Am Shalom Youth Programs

AShTY - Am Shalom Temple Youth, a NFTY-CAR (North American Federation of Temple Youth- Chicago Area Region)- affiliated high school group led by the youth, for the youth! AShTY-ites in grades 9 through 12 attend NFTY retreats with other Jewish teens from all over North America, create social action projects to fulfill their passions, explore their Jewish identities, form life-long friendships, and have a ton of fun. Click on the AShTY link to see our awesome teen board, sign up for upcoming events, see pictures of past events, learn more about NFTY, and more!

JAmSY- Junior Am Shalom Youth, an exciting, social group for Am Shalom's 7th and 8th graders. JAmSY-ites participate in fun events all over the Chicagoland area and are even invited to attend NFTY's JYG (Junior Youth Group) Kallah with other 7th and 8th graders from all over the midwest for a weekend in the winter!  Click on the JAmSY link to learn about and sign up for upcoming events and see pictures of past events.

Gesher, meaning "bridge" in Hebrew, is Am Shalom's group for 5th and 6th graders, who are bridging into their teen years! Gesher kids nosh and schmooze at "drop-in" before Hebrew school, hang out at our awesome events all over Chicago and the North Shore, and form great friendships. Click on the Gesher link to learn about and sign up for upcoming events and see pictures of past events.

Rishonim, meaning "the first" in Hebrew, is the beginning of each Am Shalom kid's amazing youth group journey! Rishonim 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders nosh and schmooze at "drop-in" before Hebrew school with Gesher kids, play and make friends at both our kid-only and family-oriented events, and have fun! Click on the Rishonim link to learn about and sign up for upcoming events and see pictures of past events.

Our Awesome Youth Programming Team:

Judi Berliner is Am Shalom's multi-talented Director of Education and our youth programming head honcho! Judi is a loving mom of three, grandmother of adorable Hylah and Ellison, and Johnny Depp aficionado. In her spare time Judi loves to go bowling with her family and hang out with Am Shalom kids! You can contact Judi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Adam Bellows is a Youth Program Co-Director and Am Shalom songleader/B'nai Mitzvah tutor/Hebrew and Sunday school teacher extraordinaire! Adam loves to play guitar, beatbox, perform improv and stand-up comedy, and learn Hebrew. He's excited to hang out with Am Shalom kids and teens! You can contact Adam at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Sarah Rosenbaum is a Youth Program Co-Director who wears many hats as Am Shalom's full-time Education Coordinator, a B'nai Mitzvah tutor, and a gimel Hebrew teacher! When she's not hanging out with fabulous Am Shalom kids and teens, Judi, or Adam, Sarah loves to experiment in the kitchen and pawn off the results to her Am Shalom coworkers, peruse antique shops, run on Lake Shore Drive, and frolic around Lakeview East. Sarah can't wait for an amazing year with our four youth groups! You can contact Sarah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

This month's Jewish Trivia (located at the Youth Lounge and School hallway) answer: Birds!