Rodeph Sholom School Alumni: Leading Jewish Life in High School

By Noah Slesinger ‘23

Across New York City’s top high schools, Rodeph Sholom School alumni are stepping up as leaders of Jewish student groups, bringing their Jewish lives (and love of learning) to center stage. At Horace Mann, Fieldston, Trinity, and other schools, graduates are guiding their peers through the core values instilled at Rodeph Sholom School. Their leadership demonstrates that the lessons learned at Rodeph Sholom School—from their journeys from 84th Street through 79th Street—do not end at graduation; they continue to grow, inspire, and shape the communities they touch.

The Jewish experience at Rodeph Sholom School

For most graduates, stepping into a new school meant stepping into a diverse environment, one where Judaism was not explicitly a given, but a choice. For me, when I started as a freshman at Avenues The World School, it was like a culture shock; for the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who were not aligned with my identity, opinions, or political beliefs. Within the first few weeks, I faced the cruel reality of antisemitism along with a wide spectrum of opinions regarding Israel and its right to exist. I can speak for us alumni when I say that it is more important now than ever to lead, reflect, and share our Jewish identity with our respective communities. For us, in our diverse environments, the instinct to lead came from something ingrained long before high school: the Jewish experience at Rodeph Sholom School.

Building bridges through education and dialogue

At Spence, Amelia Koenig ‘22 leads the Jewish Culture Coalition, a space that blends celebration, support, and, crucially, education. For her success, she credits the mentors at Rodeph Sholom School, including her Jewish Studies teachers, for providing her with the tools to initiate thoughtful conversations and guide peers through challenging topics. “I’ve used many resources from my 8th Grade Jewish studies class,” she said, describing how middle school lessons became the backbone of her work. One of the most meaningful moments came when her group invited Mr. Glasser, former head of Jewish Life and Learning at Rodeph Sholom School and now at the American Jewish Committee (AJC), to speak at Spence following the violent antisemitic attacks in Washington, D.C., last year.

At Fieldston, Shyli Ginor ‘22 stepped into leadership at a time of rapidly rising antisemitism. She began in the Jewish Affinity Group, then founded the Jewish-Arab Alliance to build bridges where misunderstanding often lingers. The impulse to create spaces for shared learning came directly from Rodeph Sholom: “Community and learning were part of everyday life there. When I moved to a more diverse school, I realized how important it was to help build community for others.” 

Similarly, it is because of Rodeph Sholom that Viva Topper-Kroog ‘22, now co-chair of the Jewish Culture Club at the Masters School, learned that thoughtful dialogue is a core value, as she wanted “Jewish students at [her] school to feel proud of their Judaism,” a goal her experience at Rodeph Sholom School inspired her to pursue. “I think it’s important for people to learn how to form their own opinions based on truth from reputable sources,” she explains.

For Leora Day ‘22, co-running the Jewish Affairs Club at Trinity (with fellow alumnus Joshua Gerson ‘22) gave her a way to bring Jewish traditions to classmates of all backgrounds through community events like latke-making classes. The instinct to build community, she says, traces right back to Rodeph Sholom, which “set us up to be Jewish leaders in high school.”

At Friends Seminary, Jack Blitstein ‘22 carries forward values that always felt natural at Rodeph: togetherness, giving, and thoughtful questioning. “All School Shabbats, making tzedakah boxes, and learning Hebrew…grounded me,” he explains. Now, he works to create a space that feels just as open, supportive, and meaningful as the head of his school’s Jewish Culture Club. 

Within Horace Mann, Charlie Friedland ‘22 keeps Jewish culture lively through his Jewish Culture Club, via an approach built on joy and accessibility. As President of his club, he turns holidays into opportunities for the whole school to gather, Jewish and non-Jewish students alike. A favorite memory, the dreidel tournament (a quintessential Rodeph Sholom experience), even inspired Horace Mann’s Chanukkah celebration. “I didn’t want to lose the strong connection Rodeph Sholom School instilled in me,” he explained, as his goal is to “help Jewish students find the same thing.” In other words, he seeks to bring the “meaningful experiences” and the “responsibility…to their community” described in the school’s mission statement to his spaces.

A legacy that continues to grow

We students, along with many more Rodeph Sholom School alumni who are leading Jewish life across New York’s high schools, are simply doing what feels natural: creating the kinds of welcoming, thoughtful, Jewish spaces we grew up with at Rodeph Sholom. Rodeph Sholom School taught us about Judaism by showing us what a vibrant Jewish community feels like. Now, in schools where being part of a Jewish community is a choice rather than a given, we are choosing it with pride. More than that, we’re making it easier and more meaningful for others to choose it, too. As each new class of graduates heads off to high school, they will find our student groups waiting, led by kids who sat in the same classrooms, learned from the same teachers, and absorbed the same values. The work continues, passed from one group of Rodeph Sholom alumni to the next, ensuring that the spirit of Rodeph Sholom School reaches far beyond its doors.

---