I believe every Jewish teen has to make a fundamental decision,
especially when getting ready to think about college. Behind
that decision are responses to feelings about Jewish identity.
The question begins with: How do I feel about being Jewish? Is
there anything in the way I feel about my heritage that makes me
different? Is there anything I do that makes me feel different?
How do those differences contribute to who I am? Are these
differences that I should celebrate or run away from? Would I
rather be the same or different from other students who aren’t
Jewish? Are our Jewish teens getting any guidance about this?
These prompts are either-or in nature, though we know that life
is not generally like that. But in order to really prioritize
values, the black-white choices are what helps clear the dust
from the corners. Underlying any choice is the light shining on
the things that matter for our teens’ future Jewish involvements
in college and beyond. There are no easy answers to this one. It
depends on what