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Getting messy on purpose: How Jewish teen programming can serve as a respite from achievement culture

JL;DR SUMMARY Amidst the pressures of modern achievement culture, Jewish teen programs are reconceptualizing their approach to engagement. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityPhilanthropyFailureMental HealthJewish TeensCommunity ServiceTeen EngagementYouth ProgramsHoneycombAchievement Culture

Places mentioned

East Lansing, Michigan, United States
"When Caitlin Kirby, a doctoral student in Earth and Environmental Science at Michigan State University, defended her dissertation, she appeared before her faculty committee dressed in a homemade skirt crafted from rejection letters shed received in the course of her doctoral work."

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Cairo Item ID 82113
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Retrieved 2026-05-13 05:30:43 UTC
Curated 2026-05-13 08:31:30 UTC