Talia was participating in Student to Student, a signature initiative of the Jewish Federations of North America. Jewish teen leaders go into middle and high school classrooms and share their stories about what it means to be Jewish. They talk about Jewish traditions, culture and holidays in an informal setting designed to help dismantle stereotypes and combat antisemitism.

This year, The Associated’s Center for Countering Antisemitism and Hate is bringing this program to Baltimore County and Baltimore City schools.

In Baltimore, 27 teen ambassadors, representing all Jewish backgrounds, are being trained to visit public and independent schools in the coming months.

Talia will be one of them. Her experience in Howard County reinforced how needed programs like Student to Student are.

“This is where it needs to begin if we want to combat antisemitism. Someone can hear a theory, but it doesn’t mean anything unless they have met a person who can humanize what they are hearing,” she says.

Harriette Wienner, co-chair of The Center, along with Jason Reitberger, agrees. “Bringing Student to Student puts a real, human face on Judaism for kids who may have never had a Jewish classmate or friend,” she says. “Bringing this program to Baltimore is one of the most direct, effective things we can do to counter antisemitism in our schools because it doesn’t just teach or preach about prejudice; it prevents it.”

Exit surveys from past national Student to Student programs found that 83% of teachers felt the presentations helped break down stereotypes while actively engaging students. Meanwhile, 84% of students reported sharing what they learned with others or took an additional step to learn more about Judaism.

“This is exactly the kind of work our Center exists to do,” says Harriette. “Student to Student doesn’t rely on statistics or history lessons. It creates relationships that actually change hearts and minds.”

If you know a school that might be interested, contact Rebecca Krasner, Executive Director of the Center, rkrasner@associated.org or 410-369-9229.