We offer a variety of youth programs at Temple Israel. Children not from Temple Israel families are welcome to join any of the programs.
Junior Youth Group
JYG offers the opportunity for our youth to connect. To register for programs or to get more information, please contact Jennifer (Jenny) Burns.
Jennifer Burns
Youth Group Leader
Jennifer (Jenny) Burns (MA Folklore, BHums) has over fifteen years of experience as a Jewish Educator. She’s been a classroom teacher, FROSTY leader and a co-principal of Temple Israel Religious School. She was the founder of the Junior Youth Group D&D movement in Ottawa and occasionally writes articles about interfaith parenting. She’s also been a speaker at the NewCAJE Conference, workshopping hands-on learning approaches in her session “Unleash Your Inner Ms. Frizzle”. Basically, Jenny spends her Jewish professional life attempting to be called something other than “Oh, Larry Tarof’s daughter!”.
Her current incarnations are as the Family Programming Director for Or Haneshamah Reconstructionist Synagogue, one of Ottawa’s BMitzvah tutors and a freelance arts-focused curriculum designer.
Senior Youth Group (FROSTY)
FROSTY is the Federation of Reform Ottawa Senior Temple Youth, a dynamic group of Jewish Youth in Ottawa affiliated with Temple Israel and the Reform Movement. FROSTY organizes and runs a variety of awesome social, religious and educational programs and activities. Our goal is to inspire you to be involved and make a contribution to the community while having fun with friends at the same time.
FROSTY welcomes people of all levels of religious observance. You don’t need to be a member of Temple Israel or have any prior Jewish experience to enjoy a great time at our programs. While some of our programming includes religious content the theme is always inclusive and dynamic.
Join FROSTY, under Senior Youth advisor, Rabbi Dara Lithwick and get in on the fun! Dara’s official title will be FROSTY Youth Advisor and Outreach. Stay tuned for new FROSTY events coming soon!
Rabbi Dara Lithwick
Sr Youth FROSTY Advisor
Rabbi Dara Lithwick is passionate about all things Jewish – the religion, the culture, and the people. At Temple she is thrilled to be working with teens, as our youth are our future. In the summers Rabbi Dara serves as faculty at URJ Camp George, with a focus on Tikkun Olam (camp is the best!). On that, Rabbi Dara is also the lead of the Reform Jewish Community of Canada’s national Tikkun Olam/ social justice team. Rabbi Lithwick serves on the board of, and is a frequent contributor to, Bayit: Building Jewish, building a dynamic Jewish future.
A lawyer by day, Rabbi Dara and her partner love chasing their two children and bichon frise Zoe around Ottawa, and in the summer you can often find her swimming in a lake, while in the winter she’ll be snowboarding or snowshoeing.
A member organization of the NFTY NEL
FROSTY is also a member organization of the NFTY (The Reform Jewish Youth Movement) NEL National Federation of Temple Youth – North East Lakes Region. In addition to our local programs, we get together throughout the year to enjoy regional programs together with other youth groups in Ontario and the Northeastern United States.
NFTY-NEL brings together Reform Jewish Teens from Northern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Western and Upstate New York, and the province of Ontario (except for Windsor).
Our members come together at many times during the year for learning, fun, worship, community service, and fellowship to help young Jewish adults throughout the region build and strengthen lifetime ties with each other and Reform Judaism.
