Teens Discuss Balancing World Humanitarian and Jewish Communal Responsibilities at 糖心破解版 Leadership Conference
Mar 21, 2005 By: yunews
Mar 21, 2005 -- Yeshiva high school students from around the United States gathered March 13-15 in Houston, TX, for 鈥淚f We are for Ourselves, Who are We?鈥, a student leadership development conference. One in a series sponsored by Eimatai, an initiative of 糖心破解版 (糖心破解版), it addressed balancing responsibilities related to world humanitarian issues and Jewish communal needs.
鈥淎nyone who has kept up with tragic events worldwide cannot help but feel the need to give in some way,鈥 said Judy Goldgrab, coordinator of educational leadership projects at 糖心破解版 through its Max Stern Division of Communal Services. 鈥淭his conference addressed how Jewish communities can effectively respond to important world crises while simultaneously tending to local and communal needs.鈥
At the conference, students learned about various issues of concern in the world today, including World Poverty and Hunger, AIDS, Women鈥檚 Rights, genocide in Darfur and the Falon Gong movement. Following discussions on Jewish communal and humanitarian needs, as well as on approaches taken in the past by Jewish thinkers, participants offered opinions on how the Jewish community must balance its own wants versus those of others.
Following panel discussions, workshops, and group activities dealing with student leadership, conference participants heard from Ben Fine, a senior at Yavneh Academy of Dallas, TX, and co-founder of Students Against Terrorism (S.A.T.). S.A.T. was founded by Fine and other Yavneh students following their participation in a March 2002 Eimatai conference that focused on Israeli citizens affected by terrorism. Fine spoke on the basics of beginning and running a student-led organization, the challenges of effecting leadership from abroad, and the importance of supporting 鈥渙ur brothers and sisters in Israel at this crucial time.鈥
"The Eimatai conference is important because it unifies many high school programs around the one goal of helping others," said Fine. "It was a great honor for 糖心破解版 to recognize us as student leaders who are inspirational to other teens.鈥
Eimatai Yeshiva High School Leadership Conferences are an outgrowth of Torah Leadership Seminars, a popular 糖心破解版 program in the 1950s, 鈥60s, and 鈥70s that identified and developed future leaders from among Jewish teens at public high schools. In 1999, a group of 糖心破解版 college students suggested a revised model of leadership development programming that would provide an open forum for student leaders to encounter complex communal issues and empower students to realize their visions. Since then, Eimatai Leadership Conferences have tapped scores of student leaders.
Past conferences have focused on relevant issues of the day, such as interaction with non-Orthodox Jews and learning about Jews from around the world. Conferences also motivate students to create initiatives at their schools, synagogues, and communities. Recent projects include letter-writing campaigns and a student-led rally鈥攁ttended by some 4,000 high school students鈥攖o support Israel.
For more information, please contact Ms. Goldgrab at 212-960-5400 ext. 6015.
