Student to Student clears the air

Max Kleinman of Fairfield is alarmed by results of a study of nearly 2,500 Jewish teenagers that the Jewish Federations of North America conducted, working in conjunction with Stanford University.

Nearly half of the respondents are experiencing significant anxiety over rising antisemitism related to Israel’s war in Gaza, causing stress that ranks second only to academic pressure. They reported feeling isolated and targeted, particularly in school and online.

Mr. Kleinman, who was CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest from 1995 to 2014, believes the Student to Student program he has brought to the region can help.

This classroom-based program, originally founded in St. Louis by the Be The Narrative organization, trains Jewish high school juniors and seniors to “demystify” Judaism by explaining their Jewish practices and experiences to non-Jewish peers. The goal is to foster dialogue and help counter antisemitism and ignorance, while giving young leaders an opportunity to give a human face to Judaism.

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During the 2023-2024 school year, 497 Student to Student Jewish teen presenters made 440 classroom presentations in 137 schools, reaching more than 17,000 students nationwide.

“It’s a scary time for Jewish teens, and I think programs like this should be one element of helping them not only combat antisemitism but also build up their leadership skills so they will have greater confidence when they go to college campuses,” Mr. Kleinman said.

His 16-year-old granddaughter, Marlee, is one of the five Jewish students who underwent training to be a Student to Student ambassador in MetroWest.

At a recent session at Watchung Hills Regional High School, Marlee told ninth-grade world history students the story of her great-grandparents, Holocaust survivors whose experiences shaped her own understanding of resilience and what it means to be Jewish today.

It’s only fitting that Marlee is participating, as the program is funded through the Gail S. Kleinman Endowment for Interfaith Israel Education in memory of her grandmother.

“My wife died about 16 months ago,” Mr. Kleinman said. “She was very active in many spheres. She chaired the Interfaith Committee at our synagogue, Agudath Israel in Caldwell, and developed an interfaith cookbook, ‘Nourishing Our Souls,’ which sold over 500 copies, and all proceeds went to food banks.

“Gail was a believer in building interfaith bridges,” he continued. “And as a staunch Zionist, she felt we spend a lot of time talking about Israel among ourselves and not enough time talking about Israel with non-Jews.

“So I set up this endowment, with a commitment for at least $100,000, housed at the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest. I’m a great believer in endowments to perpetuate the memory of a loved one, because every year the income funds a project around an issue the loved one cared about. And interfaith Israel education was something my beloved Gail would have appreciated.”

When Mr. Kleinman looked for existing programs to fit the bill, Rabbi Ari Lucas and Susan Werk of Agudath Israel suggesting Student to Student to him.

Rabbi Lucas said he learned about this program from the author Dara Horn, a member of the congregation “who is a leading voice in the Jewish community on issues of antisemitism in her own right.

“I am excited about this program because it seeks to address the challenges of antisemitism proactively from a place of positive engagement with the Jewish community,” Rabbi Lucas continued.

“The program empowers young Jewish leaders to talk about what Judaism means to them and showcases a range of beliefs, opinions, and practices. One student, speaking personally about what Passover means to them, is more powerful than 10 lectures from a rabbi or teacher on the history and meaning of Passover. If we’re going to break down people’s negative stereotypes of Jews, we need them to encounter Jewish people in all of our blessed diversity.”

Last November, Be The Narrative came under the umbrella of the Jewish Federations of North America. JFNA provided Student to Student training materials to the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, where the program is overseen by Linda Scherzer, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Committee, and Avi Siegel, the director of teen initiatives.

Mr. Siegel said the goal is simple: To change perceptions through personal connections.

“The program trains local Jewish students to craft and hone their Jewish story, mentoring them with workshop facilitation skills grounded in their values,” he said. “Federation works with public, private, and parochial schools to welcome the students into their classrooms to give presentations that are dynamic, experiential, and engaging.”

Mr. Kleinman’s granddaughter, a student at Montclair High School, said, “The most important part of training for Student to Student was to make sure that people understand what you say. A lot of the time we assume people will know what certain terms mean, but a lot of people don’t even know what words like ‘Shabbat’ or ‘Chanukah are, and I think sometimes I forget that.”

When she and her four co-ambassadors gave their first presentation, at Watchung Hills High School, their audience was more engaged than she’d expected.

“I was really happy that the kids interacted and asked questions after the presentation,” Marlee said. “I think this program can definitely make an impact. Teaching people about other religions or cultures is so important, especially today with all the bigotry in this world. I believe the way to end stigma is to teach others about other cultures. I think a lot of times people judge things they don’t know much about, so if we share our stories, I believe the world will be a better place.”

Another Student to Student ambassador, 17-year-old Sam from Millburn High School, said that for him the most important training aspect was understanding how to answer difficult questions — not on behalf of the Jewish community, nor as experts, but from the personal perspective of their own experiences and beliefs.

“The situation that we presently are in is unpredictable, and having a tool kit that can help meditate difficult or insensitive questions is very important,” he said.

“Not only is this program helping to show non-Jewish teens what Judaism is, but personally it has also taught me about faiths of other teens,” Sam added. “Very rarely do teens discuss faith or religion, and it is very impactful to discuss difficult topics like this with our peers.”

Miles, 17, of Maplewood, a student at Columbia High School, underscored Sam’s point. “We learned not to talk about what Jews believe and do, but to talk about what you believe and do, to relate Judaism to yourself.”

Participating in Student to Student “has made me more aware of my Judaism and how it relates to the world,” he added. “I believe it has taught me the only way to beat hatred is to make sure people aren’t ignorant.”

Mr. Kleinman is raising more money for the endowment and will match donations to keep the fund growing.

“I’m looking for more support so that more teens can participate,” he said. “The anxiety among Jewish teenagers is palpable. I hope this program helps move the needle for Jewish teenagers and their gentile peers.”

For information on donating, email either Mr. Kleinman at Mkleinmanconsulting@gmail.com or Greater MetroWest Foundation director Michal Warner at mwarner@jfedgmw.org. For information on participating, email Avi Siegel at ASiegel@jfedgmw.org.