Fresh Ink For Me

Four years of Fresh Ink for Teens made me a confident writer and affirmed my commitment to Judaism.

Lizzie Zakaim

Four years have passed by in the blink of an eye. All too recently I was a hesitant freshman, discovering my niche in a diverse habitat — public high school — after popping my 10-year bubble of Jewish day school. In high school I encountered many people and many conversations about my customs: Why can’t I hang out on Saturdays? Why do I label my containers “meat” and “milk?” Do I own a dairy farm? I was learning how to cope with my new world, and I eventually found solace in writing. I have since adapted to my diverse atmosphere and wrote about some of my experiences as a Jew in public school (“Discussing God in the Chemistry Lab” and “Confessions of a Day School Dropout”). I am fortunate to have nine articles and one poem published on Fresh Ink for Teens.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

Teen Perspective: Don't Underestimate People With Disabilities

Jake Borenstein for The Jewish Week

Editor's Note: As we recognize the 10 companies selected for the Ruderman "Best in Business' award, we are delighted to bring New Normal readers a teen perspective on employment and disability.

Actress Nikki Reed says, "What is important is to treat everyone like an individual and learning not to generalize disabilities.” She experiences autism first hand because her brother has autism. She strongly supports autism awareness and helping people understand that people with disabilities should be able to have a productive place in society.

Young adults with disabilities need jobs in today's workforce.

These kids are much smarter than we credit them for. Different organizations have already been successful incorporating the idea of inclusion, and it would save the government money on Supplemental Security Income Benefits, OR SSI, government funded monthly payments to help out families with disabled family members.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

Poet Zelda

Prepared by Ken Stein and Rich Walter, CIE, for IsraelEd.org

Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky, known simply as “Zelda,” was one of the most widely acclaimed and personally beloved of Israeli poets.  The daughter and granddaughter of Chasidic rabbis, Zelda was born in Russia on June 20, 1914. Her first cousin was Rabbi Menahem Mendel Schneerson, the famous Lubavitcher Rebbe who was regarded by his followers as the Messiah.

In 1928, Zelda’s family made aliyah to the land of Israel.  The family settled in Jerusalem, and both Zelda’s father and grandfather died shortly afterwards.  She became a teacher and spent most of her adult life living with and caring for her mother, in both Haifa and Jerusalem.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

A Chipped Tooth

by: Alex Pressman for FreshInkForTeens.com

The tale of a red lollipop and a trip to the Garden of Eden from the dentist's chair.

I suppose it was my fault, most of it anyway. If my time on this Earth has taught me anything it is that nothing bad or good can be completely attributed to one person. Hitler could not have gotten so far with the Holocaust were it not for some gifted Don Drapers in the propaganda department. Jordan could not have won his six rings were it not for Pippen starting at small forward; such is simply the way things are.

It should be noted that the series of events I am preparing to recount are from an early stage in my childhood and could possess more than one historical inaccuracy. Some of the early memories tend to get blurry when I relive them. What I do know for a fact, however, is that Jackie Burnbaum did push me down the stairs, I did break a tooth and I did have an exceptionally profound experience in the dentist's office. Beyond that I suppose much of what will be heard is extrapolation into some of the deepest crevices of my memory. The insight given is surely a result of my exposure to the world beginning long after my little story. After all, everyone is bound to leave that dentist's office at some point whether they are ready or not.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

The Value of Human Life: Acknowledging and Addressing Deaths at the Hands of Police

Brought to you by RAC.org; By Claire Shimberg

According to The Guardian’s investigation, the deaths of Isiah Hampton, 19, in New York City, and Quandavier Hicks, 22, in Cincinnati on Wednesday, brought the number of people killed by police in the United States in 2015 to 500. The total number includes both unarmed victims and encounters when responding violent altercations. Through a project called The Counted, The Guardian is using reports and crowd-sourcing to keep track of American deaths at the hands of law enforcement. The Counted keeps track of data such as the names, races, ages and other information about those who have died. 

The lack of official, federal reporting of the number of people who die in police custody each year represents a significant obstacle to addressing the problem. Fortunately, in late December of 2014, Congress passed the Death in Custody Reporting Act. The law mandates that all states receiving federal criminal justice assistance grants must report, by gender and race, all deaths that occur while people are in law enforcement custody- from arrest to release. Additionally, the law requires the collected data to be reported to the US Attorney General for analysis. The RAC was proud to advocate for the Death in Custody Reporting Act and is optimistic that it will increase accountability, transparency and trust between law enforcement and communities.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

The College Road Trip: #GetMeOutaHere

by: Doria Leibowitzfor FreshInkForTeens.com

Handbook of embarrassing questions? Check. New iPhone Mom can’t turn off? Check. Let the tours begin.

Parents of high school students do weird stuff. I think of mine as bears in hibernation. Freshman year, sophomore year, they just sort of read the paper, eat some porridge and ask how school was, but come junior year, and specifically spring of junior year, they awake, rise up and with a loud roar, scream: “ROAD TRIP!”

Yes, the dreaded college bonding trip with your parents. Spend three days, see five schools and connect with your parents through 500 miles in the back seat of the car, hearing them reminisce about that same exact road trip they took 30 years ago. They say it’s the ultimate bonding experience between parents and child and something not to be missed. But guys, I gotta tell you, that ride down memory lane is oh so painful for the child. There are lots of stories and rekindled memories, but do I really want to know the exact tree where my uncle threw up 30 years ago or where my dad ... well, you get the idea.

Continue reading.

Follow us on   

‘App’solutely Atrocious

by: Chayala Nachum for FreshInkForTeens.com

A Shabbos App overrides Shabbat prohibitions, but this teen doesn’t want a day of rest to become a day of text.

In this century, when technology advances with lightning speed, we tend to forget about a different time, when things like Shabbos timers and electric ovens were nonexistent. This may come as a shock, but not so long ago, people lived without electricity or running water and they had to make Shabbos. Seems impossible. But our ancestors managed just fine.

Now this may be stroke-inducing information, but the world should know the truth: cell phones with the capability for texting were nonexistent 20 years ago. There are many survivors living today who led normal, productive lives before the invention of this life-sustaining device. Our parents, and even some of us, lived in a world without texting or touch-screens (and most amazingly, candy crush.)

Continue reading.

Follow us on