Goldshmidts Aspire to Nourish Youth with CTeen

Rabbi Dovid Goldshmidt and wife, Talya, founded CTeen of Atlanta in 2022 with the mission to “provide every Jewish teen with a holistic experience which nurtures their mind, body, and soul.”

Their programs include Shabbat meals, holiday celebrations, college accredited “CTeen U” classes, regional events, Shabbatons, programs at schools, CTeen Jr. (for sixth through eighth graders), Bat Mitzvah Club, teen mental health first aid training, and a Teen Leadership Board. The highlight of their year is the CTeen International Shabbaton in New York where 3,000 Jewish teens from around the world gather in Brooklyn, culminating in a Havdalah ceremony and concert in the center of Times Square.

Rabbi Dovid Goldshmidt “lays” tefillin with a teen.

Talya Goldshmidt noted, “Shabbat meals have been highly successful. Teens appreciate a warm, welcoming, no-pressure environment where they can unwind, be themselves, feel seen, heard, and valued, connect with friends and make new ones, and walk away inspired and rejuvenated.”

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CTeen is supported mainly by local donors in addition to the Zalik Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. The CTeen Lounge is actually located in the Goldshmidts home in Sandy Springs. Larger events are held in local schools, synagogues, or teens’ homes. Most events in the “home lounge” are free of charge.  Scholarships are available for those in need.

CTeen welcomes all Jewish teens, regardless of background or affiliation. CTeeners attend schools including The Weber School, Riverwood High School, Pace Academy, Galloway, Atlanta Jewish Academy, Dunwoody High School, Woodward Academy, St. Francis, Atlanta International School, Fusion Academy, North Atlanta High School, The Epstein School, Davis Academy, Peachtree Middle School, and Ridgeview.

More than 250 teens are enrolled in the CTeen network. Comments from teens include:

“Your Shabbat meals will always be one of my favorite parts about high school,” said Eli B.

“I love connecting with new friends and finding my purpose anew in the Atlanta community,” said Myers T.

“I enjoy being able to freely and happily be Jewish and surrounded by Jews as I am when I am at CTeen,” said Elly E.

When asked if CTeen competes with other existing organizations, Rabbi Goldshmidt explained, “CTeen is not directly affiliated with any synagogue. We strive to coordinate our calendar with other synagogues and youth organizations to avoid any scheduling conflicts for teens. We constantly listen to our teens and parents for valuable feedback to help guide our offerings. Our Teen Leadership Board is instrumental in ensuring we provide programs teens are excited about and enjoy. Teens appreciate when their feedback is translated into action – especially when we allow them to lead the initiative. Many of our teens are involved only in CTeen and many are involved in other Jewish youth organizations. We encourage all of our teens to seek out every Jewish experience they can.”

CTeen is offering two new initiatives this year: the Solomon Leadership Program: a prestigious fellowship where teens explore the “Eight Pillars of Leadership” through a Jewish lens, featuring mentors and distinguished leaders as guest speakers; and a CTeen Greater Atlanta Israel Solidarity Mission.

Rabbi Goldshmidt was born and raised in Chicago to parents who immigrated from the former Soviet Union (his father was a Refusenik for eight years) with no Jewish education. His parents became observant when he was young, and Dovid grew up attending the local Jewish day school in Chicago. Attending the local Chabad House and Camp Gan Israel sparked in him the excitement for Judaism. Early on, he aspired to be a rabbi and to “influence others to be their best selves.”

Sushi in the Sukkah is a popular event.

As a high schooler, he participated in CTeen of Skokie, Ill., served as chapter president, and was elected the first “Leader of the Year” at the CTeen International Shabbaton in 2014. After high school, he joined a Chabad Rabbinical Academy.

Talya was born and raised in Miami. After attending a Chabad summer camp, she was inspired to embrace Judaism and traveled to New York to attend a Chabad school. She met Dovid at a Shabbat dinner hosted by the CTeen rabbi’s brother. After they married in 2021, they lived in Brooklyn and were seeking a community to serve. They connected with Atlanta through the Chabad central office in Brooklyn.

She concluded, “Upon visiting and meeting the Atlanta community, we immediately felt this is the place for us to make an impact.”