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TAMID (GRADES 8-12)

Tamid

Tamid (“always” in Hebrew) encapsulates all teen engagement at NVHC! This includes Tuesday night teen programming, our madrichim program, Confirmation, and Sunday afternoon teen programming. Scroll down to learn more about each of these programs!

Teens are welcome and encouraged to attend Tamid on both Sundays and Tuesdays if they wish, as the content of the electives (and the food!) will be different. Registration for Tamid encompasses everything under the Tamid Umbrella (see more information about madrichim registration in the sidebar). We are thrilled that teens who are unable to make it to NVHC on Tuesdays are able to participate in this exciting, teen-only part of the NVHC community with their friends!

Tuesday Nights

Tuesday night Tamid runs from 5:45-8:00pm. Every week, we have dinner from 5:45-6:15pm, with catering from a variety of restaurants and cuisines! Some fan favorite dinners include Korean Fried Chicken and Chipotle.

We rotate each week between different themes and types of programming: Talmud Torah Tuesdays, current events, social nights, wild cards, and tikkun olam (social action) – with a few other fun one-offs sprinkled in.

Tamid is structured this way to provide a little bit of everything to all our students in an environment that allows kids across grades and interests to learn a lot, be involved in their Jewish community, get to know each other, and have fun!

  • Talmud Torah Tuesday

    Talmud Torah Tuesdays give students the opportunity to build on their core Jewish knowledge through a wide variety of Judaics electives. Attendance is required on TTT nights for everyone enrolled in Tamid. While we understand that other obligations compete for the very limited time in a teen’s schedule, we would like for them to show a concerted effort to be engaged with our post-B’nai Mitzvah congregational community by prioritizing TTT weeks. This allows our teen community to have critical mass at least once per month, which creates ruach (spirit), cohesion, relationships, and a venue for communicating upcoming opportunities. 

    Judaics electives: Taught by members of the clergy and staff, electives are a creative and fun way to dive into a wide variety of Jewish topics. Some past electives have been: Wilderness Narratives in the Book of Numbers, Who Was Bob Dylan, Jewish Monsters, Gender in the Torah, Judaism and Star Trek, and more! Students can choose a number of electives throughout the year. This allows for deep and wide-ranging discussions across ages and experiences.

  • Tikkun Olam Tuesday

    On these Tuesdays, students are involved in discussions and programming about making our world a better place. We participate in hands-on mitzvah work while also discussing the ways they can grow into ethical Jewish adults. We work to educate ourselves on how we can be better allies to those in our communities who are excluded or oppressed.

  • Current Events Tuesday

    These sessions allow Tamid students to stay informed on and create a safe space for open conversation about the issues of the day. Current Events Tuesdays occur either when there are five Tuesdays in a month or when there is something going on in the world that we feel we need to address with students (or that students ask us to address!). We discuss and debate current events in a respectful environment that appreciates different backgrounds and opinions. We view these issues through a context of Jewish teachings and values, talk about how they impact teens’ lives, and discuss how we might respond to these issues.

  • Social Tuesday

    Each of these Tuesdays focus on fun activities and community-building for our Tamid students! The goal for these Tuesdays is to help create and build on the community and friendships that form throughout the year. These programs include trivia competitions, game nights, cooking, movie nights, and other fun activities!

  • Wild Card

    Anything can happen on a Wild Card Tuesday! Wild Card nights happen a couple times a semester and are usually off-site activities. Past Wild Cards have included bowling, mini-golf, a Tamid seder, and laser tag! We are always looking for fun new suggestions for activities!

Sunday Afternoons

Sunday afternoon Tamid typically takes place twice per month from 12:00-1:30pm. Teens get together right after Kehillat Limmud (religious school) for lunch, then head into programming that rotates every session. These programs give our teens a place to engage with their Jewish community in a variety of ways, from practicing tikkun olam (social action) to studying Jewish texts to just spending time together in community. Sunday programming (and food) will be different from Tuesday programming, so students are invited and encouraged to attend both!

For 10th graders and students in 11th and 12th grade who have not been Confirmed, Confirmation class takes the place of most Sunday Tamid sessions. See more about this awesome life cycle moment below!

  • Electives

    One Sunday each month, students will be able to choose an elective that interests them taught by NVHC staff and clergy. Our electives cover a wide variety of topics, and students can sign up for one that they feel they would have the most fun in! Past electives include The Matriarchs, The Book of Genesis, and Jews in TV and Movies.

  • Mitzvah Work

    Some Sunday programming will be hands-on volunteer mitzvah work, such as food packing. Like our tikkun olam nights on Tuesdays, NVHC’s teen mitzvah work helps our teens grow into responsible and compassionate Jewish adults. Our mitzvah work often consists of packing snack bags for Helping Hungry Kids, as well as packing meals for other local charities.

  • Confirmation

    For our 10th grade students – and students above 10th grade who haven’t been Confirmed – who wish to participate in Confirmation, this class will be rolled into Sunday programs. Confirmation students will have lunch with the rest of the grades at 12:00pm, and then attend their own Confirmation class.  

    Just as a child takes responsibility for selfhood at the point of Bar or Bat Mitzvah, our teens take responsibility for the Jewish community at the point of Confirmation. They spend the year learning with our clergy what exactly Judaism is, and then talking about what they want the Jewish community to be. Confirmation culminates with a ritual moment marking the end of the year of study. This ritual takes place on the last day of Tamid and usually takes the form of a service, but it is entirely crafted by that year’s Confirmation class.

    Students in Confirmation (as well as all students 10th-12th grade) also have the opportunity to participate in the L’taken Social Justice Seminar, an exciting weekend in DC learning about different public policy issues that culminates in each student presenting a speech on a topic important to them to their Senators and Representatives.

Register for Tamid

If you are not yet a member of our community but would like to register your children for religious school, please email our Executive Director ShowClick Here to View Contact Information to learn more about how you can join our community.

Please note you must complete your 2025-2026 Annual Giving Pledge before you can register for school.

Register for Tamid

Teacher’s Assistants (Madrichim)

The madrichim (plural) program is a work-study program for our 8th-12th graders. Madrichim are student aids to teachers, students, and staff on Sunday mornings during Kehillat Limmud (religious school). Madrichim help students learn Hebrew, guide projects, and provide assistance wherever needed. Madrichim can serve in classrooms, the office, or as buddies for students who need extra support.

Madrichim are an integral part of the Kehillat Limmud experience and our school would not run so smoothly without them! These teens are truly leaders in our community!

New madrichim participate in madrichim training, which consists of training classes on Sunday mornings in the fall, followed by class rotations. More details will be available closer to the start of the school year. These rotations enable students to immediately put into practice the lessons they are learning, and experience working with different grade levels to get a feel for which grades they might prefer to work with. Beginning in January, madrichim-in-training are assigned to a class for the rest of the year.

Madrichim have the option to be paid for their time or receive community service hours.

Because the madrichim program is a work-study program, enrollment in Tamid is required for all madrichim-in-training and madrichim. If you are unable to come to our Tuesday night Tamid programs, we invite you to stay a little longer on Sunday afternoons to join us for lunch and our Sunday teen programs! Please contact Rabbi Barrett (ShowClick Here to View Contact Information) with any questions.

Madrichim Sign-Ups Coming Soon

About

Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation is a Reform Jewish community of passionate people who embrace innovation, engagement, and exploration. We welcome everyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual identity, whether single or in a relationship, Jewish or non-Jewish. We celebrate our diversity and are open to all who wish to join us in us in our community of Jewish spiritual, educational, and cultural life. Come join us – together we will worship, connect, learn, and build a better world. 

Contact Us

Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation
  • 1441 Wiehle Avenue · Reston, VA 20190
  • 703-437-7733
  • ShowClick Here to View Contact Information
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