By Madeline White
Confirmation is not graduation from Jewish life. At its best, it is the opposite. It is a moment when teens are invited to stop simply receiving Jewish tradition and begin asking what it means to them. Not in theory or someday down the line. Now.
For Ella Friedlander, this year’ s recipient of the Michelle Miller Award for Jewish Commitment, that question has shown up in the way she keeps saying yes to Temple Beth El.
“ It meant a lot to receive this award. My whole life I’ ve been very dedicated to this temple, so it was really nice to be recognized for my involvement,” Ella said.
Ella’ s participation at Temple Beth El has been hands-on. On Sunday mornings, she serves as a madricha for younger students. She works one-on-one with students becoming b’ nei mitzvah and teaches Hebrew. She also supports Shabbat services behind the scenes and participates in teen leadership opportunities.
At the Confirmation service in May, Rose Planer presented Ella with the esteemed award, given each year in memory of her sister, Michelle Miller. Rose described Ella as someone who“ says yes to this community over and over again.”
Ella’ s work with younger students is one of the clearest examples of that commitment.
“ I enjoy most being able to be a little part in the makings of these young Jewish lives. Just to be a small positive part of the Jewish journey for those students is what I enjoy most about it,” she said.
The Charlotte Jewish News- August 2026- Page 19
Ella Friedlander Receives the Michelle Miller Award for Jewish Commitment
Ella Friedlander
This year’ s Confirmation class of 5786
That answer says a lot about Ella. It also says a lot about why Confirmation matters. The goal is not only to celebrate what teens have learned. It is to notice who they are becoming and how they are already shaping Jewish life around them.
“ Throughout my time in Confirmation, it’ s brought up a much deeper meaning to my Judaism than I had thought about before,” she said.“ Those moments have helped me figure out who I am and what I believe in our Jewish community.”
One class disscussion in particular stayed with her. While reflecting on theology, the class talked about what they believed God to be. Ella said hearing from her classmates and clergy helped shape her own understanding.
That is the real work of Confirmation. It gives teens room to ask bigger questions without needing the perfect answer. It also reminds us that Judaism is not only something young people inherit. It is something they get to wrestle with and make their own.
This year’ s Confirmation Class of 5786 gave a gift with the next generation in mind. Together, the confirmands donated mezuzot for the Polsky Beit Midrash and Melasky Nursery, two spaces where children spend some of their earliest Jewish moments at Temple Beth El.
It was a meaningful choice. A mezuzah marks a doorway, but it also points toward everything that happens beyond it. Children learn there. They begin to understand Temple Beth El is part of their story too. Years later, some of them will stand on the bimah for Confirmation, surprising the adults who still remember them as toddlers in the hallway.
The Michelle Miller Award adds another layer of meaning to that moment.
Michelle Miller was a member of Temple Beth El’ s Confirmation Class of 2002 and is remembered by her family as thoughtful, funny and deeply dedicated to Judaism. She loved being part of Temple Beth El and BBYO, and her family lovingly called her“ our little Jewish ambassador.”
Since 2003, the award has honored Confirmation students who carry that spirit forward through their own Jewish learning and involvement.
Mazel tov to Ella Friedlander and to the Confirmation Class of 5786. We are proud of the questions you are asking and the Jewish life you are continuing to make your own.