THE SCA HOSTS BOOK TALK WITH NATAN SHARANSKY FOR COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOLS

THE SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY ALLIANCE (SCA) HAS BEEN USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENSURE LEARNING AND ENGAGING WITH THOUGHT-LEADERS CAN CONTINUE AND EVEN THRIVE, DESPITE THE LIMITATIONS CAUSED BY THE PANDEMIC. THIS IS EVIDENT IN THE EXPANSIVE OFFERING OF DAILY CLASSES, SPECIAL HOLIDAY-THEMED DAYS OF LEARNING, AND IMPORTANT MEDICAL FORUMS ORGANIZED BY THE SCA.

On December 22, the SCA ran an incredible interactive program, this time with Jewish Human Rights Activist Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy, the co-author of his new book, Never Alone: Prison, Politics, and My People. This talk was especially unique in that it was designed specifically for our community high school seniors. The students of Magen David Yeshivah Joe & Celia Esses High School, Hillel Yeshivah High School, and Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School were able to digitally watch and speak with Sharansky and Troy.

Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Joseph Shamie and the SCA, students from all three schools received copies of the book prior to the talk. This allowed students to explore Natan’s incredible story and discuss the material with their teachers before the event.

Moderated by SCA Trustee and Board Member Jeffrey Beyda, the first half of the program explored the importance of Jewish identity with connecting to something larger than yourself, the role of student activism in the freeing of Soviet Jewry, the importance of continued student activism to advance support of Israel and to fight anti-Semetism, and a discussion about the parallels Natan sees in the pressures he experienced in the Soviet Union to conform to “acceptable opinions’’ with those felt by students today on college campuses.

Jeffrey Beyda explained “The pressure our college students are under today on campus to check their Jewish identity and pro-Israel beliefs at the door—just to be accepted—is enormous. This is why the SCA has made helping prepare our college bound youth for this difficult reality a major focus.

Natan’s story is a real-life example of how tapping into the power of Jewish identity can help one overcome these pressures to conform, and to become an activist who fights back peacefully, with dignity, and in a way that inspires others to bring real and lasting change. Natan is an amazing role model for many of us in this regard, and is especially relevant for our kids who are heading off to college.”

The second half of the program saw thoughtful questions posed by the students which led to discussions on a variety of topics including how the campus environment changes from one US administration to another. Gil Troy, co-author and world renowned presidential historian, academic and Zionist, portrayed for the students how the college environment might evolve over the next few years, and what tools students can use to cope.

Rabbi Joseph Beyda, Principal at the Yeshivah of Flatbush said “Natan Sharansky is a generational leader and therefore one the students will always be proud to say, “I was on a Zoom with Sharansky.” Mrs. Esther Tokayer, Associate Principal at Magen David Yeshivah High School, echoed the same sentiments, saying that her students “truly did feel that they were engaging with people who lived Jewish history, and are proud representatives of the Jewish people.”

Ricky Novick, SCA Board Member who arranged for Natan and Gil to speak to the students said “This program truly was an incredible success in connecting our youth across three schools with one shared goal: to give our kids the opportunity to talk with a true history maker, and to help prepare them for the world they will find themselves in when they reach college. We look forward to many more programs like this one.”

Sarah Sarway, IS A Board Member of the Sephardic Community Alliance. Visit scaupdates.org for more information.

SARAH SARWAY