Attention 6th-12th Grade Teens! We hope that our Am Yisrael youth will join their friends and make new friends from throughout the Chicagoland Jewish Community for Sushi in the Sukkah at NSS Beth El in Highland Park. Please click here to register!
Middle School Gathering: 6th-8th Grade: 5:00 p.m.-6:45 p.m.
High School Gathering: 9th-12th Grade: 7:15 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
President: Nate Szmuilowicz
Executive Vice President: Sivan Belkind
Ruach Vice President: Shayna Kamm
Outreach Vice President: Elana Kamm
SATO Vice President: Nina Ravage
Our Am Yisrael Youth Chapter is open to all members of our youth community in the congregation. We hope to provide our children and teens with many fun opportunities to spend time with their Am Yisrael peers beyond the classroom and Sanctuary settings. Youth Programming is available to all ages from 2nd Grade through senior year of High School, as follows:
Note: 5th Grade overlaps between both Chaverim and Gesher.
Our Am Yisrael 3rd-12th Graders can also participate as a part of CHUSY, affiliated with our national movement, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ).
AMUSY (8th-12th Grades) lounge nights are held at the synagogue on Wednesday evenings, immediately following SJS. Lounge nights include a kosher dinner. CHUSY incorporates synagogue youth chapters from Chicagoland, Milwaukee, Madison and Northwest Indiana.
As part of the build toward involvement in AMUSY and CHUSY, we facilitate programs for our Middle School students. There are some times during the year when Gesher is invited to join the 8th-12th grades, which are noted below. Gesher Lounges include a kosher lunch.
For our elementary school students (2nd-5th grades), we offer our Chaverim Group. Three Sundays each school year, Chaverim will take a field trip after SJS, which will include a kosher lunch. Past locations include The Painted Penguin and Nickel City in Northbrook, and Bowling in Wilmette and Buffalo Grove.
USY is USCJ’s youth movement for Conservative Jewish teens across North America. For more than 70 years, USY has taught young Jews the values and skills they need to become exceptional leaders in their religious and secular communities. USY empowers youth to develop friendships, leadership skills, a sense of belonging to the Jewish People, and a commitment to inspired Jewish living through meaningful and fun experiences rooted in Conservative Judaism’s approach to learning, spiritual expression, and social responsibility. Through year-round programming and domestic and international travel opportunities, USY inspires in teens a deep sense of pride and love for their Jewish identity. To learn more, visit www.usy.org.
CHUSY covers the Chicago area as well as Madison, Milwaukee, and Northwest Indiana. CHUSY programs give Jewish teens a chance to learn and grow as a Jew and most of all to have fun with other Jews. Teens learn about Judaism and Israel, do social action projects, give tzedakah, and enjoy other social programming like bowling or just hanging out.
For more information about our Am Yisrael Youth Chapter (AMUSY, Gesher & Chaverim), please contact:
For more information about CHUSY, please contact:
Updated October 5, 2025 13 Tishrei 5786