Confirmation

“Many people think that the purpose of our Confirmation Class is to learn about and compare Humanistic Judaism to other religions. . . . . Sure you visit other churches, temples, and mosques, but the main purpose of Confirmation is to learn about yourself.”     — Jamie F, Deerfield, Confirmed 2005

Believe it or not, our students actually look forward to finally being old enough to be in our Confirmation Class! Most of our students continue with Sunday School after their B Mitzvah and see their Confirmation as the culmination of their formal Jewish learning. 

The Confirmation Class, grades 8-9, is packed with field trips to experience other religions and other forms of Judaism. Students analyze how these different forms of religion attempt to answer the big question of life as a first step to exploring their own answers.

For fun, take a look at 50 Jewish Things to Do Before Your Confirmation.

Our Confirmation service marks the graduation from Sunday School, though many of our confirmants return as classroom aides. Each confirmant gives a presentation about their personal views on religion, Judaism, and ethics.  

A sampling of these thoughtful presentations is below.

Sample Confirmation Speeches

Religion as Theatre: Good theatre relies on the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief—you know that what you’re seeing is not reality, but the performance makes you feel like you’re in another world.  .  .  . However, in religion, the role of the audience is different. The curtain should never come down. Read entire speech.

Source of Evil: There have been innumerable discussions and debates about where evil comes from.  I hope that one day people will understand that it doesn’t only come from broken homes and third world countries. Even more often, it comes from a part of us that wants everyone to be like us. Read entire speech.

Gandhi: Gandhi was a Hindu.  His belief system included an idea of God and the creation of the universe.  However, this did not prevent him from considering how humans could interact with the world and make it a better place. Read entire speech.

Choices: Oprah said that “With every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice.”  My religious training has taught me to believe in my own choices, to let myself choose who I will become and let these choices mold what I believe. Read entire speech.