Scarsdale Synagogue Opens Youth Engagement Center

Scarsdale Synagogue on Ogden Road opened its newly reimagined Youth Engagement Center, at a dedication brunch and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday morning, March 10th. The completely refurbished youth lounge is part of the Synagogue's Youth Engagement Initiative named in honor of Rabbi Emeritus Stephen A. Klein, who retired last year after serving this leading Reform Jewish congregation as its senior rabbi for 32 years.

Ellen Baken, the Synagogue's president said: "With generous contributions of both time and money from all parts of our congregational family, Rabbi Klein's vision and the tireless efforts of our Youth Engagement Initiative task force, we were able to completely renovate, decorate and fully furnish a section of our building, giving our teens and pre-teens a special place to gather, plan activities and simply have fun."

Most important," Ms. Baken noted, "the rest of the funds raised support programs that fulfill our commitment to create the fresh, innovative congregational and communal activities that are the heart of our Youth Engagement Initiative. That programming," she added, "is already in full swing, under the leadership our Director of Youth Engagement Ivy Cohen, supported and assisted by Senior Rabbi Jeffrey Brown, Cantor Chanin Becker and many active members, of all ages, who understand that successful lives are built on a foundation of the humanistic values Reform Judaism teaches."

Scarsdale Synagogue's youth group recently hosted a major gathering of more than 150 teen members of the North American Federation of Temple Youth's New York-area Region. Teens attending the gathering in January came from Westchester, Fairfield, New York City and Long Island, and programming included study and fun. In also fulfilling their commitment to tikkun olam, Hebrew for "repairing the world," the teens raised over $6,000 for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, an organization that strives to eradicate pediatric cancer.

For more information on SSTT, contact, Executive Director Gary Katz at (914) 725-5175 or by email at GaryKatz@sstte.org.