to come toward the center. 
• We have just completed a Strategic Visioning process that will guide us toward greater engagement with our community.
• The foundation on which our Vision is built: 
  • We celebrate together and lift each other when we have fallen
    – G’milut chasadim - acts of generosity and kindness
  • We are inspired to realize our human potential
    – B’tzelem Elohim - in the image of the divine
  • We work to make the world more just
    – Tzedek, tzedek tirdof - justice, justice shall you pursue

Priorities:

• Develop and nurture relationships with and among youth.
• Support youth in their Jewish identity and leadership development through Jewish experiences and learning.
• Build community among teens and help them develop capacity to recruit for and grow that community in both numbers and depth by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
• Work with the Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning to build more camp-style programming into education programs.
• Work with parents to help engage their children in congregational programs and camp recruitment, with a particular focus on cultivating prospective families for OSRUI.
• Raise the presence of the youth voice in the congregation and the ability of others to hear that voice.
• Work as part of the staff and lifelong learning team to support the congregation’s vision and camp’s goals.
• Enable our young people to see Judaism as a vehicle to develop a life of meaning and purpose.
• Integrate OSRUI into youth programming, where appropriate.

What you’ll own:

• Manage our three youth groups: Tzofim (3^rd-5^th), JYG (6^th-8^th), and BTY (9^th-12) by supporting teen-led programming for BTY and JYG as well as developing programs for both JYG and Tzofim.
• Attend all youth group events and oversee additional chaperones.
• Support and teach our madrichim (student teachers).
• Teach Middle School and High School classes in Youth Education Program.
• Launch and support teen-led youth Shabbat experiences.
• Manage youth calendar, programming files, budget, data on participation and youth social media presence.
• Attend lifelong learning team meetings and staff meetings.
• Represent Har HaShem and OSRUI at youth activities in the community and region.
• Partner with lay leaders in advancing our Camp Ambassador Program.
• Attending off-season events at OSRUI, such as Midwinter Faculty Retreat.
• Serve as a Jewish role model within the community.
• Develop and implement programming for our Middle School Retreat.

What you should bring to the job:

• Strong Jewish background and deep passion for Jewish life.
• Passion for youth and invested in and enthusiastic about helping them learn and grow.
• Ability to network and communicate effectively with youth and adults.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, as well as work independently within deadlines and larger synagogue and camp systems.
• Willingness to innovate and experiment.
• Willingness to grow through professional development and continue own journey of Jewish learning and experiences.
• Fluency with technology, especially social media, willingness to communicate with teens on their desired platform.
• Flexibility and a healthy sense of humor.
• Organizational skills to keep teens on task and support parents with regard to youth community programs.

We are looking for a person with experience in camp and/or other youth programs, religious school teaching, or other relevant settings who can connect with youth both as a mentor, educator and as an advisor.

What we offer:

Salary: $50,000.

Benefits include: health and dental insurance, long-term and short-term disability, medical leave, family Leave, retirement plan, paid vacation, and professional development.

This position will be supervised by Samara Schwartz, Director of Lifelong Learning during the academic year (starting July 2023), and a member of the Year Round Professional team of OSRUI during the summer. 

As a CLASP Fellow, there will be professional development opportunities and support from OSRUI and from the URJ. For more information, go to https://urj.org/who-we-are/careers/clasp-fellowship.

Please send a resume and cover letter to Rabbi Fred Greene, [email protected]