advantages/threats to our generation of leadership

What is unique about your generation of Jewish teens and their capacity for leadership? What are the unique challenges of your generation of Jewish teenagers and how do you think they should respond?
As teenagers in the twenty first century, we have been provided with unique opportunities like no other generation has been given before. Yet, living in today’s age also causes us to face new threats and challenges as leaders. The capacity for leadership in my generation is exemplified by each and every honoree here today. All of us have taken advantage of the programming created by the previous generation which started such programs to ensure that the future of the Jewish community would be in good hands. The range of our involvement varies from volunteering internationally, starting non-profit organizations, teaching at Hebrew schools, leading ASSOCIATED committees and much more.
Although we have all taken initiative to get involved, we could not have done it without the resources and assistance from our parents, mentors, and community leaders. The people in our Jewish community are so willing to build young leaders because eventually it will be up to us to continue leading this thriving Jewish community. This concept of including teenagers in typically adult roles is new and catching on in today’s age. In fact many of today’s leaders leaders were never involved as teenagers. For example, once I attended a leadership meeting with Marc Terrill, president of the ASSOCIATED. He explained how astounded and impressed he was with our accomplishments since he had never participated in any Jewish leadership roles as a teenager. If the ASSOCIATED has been able to flourish under his presidency, imagine its capabilities when we become lay leaders.
However, living in today’s world also forces us to face threats from assimilation, terrorism, and missionary groups like Jews for Jesus. The constant temptation to assimilate within American society attributes to the loss of many prospective leaders of our community. Hopefully, with the addition of Jewish Day Schools, on-campus Hillels, summer camps, youth organizations, and other programming, Jewish children and teenagers will be inclined to stay in our community. Terrorism poses a threat to all Jews. By becoming Congressmen or otherwise politically involved in American foreign affairs, we can assist in the effort to annihilate terrorism. Also, through our support and contributions to AIPAC, American Israel Public Affairs committee, we can help to root out terrorism in Israel and all around the world. The last threat, Jews for Jesus, is why we are all here today. According to their website, they “exist to make the messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide.”
By standing on street corners, handing out pamphlets, and preaching that they can “save” Jews, Jews for Jesus is converting more Jews every day. This is the reason that it is crucial for organizations like Jews for Judaism to exist. With the information provided by Jews for Judaism, Jews can be educated about the ways in which Jews for Jesus manipulates the Torah’s language to target Jews and respond intelligently to their missionary attempts. By encouraging the growth of counter-missionary organizations like Jews for Judaism, we can be sure that our future Jewish leaders will not succumb to the pressure by Jews for Jesus.
-Erika