Temple B'nai Israel Youth
Temple B'nai Israel is proud to be affiliated with NFTY - the North American Federation of Temple Youth.
Our high school youth group is Oklahoma Association of Temple Youth - fondly known as OKATY. OKATY is led by a dedicated teen board. All Oklahoma City area Jewish teens are invited to join OKATY and participate in the many programs offered throughout the year! Visit the OKATY Page for more information!
Our middle school youth group is Jr. OKATY for grades 6-8. Interactive programs build relationships between our youth and encourage them to deepen their Jewish connections.
Bar & Bat Mitzvah Projects
Samantha Mendelsohn’s Bat Mitzvah Project
As my Bat Mitzvah approaches, I have been thinking long and hard about what I wanted my Mitzvah Project to be. Since I can remember, I have always had dogs and cats, which makes sense since my mom is a veterinarian. Some of my favorite memories have been with my mom while she was at work in different animal shelters. As I got older, I was able to see what it takes to make sure the animals in the shelter went out the front door and not the back door. I want to make sure that these beautiful creatures have everything that they need to get adopted and live happy lives.
As I started researching how best to help the animals in our local shelters, I discovered that both our family dogs and 1 of our 2 family cats were adopted from animal shelters. Our 2nd cat came to us from a family friend who needed to rehome the cat. In 2020 Oklahoma shelters took in 89,353 dogs and cats and only 69,545 found forever homes. Our shelters in Oklahoma are busy and have needs for volunteers and supplies. I was shocked that the biggest need for animals in our shelters wasn’t food, medical help or toys. The biggest need the animal shelters have is for old blankets and towels.
With that in mind my project is to solicit donations of old and new blankets and towels as well as any old dog and cat beds that people have lying around. With the help of family, friends and community I am hoping to collect as many blankets, towels, wash cloths, and pet beds as possible as well as any other old pets supplies like leashes, toys, stainless steel bowls, litter boxes, etc. that people no longer need. The more we can donate to our local animal shelters the better the outcomes for our little 4-legged friends.
If you are willing to help me help our local shelters, please bring any donations to the Temple and I will collect them each week. I can’t wait to share with all of you at my Bat Mitzvah on July 23rd how we as a community were able to answer the call for our local animal shelters so that our little 4-legged friends have a better chance of finding their forever homes. Thank you.
OKATY Registration and Parent Forms
OKATY Registration and Parent Forms
Click the link to REGISTER for OKATY and for MEDICAL EMERGENCY FORMS!
Please send the completed forms to Sammi Donchin at Sdonchin@tbiokc.net or bring/mail them to Temple B'nai Israel!
OKATY Election Packet
OKATY Election Packet 2021-2022
All applications due to Sammi Donchin at Sdonchin@tbiokc.net by AUGUST 13th!
NFTY Format Program Example
NFTY Program Bank - Find Program Examples Here!
If you are applying for OKATY board, you will be required to write two sample programs. Here is a link to the NFTY program bank with lots of examples on how to write a program! If you have ANY questions, don't hesitate to reach out to Sammi!
Wed, June 7 2023
18 Sivan 5783
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Beha'alotcha
Shabbat, Jun 10 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Jun 9, 8:27pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Jun 10, 9:35pm |
Shabbat Mevarchim
Shabbat, Jun 17 |