“Reflections on Confirmations Past”

   I taught thirty-seven Confirmation classes in the years I served in Wilmington, two in Winchester and now two in Harrisonburg. In those forty-one classes I can count on one hand the number of classes that were disappointing, actually I can count “them” on one finger. That was the class with two cliques; all the others might have had students who came from a number of high schools, but they jelled as a class fairly quickly. That one class didn’t jell. As a matter of fact, even the elected president of the class maintained allegiance to her cluster. It negatively impacted the entire year. 

   Our usual number of students ranged from 25-40. In one year a very nasty young lady “poisoned” the 20 or so ninth-graders feeding them nonsense so all but five continued through Confirmation. The five who remained were the quality kids, and the quality parents who didn’t care that the other parents allowed their kids to drop out.

   I was asked whether the students in the 70s were easier to teach than the ones in the 90s and 2000s, expecting to hear a positive response. Indeed, the kids when I began were, well, the best term to use is “tough.” While there have always been a couple in each class that gave us trouble, they were pussycats compared to the druggies and “shoulder chippers” of the early days. 

   There was a guy in my first class who was perpetually high. Everyone thought he’d drop out. He didn’t. As a matter of fact, by the time the Confirmation service came around he was truly “into it.” Today he is a respected physician – perhaps retired since those in my first class are in their 60s today!!! – which probably surprised him and his parents more than anyone else. 

    A book could be written about how the chemistry of every class is impacted by a small number of students, or about the evolution of Jews from their sophomore year (most Confirmation services occur after the 10th grade. Beth El is most unusual in that it’s celebrated when the kids are about to graduate high school) through adulthood. I’d write that book, but I don’t want to.

   Join us on Saturday morning for our Shabbat service at 10:30 when we celebrate Hannah Lovinger’s Confirmation service. You can watch via live stream or, meeting the Covid rules of the congregation that are still in effect, in person.