The Charlotte Jewish News- August 2026- Page 3
Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
Back to School at Federation: Investing in Lifelong Learning
By Jessica Goldfarb
As backpacks are filled, school supplies are checked off the list, and children settle back into classrooms, a new school year is about to begin across our community.
For students, it is a chance to discover new interests, build new friendships, and develop the skills that will shape who they become. For parents and grandparents, it is a reminder of just how quickly the next generation is growing.
Education has always been central to Jewish life. For thousands of years, our community has understood that knowledge is more than just preparation for a career. It is how we preserve our traditions, strengthen our values, ask meaningful questions, and inspire each generation to take responsibility for the one that follows.
That belief is reflected throughout Jewish Charlotte every day. In preschools where children learn through play and begin celebrating Jewish holidays. In classrooms where students explore math, science, literature, Hebrew, and Jewish history side by side. On college campuses where young adults continue building Jewish community while discovering who they want to become.
Beyond the classroom, Federation’ s Outshine Hate initiative provides educational opportunities that help students, teachers, parents, and community members learn to stand up to hate and fight antisemitism together.
Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte makes such opportunities possible by strengthening our community. Through support for beneficiary agencies like Charlotte Jewish Preschool, Jewish Preschool on Sardis, Charlotte Jewish Day School, and North Carolina Hillel, Federation helps ensure Jewish learning remains accessible at every stage of life.
Programs like PJ Library introduce young families to the joy of Jewish books and traditions, often becoming a child’ s first connection to Jewish learning before they ever step into a classroom.
It is also worth remembering every lesson extends beyond the classroom. Every book read, every question asked, every tradition shared, and every difficult conversation helps shape the future of our community. By investing in both education and Jewish education, we are not only preparing children for success in school. We are preparing the next generation of Jewish leaders, community builders, and changemakers who will carry our values forward for years to come.
This is one of the many ways Federation helps to shape the future of our community through the Annual Campaign. If you have not yet done so already, we invite you to make a gift and help ensure these educational experiences continue to inspire, strengthen, and prepare the next generation of Jewish Charlotte.
The Most Powerful Lesson Isn’ t in the Textbook
By Douglas Greene
At a moment when antisemitism is rising nationally and Jewish students increasingly report feeling isolated or misunderstood in school environments, the Student to Student program at the Stan Greenspon Holocaust Center( SGC) offers something uniquely powerful: authentic human connection.
Through the program, Jewish high school students enter classrooms across the Charlotte region and share what it means to be Jewish in America today. They speak not as lecturers or historians, but as peers. They discuss holidays, traditions, family stories, identity, antisemitism, Israel, and the realities of being Jewish in contemporary society. And the result is often transformative.
Affiliated with the national“ Be the Narrative” initiative, Student to Student is built on a simple but profound premise: prejudice often grows in the absence of familiarity. The most effective antidote to stereotypes and misinformation is relationship-building and genuine human connection.
Since becoming the Charlotte area lead for Student to Student in 2020, the SGC has expanded the program into a growing regional educational initiative that now reaches students, educators and school systems throughout North and South Carolina.
During the 2025-2026 academic year alone, Student to Student presentations reached more than 1,000 students and over 100 educators across schools including South Mecklenburg High School, Palisades High School, Ballantyne Ridge High School, Fort Mill Middle School, Community House Middle School, and the North Carolina School for the Deaf.
What distinguishes the program is not simply the information shared, but who is sharing it. Jewish teens themselves become ambassadors, educators, and bridge-builders. They answer difficult questions candidly and thoughtfully while modeling confidence in Jewish identity and public engagement. The presentations often include ritual objects and visual aids such as Torah scrolls, mezuzot, yarmulkes, and challah, helping students experience Judaism not as an abstraction, but as a living culture and community.
And their impact extends well beyond the classroom. These students have presented to educators during Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Holocaust elective professional development trainings, helping teachers better understand how to create responsive and welcoming environments for Jewish students.
They have also participated in the Charlotte Yom HaShoah commemoration, represented Jewish youth perspectives during a statewide elected officials breakfast hosted by Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte( JFGC), and spoke to educators from four states during the SGC’ s Fall Day of Learning in partnership with Brandeis University.
This year, three Charlotte-area students were even recruited by Facing History and Ourselves to be interviewed for national educational resources on Jewish identity that will be used across the country. Educators consistently describe the program as one of the most meaningful components of Holocaust and antisemitism education.
One teacher shared,“ This student-to-student connection has profoundly expanded my classes’ perspectives by bridging the past with the present and replacing preconceived notions and ignorance with authentic understanding.”
Importantly, Student to Student aligns directly with emerging educational needs across North Carolina. As school districts implement the state’ s Holocaust education standards and elective coursework, administrators and educators increasingly seek trusted community partners capable of helping students understand Jewish identity in nuanced and contemporary ways.
The SGC is uniquely positioned to meet that need. The program also demonstrates the broader communal value of Federation-supported beneficiary agencies. Through strategic investment, JFGC helps empower initiatives that strengthen Jewish life, deepen civic understanding, and proactively address antisemitism before incidents escalate into crisis.
The potential for growth is considerable. An additional educator dedicating at least 50 percent of their time to the initiative would allow Student to Student to reach more than 5,000 students annually. That expansion would dramatically increase the SGC’ s capacity to engage schools, train additional student leaders, and meet growing demand from educators seeking meaningful antisemitism and identity education resources.
At its core, Student to Student is not only about combating hate, but also about forging belonging. It enables Jewish teens to stand
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proudly in their identities while giving non-Jewish students an opportunity to discover Judaism through curiosity, empathy, and relationship. In an increasingly polarized educational landscape, that kind of encounter may be one of the most important forms of education we can offer.
Andrew Rosen
andrew. rosen @ compass. com M: 704.604.4756 O: 704.234.7880
Andrew Rosen is a real estate licensee affiliated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws.