It’s always fun for high school students to get to pick the brain of a college student – even when it’s about the decidedly not-fun topic of antisemitism on campus.
That dynamic was on display as, sitting in a corner of “The Pits” on the second floor at Adath Jeshurun Congregation, several teens got to talk with University of Minnesota senior Alex Stewart, one of the leaders of Minnesota Hillel, about that very topic – as well as connect with other students who are soon to embark on their post-high school experiences.
“I think having workshops with teens is really important, and I found that they’re mostly, usually, very interested in it,” said Stewart. “It’s not like we’re just preaching to nobody. I find that teens are really wanting that help, too. So I think youth groups, congregations, and any Jewish youth movement has a responsibility to provide those workshops for teens.”
About 70 teens from throughout the Twin Cities spent an hour together prior to “Shivah for October,” the community’s October 7 commemoration. The teen-planned and led event was a collaboration between leaders of North Star BBYO Chapters, EMTZA region USY, their adult advisers, and a StandWithUs student intern.
Yoni Zacks, the EMTZA president, brought the idea to the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, which was one of the lead organizations putting the Monday night event together. He then pulled in Ruby Comito and Jacob Weiss, who are BBYO chapter presidents; Matthew Binder, the Israel Affairs chair for EMTZA; and Shayna Horwitz from StandWithUs.
“I think it was super important that we did something by teens, for teens,” Weiss said. “There have been a lot of events in the last year that have been well done and well thought out, but…it’s hard if you’re not a teen, if you’re not someone who has a foot in that community, in that world, is not online the way we are every day, experiencing these things, to really make a meaningful program for teens. That’s something that’s been a special part of this process.”
Having an event that centers on the community was important to the organizers.
“The community is really important, and it’s one that can always be stronger, especially after the rough year that we’ve had – because it’s been a rough year,” Zacks said. “People need to know that this community will always be there for them no matter where they are or what they’re doing.”
Said Weiss: “I think over the last year, every Jewish teen that I’ve spoken to really wants a place to be vulnerable, wants a place where they want a community where they feel like they’re not alone in these things that they’re going through.
“That’s what makes this partnership so incredible,” he said. “Being able to combine forces with a group that we would otherwise [not work with], and…that this is something that brings us all together and creates this kind of space that people want to be involved [in] and want to rely on.”
After a quick introduction about the event in the Adath chapel, the teens then went upstairs to The Pits and stood in a large rectangle. Weiss asked the group some rapid-fire, yes or no questions about the last year, with the teens stepping forward if they agreed with a statement.
The vast majority of the teens felt an increased connection to Israel, know someone personally who was impacted by the Oct. 7 attacks, and felt more in touch with their Jewish identity. Some of the group said they struggled to explain things to their non-Jewish friends, faced antisemitism in school or online, and few said they had complicated feelings with how Israel has responded or that they would see peace in Israel in their lifetimes.
The event also included packing snacks that would be sent to Lone Soldiers – soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces who have no family in Israel – as well as a letter-writing campaign.
Stewart said that events like this are crucial to helping teens have the right language.
“Something we do at Hillel is roleplay the conversation of somebody coming up to you and yelling in your face. How do you respond to it?” Stewart said.
“We practice those conversations,” she said. “And we have all these things in our toolbox of, how are you going to deescalate the situation, not get yourself all tongue twisted, and not being able to say something back to them? And how do you get yourself out of the situation that you don’t want to be in anymore?”
I really think this event for teens is so important. Is there a similar event for teens in reform synagogues in the twin cities? All young people should be ready with ways to stay safe and knowledge of how to respond to antisemitism in their futures. Thanks for doing what you’re doing.