B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator

We are an egalitarian Conservative synagogue in the North End of Seattle with over 450 member families with about 10-18 b’nei mitzvah per year. Along with the rest of Seattle, we are a growing community with many young adults and families with young kids, as well as long-time members, and retirees who are new to the area. We are LGBTQ+ friendly, socially active, enjoy high level Jewish learning, and are very intentional in our Jewish practice. We strive to create a community where everyone feels welcome to engage with Jewish life. Our 6th and 7th grade students participate in our Porzdor program which meets on Tuesday afternoons and Shabbat mornings. They also work with a tutor (usually a peer tutor, a teen who went through the b’nei mitzvah process at Beth Shalom themself) to prepare for the parts of the service that they plan to lead. We encourage students to challenge themselves based on their strengths and interests; as such, our b’nei mitzvah lead varying amounts and parts of the service from having an aliyah and reading torah to reading haftarah, leading shacharit and more. Each student also works with one of the rabbi’s to write a d’var torah. The b’nei mitzvah coordinator oversees the tutoring process, matches tutors and students, and monitors students’ progress. The BMC also trains, supervises, and supports the peer tutors. The BMC runs two rehearsals with the students to make sure they are prepared and confident for their big day. We expect the role to be an average of 10 hours per week at the rate of $50 per hour; timesheets are submitted monthly. There are opportunities for additional hours tteaching children and teens on Tuesdays, Saturdays and/or Sundays (up to about 20 hours/week total).

Responsibilities of this role are as follows:

· For each b’nai mitzvah student: Conduct 1-year intake meeting, Establish learning plan for each student, Assign a peer tutor or connect family with an adult tutor, Prepare learning materials for student and tutor, Conduct 6-month and 2-month check-in meetings to monitor student progress & Schedule and conduct two rehearsals in the sanctuary for each student.

· Working with families: Overview honors assignments with each family, Ensure additional family members or guests leading parts of the service (Torah reading, Ashrei, etc.) are prepared to do so, Keep list of adult tutors available to work with parents & Respond to b’nai mitzvah-related questions from families.

· Peer Tutors: Teach Tutor Training once a year (currently a 6-week class in the teen learning program), Recruit tutors as needed, Mentor peer tutors and provide additional support and/or training in informal check-ins throughout the year, Coordinate learning plans with adult tutors & Sub or arrange other coverage for peer tutors out of town, esp. during summer.

· Administrative: Schedule meetings and prepare materials as needed, Keep a file on each student with materials and BMC notes, Help coordinate service honors with lifecycle coordinator, Rabbis, leyning and shatz coordinators, Prepare for and attend 5th grade orientation in the spring, Prepare for and attend 6th grade parent meeting in the spring, Hire peer tutors after all training requirements are completed. Meet with tutors to sign paperwork & Communicate with the rabbis regarding b’nai mitzvah students’ progress, issues, or concerns.

Please send letters of interest and resumes to [email protected] and [email protected]. www.bethshalomseattle.org.

(7/26/24)