Jewish Student Union is back this year with more activities and events. It also focuses on issues impacting the community and empowers Jewish teens to build a safe space here.
Jewish Student Union (JSU) is returning stronger than ever this year. JSU focuses on creating welcoming and vibrant Jewish communities for teens to learn and connect at school as well as maintaining members and keeping the club fun and intriguing. Senior club president Rachel Reinstein said, “This year we plan to make JSU events fun and interactive, Some examples include the Hannakah party and guest speakers coming to visit.”
Students come to JSU for pizza, the Purim party or even just to hang with friends. There are new activities throughout the school year which provide different opportunities to connect with Jewish culture. Junior club member Maxwell Scherr said, “JSU is a way to build connections and relate to on another level through shared beliefs and values.”
One problem with different clubs is retaining and gaining members which is an issue of note for JSU. Sometimes members are busy, don’t feel like coming, or aren’t interested in the club anymore. JSU has a focus on member retention and finding new and active members this year to create strong bonds between club members. Reinstein said, “Others should join JSU to have a blast celebrating Jewish culture and to gain a support group at Wootton.”
Students have made lifelong memories and friends at JSU as the club has been around nationally for 22 years. There are 329 different JSU clubs in the US with 19,000 participating teens. Senior club member Paul Weiner said, “The activities are a fun way to learn about Judaism because we are educated about our religion in an engaging way through games.”
Recently this club has also been held as a support space for people who are affected by the wars in the world. JSU can comfort these students and make sure they are feeling okay. Oct. 7 marked the first anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel and JSU sponsor Matthew Salzman dedicated his room as a safe space for anybody who would like to seek support about this tragic event. Additionally, school counselors were available to provide further support during these hard times.
Last year, club meetings focused on recent anti-Semitism, the wars in the Middle East, and Jewish issues overall. Principal Nelson and other teachers and staff members also appeared at these meetings.
Aside from the serious and heavy side of JSU, there is still fun to be had. The JSU team puts on diverse events throughout the year, including building menorahs, decorating cookies, spinning dreidels, and more fun and entertaining Jewish activities.
JSU is also a nationally recognized club with 22 years of JSU around the world. JSU is big as 29 states and counting are supporting JSU from only four clubs in Los Angeles in 2002 to now over 389 with more than 19,000 teens participating in 6,000 events annually.
