RKYHS students and African American students at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, have been participating all year long in a collaborative program to combat racism and antisemitism. Students met in bi-weekly seminar sessions to broaden their horizons and increase cultural and racial understanding and awareness. It brings together two groups of students from different backgrounds to discuss the important topics of racism and antisemitism, develop friendships and learn from each other about their lived experiences. Past topics have included affirmative action, the death penalty and a rise in hate crime.

They’ve each also had the chance to spend time together visiting the other group’s schools several times during the year. A group of the program’s participants took a culminating trip together to the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jackie Robinson Museum in NYC. The students and teachers were joined on the trip by Ariel Nelson, JKHA/RKYHS alumni parent, who established this meaningful initiative for students at both schools in memory of his mother Eva Nelson z”l, a Holocaust survivor. RKYHS looks forward to continuing the program next school year with a new cohort of 11th and 12th graders.