For millennia, Judaism has not just been a religion, but a tradition passed from generation to generation in an unbroken chain of continuity. Each generation has relied on leaders that understood that they were a crucial link in connecting past, present, and future, continuing in the legacy of their ancestors and securing the future of the Jewish people and our connection to the land of Israel for their descendants. Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) prides itself on both embodying these ideals and teaching them to the next generation.
In that spirit, JNF-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel (High School in Israel) students proudly signed on to support the Jewish Youth Pledge, adding their voices to the 2,050 young people who have already pledged their support. The Jewish Youth Pledge encourages Jewish teens and young adults, ages 13-29, to take active roles in leading and contributing to the Jewish community.
Mike Leven, the founder of the Jewish Youth Pledge, told the High School in Israel students: “We need you to understand your position in the long chain of Jews throughout history, and that chain will continue because you have all committed to being vital links in the future, l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. You can help write the next chapter of Jewish history. We need leaders like you, and if you all work together, you will secure our Jewish future.”
Leven is also the creator of the Jewish Future Pledge, another movement that JNF-USA supports, which encourages Jews of all backgrounds to commit that at least half of the funds left to charity at their passing will be earmarked to support the Jewish people and/or Israel.
High School in Israel President Ron Werner added: “At High School in Israel, we pride ourselves on both our top-notch academics and instilling our students with Jewish values that will carry them beyond the classroom. By signing the Jewish Youth Pledge, our students are telling the world that they refuse to sit on the sidelines, that they plan on stepping up and leading the next generation of Jews, that they will take an active role in securing a better future for the land and people of Israel and Jews everywhere.”
