Since 1988, 12,000 teens from 130 communities have traveled to our nation's capital to participate in Panim el Panim: High School in Washington. Each seminar brings together diverse groups of 10 th -12 th graders from around the country to explore public policy and social activism through a Jewish lens.

Seminars take a hands-on approach to public policy and Judaism through encounters with leading experts on national and global policy issues. Participants interact with the people and institutions that shape our society and world. Simulations, role-plays, debates and small-group discussions are used to help students apply Jewish values to contemporary social and political issues. Teens emerge with a heightened sense of Jewish identity and a commitment to social and political advocacy. Seminars offer students an intense and interactive educational experience during which they will explore their relationship to both Judaism and activism.

GENERAL INFORMATION
PANIM is a non-profit Jewish organization based out of Washington D.C. that sponsors a number of educational seminars for groups of Jewish teens throughout the year. The mission of PANIM is to inspire every individual who participates in the program to pursue their own vision of a better world by working in homeless shelters and food pantries, by lobbying for policies that support Israel and her quest for peace, by advocating for a more compassionate and just society, and by raising ecological consciousness. The program has been in place since 1988 and has had over 12,000 teens participate in it.

The Panim el Panim Seminar is four days long and runs from Sunday March 4th at 1pm through Wednesday March 7th at 2:30 pm. The CJLL will be traveling, as a group, including one adult chaperone for every 10 students. When planning for the trip, please assume that students will be flying to Washington on Saturday night and arriving home late Wednesday evening. Along with our group there will be a large handful of various other Jewish teen groups from throughout the country that will make up the 80-100 student enrollment each seminar allows.

Costs and Travel
The Panim el Panim program fee is $425 per student. This cost includes hotel accommodations, kosher meals and snacks, transportation during the seminar, admission to museums, as well as program materials. Plane flight and travel expenses to and from the airport, as well as special programming the morning before and after the seminar (made possible by our red eye flights) will be arranged by the CJLL at an additional cost of $425, making the total, all inclusive cost of the trip. $975.
Scholarship money and travel stipends are available. Fear of missing school is an acceptable excuse for missing this incredible opportunity but lack of finances shouldn’t be! To apply for scholarships and stipends, or to answer questions or concerns regarding financial aid for this program or trip arrangements as a whole, please contact CJLL Assistant Director of Youth Services, Danny Blum, danny@jfed.org, 510 839 2900 x 267

Registration
We have a limited number of spaces allowed our delegation at this seminar. To register, registration forms and a $100 deposit must be received by the CJLL by Thursday, January 18th. Student registration forms can be accessed from the link at the bottom of this web page. Once you have sent in registration forms, we will book your plane ticket and reserve your hotel room, If you cancel for any reason, after the deadline, the CJLL will refund your program fees minus the $100 non-refundable program deposit. The full program fee amount must be received by the CJLL before March 4th and includes the $100 deposit.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS
While each seminar differs in specifics, these programs should give you an idea of what to expect from the Panim el Panim program while we are in Washington D.C.

Policy Session
PANIM brings in two speakers with divergent views who are particularly knowledgeable about a specific public policy issue. Past year's discussions have been about abortion, gun laws, drug laws, the death penalty, immigration and refugees, public education, poverty, and environmental awareness. Speakers present for a length of time and then a question and answer session follows. Students will have the chance to choose from two different public policy seminars.

Limud
An interactive activity that follows each policy session, the Limudim are designed to help students understand Jewish perspectives on public policy issues. Students will attend the Limud that corresponds with their policy session topic.

Values Conflict
Participants are given fictionalized scenarios taken from actual events in which they are confronted with a policy-making dilemma to be resolved using PANIM's Jewish Values Matrix. PANIM's Values Conflict sessions are an excellent way to gain an appreciation for the relevance of Jewish values to problem solving and public policy issues.

Azeh Hu Ashir/ Who is Rich?
This program aims to create an opportunity for students to examine and share their value systems with one another, while studying how traditional Jewish texts prioritize community and individual investments. Students begin to understand how their own values, and those highlighted in Jewish texts, lend themselves to the Panim el Panim program and messages.

Pro-Israel Activism
A representative of AIPAC, the Embassy of Israel, and/or other Israel policy organizations brief students on U.S.-Israel relations and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Speakers provide a brief overview of current Israel-related issues of interest to American Jews. Students are encouraged to understand that although they do not live in Israel they can still be positive activists for the nation of Israel.

Homelessness Education
PANIM invites representatives of the National Coalition for the Homeless to speak about homelessness in America. The program usually includes a multi-media presentation and the personal testimonies of formerly and/or currently homeless individuals. Students learn about both the personal and public policy issues surrounding homelessness and have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers. In conjunction with this program, students will be offered the opportunity to distribute clothing and toiletries that they bring from home.

Exploring Capitol Hill
Students will have the opportunity to sit in during a morning session of either Congress or Senate. During our morning on Capitol Hill students will be able to meet with Bay Area Congressional representatives and learn about how their day to day actions affect our lives in the Bay Area.