New Jewish Culture Club Started by Toronto Teens

From left, Lindsay Fein, Hannah Lidsky and Jeremy Rosenthal started a Jewish Culture Club at North Toronto Collegiate Institute.

The North Toronto Collegiate Institute has its first Jewish Culture Club in ten years thanks to the hard work of three teens.

Lindsey Fein, Hannah Lidsky and Jeremy Rosenthal, classmates and friends in the eleventh grade, became inspired after attending a Torah High class at the Village Shul in Toronto. Torah High, run by NCSY Canada, allows students to learn about Judaism while earning high school credits. Together with NCSY Canada staffer Shyndee Kestenbaum they launched a Jewish Culture Club last month.

“I think it’s important to celebrate your Judaism and be proud of it,” Fein told The Canadian Jewish News. “It’s a good opportunity for everyone to get hands-on activities and have fun at lunch with other Jewish students.”

Rabbi Glenn Black, CEO of NCSY Canada, commended the students.

“It’s great to see our NCSY students taking initiative like this, and its incredible to know how much of a thirst for Torah and Jewish values there is among Jewish students in public high schools,” he said. “Seeing this kind of grassroots approach validates our dedication to reaching out to the thousands of Jewish students in our public high schools.”

Read the full story from The Canadian Jewish News here.