Debbie began the online learning program by showing a picture from her own Confirmation and showing how she brought her students to a wall in their synagogue where all of the Confirmation classes have a photo on display. The students discussed changes in the photographs over time.

Etta King: Do you all have these kinds of photo walls in your congregations?

Elana Kogan: Yes!I remember my own too during an awkward phase and am a bit horrified it's on a wall! But overall I think it's a great idea, of course.

Etta King: Yes, those old pictures can be a little scary.

Laura Naide: my favorite part of these pictures is the hairstyles - especially the 1970's

Next, the group began looking at the first four photos from Debbie's Twersky Award lesson.

Laura Naide: Poor Sam Weil looks about 11 years old!

Elana Kogan: For sure... and in these old ones no one's smiling.

Maryana Harouni: who is the boy?

Laura Naide: They aren't smiling - but that's the limits of photography at that time

Elana Kogan: Where is Vine St Temple?

Elana Kogan: I wonder if it's from Cincinnati...

Elana Kogan: No worries, just curious.

Etta King: I will look it up.

Etta King: This Vine Street was in Nashville, TN

Etta King: http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/tnjews/index.htm

Elana Kogan: thanks

Viewing the second photo:

Elana Kogan: It feels mroe formal and posed.

Maryana Harouni: Rabbi looks cooler than the previous one.

Laura Naide: It looks like a family portrait - the way they are standing/sitting/arranged.Much less formal than the previous picture.

Laura Naide: Funny - I thought it looked LESS formal!

Elana Kogan: Yes, about teh family portreat

Laura Naide: 2 boys this time!

Elana Kogan: They look like they're getting ready for a party, with tehe flowers etc.

Etta King: Yes, the girl on the right looks very young.

Etta King: I imagine this would have been true especially in smaller communities--it was kind of who was around probably.

Viewing the third photo:

Elana Kogan: Look at those crazy bows!

Etta King: Southern Belles!

Laura Naide: Back to 1 boy

Etta King: The rabbi looks must less religious here. No tallit (prayer shawl).

Elana Kogan: The rabbi looks so much more relaxed and low key... so different from the last one.

Elana Kogan: Exactly.

Etta King: He does have a hat, though.

Maryana Harouni: No other educators but the rabbi.

Etta King: minhag, the Hebrew word for custom

Viewing the fourth photo:

Elana Kogan: They all seem to have practically the same dress, can't remember if the other years were like that.

Laura Naide: Where's the rabbi? Is it the young man in the middle?

Etta King: the american flag definitely seems like it would be a regional convention to the south.

Elana Kogan: on the bimah

Elana Kogan: more ritual objects

Maryana Harouni: American flag

Laura Naide: Also, they are holding books and certificates, instead of flowers.

Etta King: the kids seem to be holding siddurim (prayer books) too

Maryana Harouni: They are holding a book rather than flowers.

Etta King: Interesting. If confirmation is acceptance into greater community, students are certainly part of a larger American community, not just a Jewish community.

Elana Kogan: The flag also makes it feel kind of patriotic.

Etta King: yes, intensely patriotic.

Next, participants viewed photo 5 from the lesson plan.

Elana Kogan: many more students.

Elana Kogan: more boys

Laura Naide: The students look much younger. Boys holding scrolls, girls holding flowers.

Etta King: All the girls are wearing dresses and holding flowers.

Laura Naide: Girl on left about to fall asleep!

Elana Kogan: plain background.

Etta King: looks like the girls have scrolls too

Elana Kogan: no Torah etc.

Laura Naide: Rabbi looks severe.

Maryana Harouni: No ritual object.

Elana Kogan: everyone looks like they don't want to be there!

Debbie explains that Photo 5 is actually not from a Jewish Confirmation class, but rather, a Christian Confirmation class. She talks a bit about assimilation and about borrowing traditions from others in your broader community.

Elana Kogan: So interesting!

Laura Naide: Very tricky, Debbie!

Etta King: I love that this makes a connection about ritual across different religious traditions.

Etta King: even could be connected to gifts at Hanukkah bc it is near Christmas...

Then, we turned to exploring the program from Hadassah Founder Henrietta Szold's Confirmation ceremony.

Etta King: Check out our exhibit on Henrietta Szold

Elana Kogan: no Hebrew

Elana Kogan: wait, I see hebrew

Maryana Harouni: NO Jewish date.

Elana Kogan: doesn't look 'Jewey'

Laura Naide: Very formal invitation - Germanic in style & font.

Etta King: it is hard to read, but it looks like the big font in the middle says "Confirmanden"

Etta King: This was in Baltimore, I believe.

Debbie explains that half of the text is actually written in German, not in English or Hebrew. Next, the group turns to a discussion of the photograph and quote from Nancy Wolkenberg Greenblatt who was Confirmed at B'nai Jeshurun in New York in 1948.

Elana Kogan: look at those men's hats!

Elana Kogan: back on the bimah, lots of flowers

Laura Naide: Wow—I wouldn't want to dust all of that woodwork on the bima!

Elana Kogan: so many women

Etta King: Looks like a wedding party

Elana Kogan: photo taken from much further away

Laura Naide: Massive amounts of flowers!

Elana Kogan: adds to the formality

Etta King: Right, you really get a sense of the economic and geographic diversity of the Jewish communities from these pictures.

Laura Naide: Are you recording this webinar? I would love to share it with my Confirmation teachers.

Etta King: yes! I will make sure you have a link to the recording.

Elana Kogan: I'd love a copy too, thanks!

Etta King: great.

Laura Naide: Thank you.

Etta King: Hi Luisa! Glad you could make it!

Laura Naide: Hi Luisa - nice to "see" you!

Elana Kogan: the Confirmands League is such an interesting name for what they did... it reminds me of the Junior league, really assimilated language

Elana Kogan: reminds them that Confirmation doesn't have to be the end

Laura Naide: I appreciate how the Rabbi invited the students into his home.That is a great way to maintain the community feeling.

Elana Kogan: meeting offsite also can make it feel more like a community

Etta King: Yes, totally Elana.

Then the group turned toward an exploration of a prayer for Confirmation written by Rabbi Max Lillienthal, who went by the title Rev. Dr. Debbie explained that before they discussed the language of the prayer, she had them transcribe it themselves—a tricky task because of the handwriting.

Elana Kogan: Reverend?!

Etta King: Reverend Dr.

Elana Kogan: fascinating

Etta King: If you want to look at the original document more closely, you can do it here. Transcribing is hard and fun! Prayer for Confirmation by Max Lillienthal

Elana Kogan: well done, Etta!

Elana Kogan: did they write it as a group?

Elana Kogan: thanks.

Etta King: If you want to see Debbie's full lesson, it is here.

Etta King: It played out over 4 classes.

Etta King: Here is the class from Germany Debbie mentioned: http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoarchives/detail.aspx?id=1112225

Afterward, the group turned to a discussion of the lesson generally.

Etta King: Love the idea of using history to generate a desire to document history.

Elana Kogan: I think this is great. I like how it ends with them creating a pledge...

Elana Kogan: Also helps them see they're part of a long tradition of confirmation, feel part of something larger

Laura Naide: I love the use of original sources. My first career was at the National Archives, so I am a big believer in primary sources!

Etta King: I am wondering how your students received it generally. What was their reaction?

Etta King: Also, if you were going to do it again, what would you change, add, move, etc.?

Maryana Harouni: Will these pictures be available for us to use?

Etta King: Yes, they are all on jwa.org. Here's Debbie's lesson again.

We also looked at some examples of student work.

Elana Kogan: first time you see goofiness in our pictures

Etta King: :-)

Elana Kogan: interesting

Laura Naide: I need to sign off - thank you for this learning!Laura

Elana Kogan: all good

Elana Kogan: we're patient

Elana Kogan: Thank you, Debbie! This is great!

Maryana Harouni: This is excellent. You are very creative.

Maryana Harouni: Does it have to be in the women theme?

Maryana Harouni: Can you send me more info as to how to submit these?

Elana Kogan: Wow!

To conclude, Etta King, JWA's Education Program Manager, provided information about how to apply for the 2015 Twersky Award.

Etta King: All the award information and application details are here.

Luisa Moss: does the submission have to have already been implemented?

Etta King: Yes. The review committee does like to see examples of student work in order to fully evaluate the lesson, so you have to have implemented it by the time you submit your materials.

Elana Kogan: I have to run onto a call.This was great, I"m so glad I was on. I look forward to getting the link to the video!

Maryana Harouni: Excellent. Thank you.