Pair of Jewish teenagers honored

Friday, July 30, 1999 | 9:10 a.m.

Two teens from Congregation Ner Tamid were selected out of 500 applicants to attend a Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education held in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 5-12.

Andrew Urban and David Lieberman, both going into the ninth grade next year, were selected for their leadership potential, Jaqueline Fleekop, educational director for Congregation Ner Tamid, said.

Both teens have gone beyond their bar mitzvah and will be confirmed in June 2000. They are involved in a Post B'nai Mitzvah program, designed to keep teens involved in the faith after bat or bar mitzvah.

It's an honor to have them selected from the Las Vegas area, where the Jewish community is criticized for not being where it should be, she said. "The main thing is we do have quality education going on in our temples," she said.

A maximum of 35 to 50 teens are selected to attend the conference. They will be taught skills to be better leaders in their temples and communities, be exposed to different movements in the Jewish community as well as some of the greatest Jewish educators in the world, Fleekop said.

To qualify each student had to write an essay, send recommendation letters and a resume.

Urban and Lieberman are the only youth selected from Las Vegas, Fleekop said.