Teen Travel at CBI
Have Values, Will Travel…
Once they hit High School, CBI teens (Religious School students and unenrolled teens alike) have the chance to pack their bags, stay up way too late bonding, and put their ethics into action with social justice-focused trips across the nation. Our CBI clergy, staff, and expert lay leaders (in conjunction with organizations like the Religious Action Center and Tzedek America ) arrange these life changing adventures each year for students in grades eight through twelve. While the destinations change each year, the community service and community building does not.
Recent years have seen our students
- Learning about immigrant justice at the Arizona/Mexico border
- Investigating Jewish history and impact in New York City
- Exploring wraparound support for unhoused communities in Los Angeles
- Lobbying their congressional representatives in Washington, DC
- Pursuing environmental activism in San Francisco
- and honoring historical struggles and ongoing work toward civil rights in Alabama and Mississippi.
Finances should never be a barrier for CBI members and families who are investing in their child’s Jewish education. With the generous support of the Roscoe and Debra Nelson and the Rosenfeld Family, we are able to offer scholarship support to families in our social justice travel for teens. If you are interested in receiving scholarship, please indicate this when you enroll or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to inquire.
Teen travel at CBI is open to all CBI teen members, regardless of their enrollment in Religious School programming.
5786 has seen our ninth graders studying social justice in Los Angeles, our eleventh and twelfth graders learning environmental stewardship in the bay area, and—unforunately—our tenth grade trip to Washington, DC cancelled due to weather. An eighth and ninth grade Coastal Shabbaton is on the horizon, and we’ll have details on travel in 5787 soon…
You will have the opportunity to sign up for a trip when you register for the 5787 Religious School year. Teen travel is open to all CBI students, whether or not they are enrolled in our Religious School program; if you are not yet ready to register but know you want to join a trip, please let us know and we will inform you when direct registration opens. Scholarship support is available.
Civil Rights Trip
For twelfth grade
Saturday, November 7 - Wednesday, November 11
$1,800 per student
Travel through the American South with CBI congregant and former civil rights attorney Ron Silver for a powerful, firsthand exploration of the Civil Rights Movement. Along the way, students will visit historic sites, hear from voices carrying this legacy forward, and engage deeply with the ongoing work of justice and equity. This meaningful journey challenges participants to connect past to present and challenges them and to consider their own role in shaping a more just future.
San Francisco Environmental Justice Trip.
For eighth and ninth grades
Friday, February 12 - Sunday, February 14
$1,800 per student
Explore Northern California through the lens of environmental justice with Tzedek America, where teens will engage with big questions at the intersection of land, community, and sustainability. Through guided hikes, farm-based learning, and meaningful conversations, students will examine how environmental policies impact marginalized communities while discovering the role of food justice in cultural resilience. Grounded in Jewish values, this immersive experience invites participants to deepen their connection to the earth—and to their responsibility to care for it.
L’taken in Washington, DC
for 11th and 12th Grades
Friday, February 6- Sunday, February 8
Our three-day journey through Northern California explored where environmental justice, Indigenous land stewardship, and sustainable food systems converge. Students engaged directly with the land—restoring habitats, supporting wildlife conservation, and learning from Indigenous leaders reclaiming and protecting ancestral territory. Guided hikes, farm-based learning, and community conversations revealed how environmental policy intersects with systemic inequality, and how food justice fuels cultural survival. Rooted in Jewish values and a shared commitment to justice, this immersive experience deepened understanding of the ties between people, land, and sustainability, sparking action toward a more equitable future.
