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How teenage teaching assistants play a crucial role at one New York City religious school

JL;DR SUMMARY Teenage teaching assistants at Temple Shaaray Tefila, a Reform synagogue on Manhattan's Upper East Side, have become an essential part of the religious school's efforts to address the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict with younger students. 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 IdentityReform JudaismTeaching AssistantsCommunity ServiceHamas ConflictYouth EducationTemple Shaaray TefilaCross Cultural ConnectionsZoom Calls

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"This article was produced as part of the New York Jewish Weeks Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around New York City to report on issues that affect their lives."
Bronx, New York, United States
"Charlie Nosenchuk, a 17-year-old 4th grade TA and a junior at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in the Bronx, said her experience addressing Israel in school has improved her teaching in the classroom."
Manhattan, New York, United States
"Silberbush, a junior at the High School for Math, Science and Engineering in Manhattan."
Upper East Side, New York, United States
"When Greer Silberbush, 16, first signed up to be a teachers assistant at the religious school at Temple Shaaray Tefila, a Reform synagogue on the Upper East Side, she expected to read aloud fun stories about Jewish holidays or lead lessons on the Hebrew alphabet, all while getting community service hours."
Israel
"But after war broke out in Israel following Hamas invasion on Oct. 7, 2023, the temples 33 TAs, all of whom are high school students, had to learn to navigate teaching about Israel while also confronting their own emotions regarding the conflict."

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Retrieved 2025-06-13 05:31:16 UTC
Curated 2025-06-13 08:30:55 UTC