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Emerging Leaders
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T
his summer I had the
opportunity to par-
ticipate in the Shalom
Hartman Institute’
s Emerging
Jewish Thought Leaders:
Together At Home. I was sup-
posed to be at
Camp Ramah in
Wisconsin for
my final summer,
but COVID-19
disrupted those
plans. I had to
readjust every-
thing and decide
the best way to spend my sum-
mer.
When I found out that I
would have the chance to learn
with several hundred teens from
all over the country and to talk
about issues happening in the
Jewish community and issues
happening all over the world, I
was intrigued.
Over the course of a month,
we had three weekly Beit
Midrash sessions and after every
single one, I reflected on what I
learned and what the other teens
had to say. The most memorable
Beit Midrash session was “Israel
as Home for All its Citizens,
”
with Mohammad Dawarshe
and Masua Sagiv. Dawarshe, an
Israeli Arab, and Sagiv, an Israeli
Jew, discussed and debated the
ongoing issues in Israel and
whether they think a two-state
solution is still possible.
Over the course of the session,
we explored the role of Israeli
Arabs in society overall. Being
able to listen to Dawarshe’
s story
and his views on Israel really
changed my perspective, too. I
believe that the State of Israel
belongs to the Jewish people, but
I think Israel needs to continue
finding more ways to be inclu-
sive to all Israeli citizens so they
can feel at home, too.
I really want to thank the
Hartman Institute for giving
me the privilege of listening to
amazing speakers and for giving
us all a voice. I can’
t wait to use
what I learned from this pro-
gram and to bring it with me all
the way to Israel.
Tali Rubenstein lives in West
Bloomfield. This school year, she will
be attending Alexander Muss High
School in Israel for a semester, and
then returning to Groves High School
for the remainder of her junior year.
T
hroughout my time as
a fellow within Shalom
Hartman’
s Emerging
Jewish Thought Leaders:
Together At Home program, I
was consistently pushed to grow
as a student as well as a Jewish
teen. I was able
to explore my
Judaism, strength-
en connections
and build new
relationships. But
most of all, my
thinking was chal-
lenged, unfailingly,
every single day.
Whether it was through my
elective about meritocracy and
the ways in which it influences
the Jewish community or Beit
Midrash sessions where I was
able to listen to some of the
most accomplished individuals
speak, I found myself contin-
uously questioning my morals
and beliefs.
Most of all, I looked forward
to my small group discussions,
in which I was able to unpack
the most challenging topics
within a more personal setting.
Being able to speak with teens
just like me from across North
America was incredibly impact-
ful and, despite the many miles
between us, I found myself
forming unique connections.
Above all, being able to create
a capstone project that encom-
passed my knowledge from the
summer was the most influen-
tial component of this experi-
ence. I chose to explore further
how social justice is a funda-
mental part of our Judaism,
and I did so through creating
a website with a close friend
and member of my small group
cohort. Being able to provide
others with ways to help various
social justice movements was
significant and subsequently
helped to strengthen my argu-
ment.
Ultimately, being able to learn
and grow as a Jew during such
an unprecedented time was
beyond enlightening. Exploring
the contemporary challenges
that North American Jews face
evidently challenged and shaped
the way I live my life. I am
incredibly grateful to have been
able to be a part of this program,
and this experience is one that I
will undoubtedly never forget.
Lenna Petersen is a rising junior at
Bloomfield Hills High School, and
is
passionate about social justice,
journalism and politics. She is NFTY
Michigan’
s communications vice
president and loves to spend her
summers at Goldman Union Camp
Institute.
6 | SEPTEMBER 3 • 2020
Tali
Rubenstein
Editor’
s Note: After realizing the cancellation of summer programs and camps for Jewish teens through-
out North America would leave them without a meaningful summer experience, the Shalom Hartman
Institute and national and local partners recruited 260 emerging teen leaders to engage in a month-long
fellowship. Two of those teens agreed to write about their experience for the JN.
Lenna
Peterson
ically be together is something
that I pray our teachers will be
able to experience in the not too
distant future.
— Janet Pont
Southfield
Another Jewish
Primary Winner
The August 13 article about win-
ners and losers in the August
primary failed to mention another
Jewish candidate.
In the three-way primary race
for an open seat on the Oakland
County Circuit Court, Jewish
candidate Lorie Savin topped the
ballot against Clarence Dass and
Maura Battersby Murphy. Mrs.
Savin, an Oakland County Friend
of the Court referee, will now face
Mr. Dass in the November general
election.
— Sheldon Larky
West Bloomfield
Ann Arbor Protesters
I fear that recent news reports
on the court case involving
picketers outside an Ann Arbor
synagogue (Aug. 27, pg. 27)
tend
to accept at face value the picket-
ers’
self-image as benign human
rights advocates.
In fact, as public records show,
the leaders and many of the fol-
lowers are hard-core antisemites
and neo-Nazi sympathizers. The
following information, readily
available from public sources,
I have compiled as part of my
University of Michigan research on
American hate groups.
LETTERS continued from page 5
continued on page 10
HENRY HERSKOVITZ