(Courtesy of Valley Chabad) High school teens from throughout the Pascack Valley and Saddle River communities will embark on a journey toward education and awareness of the continuing lessons of the Holocaust through Valley Chabad’s Eternal Flame Teen Fellowship program, launching for its sixth year next month.
Rabbi Yosef Orenstein, director of the Valley Chabad Teen Leadership Initiative, explained its mission: “This fellowship is a three-part journey into one of the darkest hours in our history, the Holocaust. It also discusses the current anti-Semitic incidents taking place and hate toward Israel in our society in general and specifically on college campus. Our aim is to educate our youth through empowering them and showing them that they have the ability to be ambassadors of light and good in our society.”
Matthew Lustigman, sophomore from Woodcliff Lake and a 2018 fellow, recalled his experience: “Not only did I understand what the Jewish heritage had to endure, but it also made me self-aware about what it means to be Jewish. We must not forgive or forget the troubles we have been through but we must learn and evolve from them. As the last survivors are slowly becoming extinct, it is our job to listen and learn from their stories. It is our job to pass these stories on to our loved ones, family, friends and strangers in order to prevent such a thing from happening again.”
New for this year, the fellowship group will be participating in the AIPAC Policy Conference during the Washington, D.C., trip weekend. AIPAC is the largest pro-Israel lobby group in the U.S., seeking to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. The focus will be how teens can live as ambassadors of light and goodness in their respective circles.
The first session begins Sunday, March 3. Englewood-born native Alan Moskin will share his experience in liberating the Mauthausen Concentration Camp.
Eternal Flame, a project of Valley Chabad, is generously supported by a grant from the George and Martha Rich Foundation. Thanks to generous donors, the fellowship remains only $180, which includes all programs, sessions, D.C. transportation, food and accommodations ($1,300 value).
The fellowship is open to all Jewish high school teens regardless of affiliation, and limited space is still available for this year’s program. To learn more about this program please visit eternalflame.org or contact Rabbi Yosef Orenstein by calling 201.476.0157 or email [email protected].
