This week’s JCC State of Mind is written by Rebecca Kahn, Director of Teen Leadership and Pittsburgh Diller Teen Fellows Coordinator
Last week, the Pittsburgh Diller Teen Fellows returned from a week-long leadership, Jewish learning, and global community-building seminar in Spain. The experience was the culmination of the Diller Teen Fellows program: an immersive, year-long leadership training fellowship for 10th and 11th graders centered around exploring Jewish identity, connecting to a global network of Jewish teen leaders, and gaining important skills to make an impact on the world.
While the Fellows were unable to travel to Israel this year, their week in Spain learning about the past and present was perhaps more meaningful than anyone expected. Together with more than 300 Fellows — teens from Israel, South Africa, Australia, Canada and across the United States — the focus was on the oft-forgotten history of the Jews from the region and the modern connections we can draw from that period to the current state of Jewish peoplehood and Israel.
Fellows learned about the Spanish Jews’ period of thriving culture during Moorish rule, and of the painful period of history following the 1492 Alhambra Decree that ordered the expulsion or forced conversion of all the Jews in Spain. They heard firsthand accounts of Israeli Diller Teen Fellows’ personal losses and struggles during and after October 7th, and they discussed ways to move forward through hardship as a united Jewish community.
The Fellows visited the old city of Córdoba, learning about Maimonides, a rabbi and philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages, and the small pockets of Jews still living in Spain today. They visited the Alhambra Palace in Granada and learned about Don Abraham Seneor and Don Isaac Abarbanel, the Jews who bravely fought King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I to change their minds and permit the Jews to stay and practice their faith in Spain. Fellows imagined their own fates had they been Jews in Spain and discussed the value and necessity of establishing a secure Jewish future.
Their reflections on more than 500 years of history helped synthesize the goals that the Fellows work towards all year: To enrich their community through lessons of leadership, Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), and a rich exploration of personal and communal Jewish identity. Learning about the ancient history of our Jewish people helped the Fellows shed light on the importance of these goals today.
There is so much more I can say about the trip: The relationships forged between our Pittsburgh teens and those from other global communities; the lasting bonds of friendship and partnership made with our Partnership2Gether region in Karmiel/Misgav, Israel; the centering of a Jewish teen narrative focused on finding community, combatting antisemitism, and celebrating Jewishness in all its forms.
The values of community, connection and Jewish peoplehood are highlighted in the comments of the Pittsburgh Fellows:
“Being in Spain with Jews from all over the world made me realize how deeply I had been craving to be in a place where everyone was Jewish and loved Israel and I didn’t have to hide a core part of my identity. And, if anything, the Spain Seminar felt like an escape from the hardships we have to face in our everyday life and it allowed us to focus on meaningful connections with teens throughout the world.” – Sivon F.
“Over the Spain Seminar I learned how valuable other people can really be and how much their stories and lives can impact you and vice versa.” – Sylvia S.
“My experience in Spain with Diller was a lot of fun! I enjoyed meeting people from all over the world as well as getting closer with my own cohort and our Israeli partnership.” – Anne M.
“The trip not only helped me develop my leadership skills and self-confidence, but it strengthened my connection to my Jewish identity. It showed me what it truly means to be a Jew living outside of Israel, especially during this time.” – Sol B.
I am amazed by the impact a year-long program like Diller Teen Fellows can make on the lives of its participants to become activated leaders in their community spaces. I cannot wait to see how this Spain Seminar continues to inspire our current group of Diller Teen Fellows. I look forward to working with the next Diller Cohort and to experience how the ripples of good the Fellows are exploring impact our Jewish community in Pittsburgh, and beyond.
Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom,
Rebecca
