Last weekend I had the privilege of traveling with six of our 11th/12th grade students to L’Taken. This four day intensive social justice program is organized by the Reform movement’s legislative office, the Religious Action Center. During this seminar students learned about current issues in our country and the Jewish values around each. The culmination of programming and study lead to the students writing their own briefs and lobbying their House Representatives and Senators. This is teaching about process and our government at its best.
Below are the four briefs written and delivered by Alexis Abelove, Claire Cohen, Dahvi Cohen, Megan Griffin, Isabella Kaufman and Clarisa Sherman. I am proud of each of them and feel optimistic about our country’s future at the hands of these young leaders and other students like them.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Cohen
Claire Cohen and Dahvi Cohen Gun Violence Issues
Alexis Abelove and Bella Kaufman Reproductive Rights
Rabbi, thank you for sharing these briefs! They are well written, heartfelt, thoughtful and motivating. It is easy see why you are so proud of them, these young women are shining examples of our future!! The L’Taken program is such a great experience for Jewish teens. The intensive exercise of taking a current issue and wrapping it with Jewish values & text, to presenting to members of congress will be a memory Claire, Dahvi, Alexis, Bella, Megan and Clarisa will take to heart and give them strength and courage to champion social injustices well into the future. All of TBS should be proud of them, I know I am!