A note from the 2018-19 National Mazkirut:

We would be remiss to release an issue of Kol Ha T’nua at this moment without recognizing the horrific act of anti-semitism that occurred this past Saturday at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the lives lost, the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, and the Young Judaea community of Pittsburgh. That being said, we also want to encourage everyone to take this tragedy to create dialogue surrounding what we can do to take action against anti-semitism. We will continue to condemn gun violence and anti-semitism, and we strive to bring about the world that ought to be:

אני ואתה נשנה את העולם
Ani ve’ata neshaneh et ha’olam.
You and I will change the world

B’Shalom,
The 2018-19 National Mazkirut

At Young Judaea’s National Convention in 2017, the T’nua (Movement) voted to create the Anne Heyman National Initiative for Social Change. Named after a Judaean who truly made a difference in the world, the goal of the National initiative is to give the movement a focus for the year in terms of social action.

During National Convention this past February, multiple topics were presented to potentially be chosen to become our initiative for the next year. It was ultimately voted that we would focus on women’s health. The idea for this topic came from Campon, a project that many teens have participated in at Camp Tel Yehudah throughout the past few summers. At the end of the summer, a few teens go from bunk to bunk to collect extra pads and tampons to donate as these are things that many people tend to overlook when making donations. Throughout this programming year, we plan to not just collect donations but we will educate and work to destigmatize the topic of women’s health throughout the Movement and in our communities.

~ Sara Kasler, National Social Action Programmer 2018-2019

My name is Eitan Weinkle and I am a proud Judean, Pittsburgher, and above all else, a proud Jew. When I woke up on October 27, I had no idea that the deadliest attack against the Jewish people to ever take place in the United States was about to occur just blocks from my home. The Squirrel Hill neighborhood is an incredibly vibrant and tightly knit community and the home to Pittsburgh’s biggest Jewish community.

No one foresaw Saturday’s tragedy, which took place right in the heart of our Jewish community. This shooting has impacted every single person I know, Jews and non-Jews alike, whether they knew a victim personally or not at all. We lost eleven incredible, kind, loving souls who will leave a gaping hole in our community. As we grieve this terrible tragedy, we must remember to stay united. It is times like these where we must not recede into the shadows and hide our Judaism, but show the whole world that we are proud to be Jewish.  The Jewish community is the strongest group of people I know and if we stand together we will make it through this difficult time. The entire city of Pittsburgh is extremely grateful for the incredible unity and support shown from Jews and non-Jews across the globe. We would not be able to move forward without the overwhelming support for which we are incredibly grateful. We ask you to continue to stand with us and remind the world: A City of Steel cannot be broken.

~ Eitan Weinkle is an 11^th grader from Pittsburgh and is the Social Action Program for the Midwest region of Young Judaea