WHY JSU IS BLOWING UP MY PHONE

By Joey Hamaoui

Why is my phone constantly dinging with notifications? A teen at Wolfson is sending me a photo of himself putting on Tefillin in his science class. Another teen is texting me to know if I have the donuts for a Chanukah themed JSU Club at Mandarin. A third teen is messaging in a group chat on WhatsApp if we can do a Shabbat Dinner theme for our next Stanton JSU Club. A parent is calling me to ask if her son is eligible for the next Shabbaton and so on and so on.

What is JSU and why are so many teens getting involved? Jewish Student Union (JSU) is an international program designed with a simple mission of getting Jewish teens in public schools to do something Jewish. It’s that simple. It was started by NCSY in LA in 2002 and spread all over the country and Canada to now be on hundreds of campuses with tens of thousands of teens participating each year. By creating a fun, social atmosphere, and bringing engaging Jewish advisors to public school campuses, JSU reaches all types of teenagers.

Working with our teen leaders, JSU facilitates regular club meetings during the club period, before or after school, providing food for body and soul. Programs include speakers from a variety of Jewish organizations, a vast array of fun interactive activities and lively discussions on timely topics. Kosher pizza, doughnuts, holiday foods and other treats are always served.

In addition to our regular scheduled school club meetings, JSU sponsors activities outside of school including retreats, city wide holiday events, Shabbat dinners, social action trips, community service projects, holocaust education, Israel advocacy programs, and so much more.

Here in Jacksonville, we started JSU at Stanton College Preparatory School. From there it spread like wildfire as teens all over wanted to get involved. We opened clubs in Atlantic Coast High School, Mandarin High School, Creekside High School, Nease High School, The Bolles School and Wolfson High School. Some clubs disbanded during the initial lockdowns of the COVID pandemic but most have reopened and this year we hope to open several more.

The unfortunate reality is that most Jewish teens check out of Jewish life as soon as the bar/bat mitzvah checks clear. They send their thank you cards and that’s the last we see of them. Synagogues and Jewish organizations have been racking their brains trying to figure out how to engage these teens and keep them engaged in Jewish life. Without engaged teens we are losing potential Jewish leaders for our community, but worst of all is we are losing our children.

The answer to this overwhelming challenge is JSU. We are on the frontlines of this battles with cutting-edge innovative Jewish programming. We are on campus meeting the teens where they are. We are taking holocaust education from the textbooks and turning it into 360-degree immersive exhibits that travel to their schools. We empower them to share their culture with their non-Jewish friends and develop Jewish pride. We inspire them to be more involved in their Judaism through immersive programing and a non-judgmental approach. We’re connecting them to thousands of teens like them around the county and so much more.

I’d love to tell you so much more about what we do and how you and your family members can get involved, but for now I’m putting my phone down to learn with some teens. Send me a message at (305) 764-7212 and I’ll be happy to connect!