The Jewish Student Union was founded in April of last year, and in just a short time, it has blossomed into a group of nearly 40 official members, with more students attending events, going to the annual lunch meetings and showing interest each month.
What makes JSU special is not only its cultural focus but also its welcoming environment. The club serves as a space where Jewish students and people who want to learn more about the religion can connect, celebrate, support each other and have fun according to sophomore Mia Priesman, the club president and founder of JSU.
“JSU is here to represent the Jewish community at McCallum,” Priesman said. “We are here to teach people about Jewish culture and foster a safe and loving community.”
What inspired Priesman to start JSU came after attending the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization International Convention, where she witnessed Jewish teens from around the world coming together to celebrate their culture.
“I wanted to bring that to McCallum so we can build a community here and not feel afraid to be proud,” Priesman said.
Priesman, along with a small group of founders, helped start the club and guide it through the challenges of forming JSU. There are a number of challenges that JSU and its’ founders overcame when starting the club.
“Some obstacles we have overcome are finding our club sponsor,” Priesman said. “It took a while to find a teacher who isn’t so busy to be interested. We finally found Mr. Rosen, who is amazing.”
CTE teacher Levi Rosen has played a significant role in supporting JSU as the club sponsor. Rosen’s responsibilities include being present at every meeting and managing the club’s activity fund. But for Rosen, the best part is seeing students connect.
“It’s really neat to see that whole group of people get together and bond and have camaraderie,” Rosen said.
For Priesman, the role of president has helped her grow in many ways. As president, Priesman is in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly, planning each meeting and making sure JSU is the best it can be.
“Being president has also helped my leadership skills since I get to take initiative, use critical thinking, and help guide others on a journey of learning about Judaism,” Priesman said.
Sophomore Maya Anis, the social media manager of the club, is responsible for the outreach to the community, including making Instagram posts.
“I make sure to take tons of pictures and make cute and interesting posts on our Instagram to share what we do in JSU,” Anis said. “I also make the posters.”
Anis helped Priesman start JSU from the very beginning and was motivated by the same goal: to create a safe and welcoming space for Jewish teens. Through her Canva art and Instagram posts, Anis aims to make JSU more accessible and seen to the student body.
“My favorite part about being the social coordinator is making the posts on Canva,” Anis said. “I love finding cool images to put on my post and sharing the pictures I take with others about JSU.”
According to Anis, the club is preparing for a busy school year of JSU activities and growing the club.
“There will be a lot more social events in the future, so I hope to be able to share on Instagram how fun those events will be and spread the word about JSU,” Anis said.
With interest growing, the club has big plans for the upcoming year. From lunch meetings, field trips, volunteer opportunities and even out-of-school social events, JSU is moving beyond the school into more interactive activities.
“It would be great to have fundraisers and more field trips and really get the club going,” said Mr. Rosen.
Priesman, Anis, and the other founders used most of their own ideas to start JSU but they also joined a national network called NCSY that has helped the club access resources and funding to help them grow.
“We did use a lot of our own ideas to start, but joining the network gives us funding, activities, and more, which helped us grow,” said Priesman.
The club continues to get promoted through eye-catching posters around campus and a strong online presence. They also recently had a booth at the McCallum club fair, which brought in even more members and interest.
For a club that started off with a purpose, drive, and only a small number of students, the Jewish Student Union is providing a space for Jewish students to be represented at McCallum and have a fun and inviting culture for people to be a part of.
