• Begin by displaying Photo 7, 1948 Confirmation at B'nai Jeshurun
•  Recite or display the following quotation from Nancy Wolkenberg Greenberg:
  • “1948 was a seminal year for me. I was one of 15 girls who were the Confirmation Class of 5708. Amazingly, I can identify more than half in the photograph. We decided to continue as the Confirmands League, meeting for regular study on Shabbat afternoons at the home of Rabbi Panitz. It was a wonderful and enlightening experience to see my rabbi as a family man in his home environment. (I remember his eldest son, Jonathan, who became a chaplain at the U.S. Naval Academy, as a baby in the crib!)”
  • Discuss. What were the most important elements of Confirmation to her? How did being part of a synagogue and global Jewish community impact her Confirmation year?
  • Discuss. What do the students expect to remember most about their own Confirmation?
• Ask the students to share the pictures that they brought to class. Make a connection between their pictures and the pictures that we have been exploring; each gives insight into Jewish life and Jewish journeys
• Discuss. What have been their most formidable Jewish experiences thus far? What do they think that they will remember most when they look back on their Jewish upbringing?
• Explain. Just as Confirmation has a rich history, they each have a rich history that they will bring to Confirmation. In the service booklet for Confirmation, each confirmand will have a reflection piece about their Jewish journey and the opportunity to share their original photographs of this journey
• 1 to 3 paragraphs about one of the topics discussed in class. Students can also propose a different topic
• The reflections should be personal and discuss their experiences and thoughts.
• The reflection pieces can either be read out loud during the service or simply included in the service program
• The reflections pieces should be written at home, emailed to the teacher or brought to the next class session. (Alternatively, class time can be used for the students to write their reflections)
• Assignment. Students will be creating their own “source materials” about what brought them to Confirmation. The parameters for the reflection pieces are as follows:

Email the parents explaining the reflection assignment