What Happens When Adolescent Girls Really Talk?

Naomi Katz for Kveller

“Hey sexy…want to come home with me?”

It was 7 a.m. I was on the way to work. I felt sick as I entered the subway station, like a stranger had just undressed me with his eyes. His words were actually harmless, but the way he looked at me made me feel dirty.

I was 23 and teaching at a middle school in New York City. The girls in the school—who were probably closer to my age than many of the other teachers—often crowded around my desk, probably because I seemed—and looked—more like an older sister than a teacher. They talked to me very openly about things that were going on in their lives, including being catcalled on the street. It was one thing for me, an adult woman, to have to deal with such behavior. My reaction was clear—I didn’t like it. For my students, girls emerging into their sexuality, it was much more complex. There was definitely a part of them that didn’t like being catcalled, but there was another part that felt complimented, appreciative of the sexual attention from older men, even if it felt creepy.

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When Hate Hits Home: This High School Student Says She Was Targeted For Being Jewish

By Erin Taylor Neuman for Rise News

Hana Epstein, a high school student living in Katonah, NY recently received something in her mailbox that wasn’t mail- but instead a painful reminder that hate is still alive in the world.

In the early morning hours of January 25, Hana’s father went out to get the mail out of the family’s mailbox. He realized their mezuzahs had fallen off near the front door.

Hana’s dad continued to the mailbox where he discovered a white object that he thought was some kind of food lid.

After further inspection, he suddenly realized what it really was; a white square covered in swastikas. The name “Hannah” is also written across the square, with the last h underlined twice with a blue pen. The connection suddenly became evident.

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4 Things I Wish I Knew Before My Bat Mitzvah

Caryn Berardi for Kveller

Every year on the anniversary of my bat mitzvah, I do some quick math in my head to figure out how many years it has been since that momentous day. This year when December 7 rolled around, after my math screamed 25 years, it struck me just how far away from that time of life I really am. A quarter-of-a-century, to be exact. I’m still in denial that I am able to have a 25-year-anniversary of anything other than my birth.

But on December 7, 1990, I stood on the bimah before family and friends (many of whom I am proud to say are still my friends today) and accepted my obligation to adhere to the commandments of Judaism. And then I had a party and opened a bunch of checks for $18. It was a great weekend, though I have no doubt its significance was not fully felt until years later.

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Great Jewish Books Summer Program for Teens

The Great Jewish Books Summer Program brings together rising high school juniors and seniors to read, discuss, argue about, and fall in love with powerful and enduring works of modern Jewish literature. Participants study with professors, meet contemporary authors, and connect with other teens from across the country.

Apply now! Every admitted participant receives a scholarship for the full cost of tuition, room, board, books, and special events.

People React To Being Called Beautful

Though not specifically Jewish, this is a wonderful exploration of beauty in our society. Follow the link to watch this amazing video.

People React To Being Called Beautful
"I conducted a social experiment at my high school. I asked students and teachers to allow me to take their picture for a project. Some of them I knew. Most of them I did not. As I recorded them, I told them the purpose of my project." And Shea, we find this remarkably beautiful :)❤Video courtesy of Shea Glover
Posted by Love What Matters on Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Heart in the East

by Ivy Bernstein, AMHSI alumna

Before coming to Israel, I would have identified myself as a Jewish American rather than an American Jew. I used to feel more connected to my nationality because I didn’t really understand how much my ancestors fought to remain Jewish and allow for me to be Jewish today. The Jews were constantly fighting Hellenism, both its culture and its reign. In Kislev during the year 165, the Jews reclaimed The Temple after fighting for it for many years. They won despite the odds and the candles of the menorah symbolize this miraculous military victory. The candles represent the Jewish people and the oil represents the Jewish energy that somehow managed to persist.

Despite the odds, the Jews have remained a nation and have continued to have that Jewish energy. I think it’s truly incredible that despite persecution, the Jews have somehow managed to remain unified and continue. The light still shines and I am part of that light.

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Israel Semester Offers Chance of a Lifetime

By Carlie Ladinsky, Impact Fellow; As published in the Atlanta Jewish Times

Carlie Ladinsky, a junior at Walton High School in East Cobb, is leaving soon to spend the spring semester at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel on a fellowship granted through Jewish National Fund’s Southeast Region.

I can finally say that I am going to Israel. As an Impact fellow, I will attend the AMHSI spring semester with high school students from North America and across the globe in just a few days.

We will study our core curriculum and an intensive review of Israel and 4,000 years of Jewish history. During the next four months I will have an opportunity to experience Gadna, a weeklong basic training course for Israeli youth; embark on a four-day hiking adventure from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee; and travel to Poland to learn about the Holocaust’s destructive impact.

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