Signer Spotlight:
Rabbi Chaim Neiditch
Rabbi Chaim Neiditch is the Founder and Executive Director of the Jewish Student Union of Atlanta
Tell us about your role as the Executive Director and Founder of the Jewish Student Union of Atlanta
In 2007, a Jewish Federation study found that 90% of Jewish teens in Atlanta were unaffiliated and had no connection to Judaism. Our idea was to revolutionize the conventional service provision model: what if we met them where they were?
Instead of trying to convince them to come to us, we went into public and private high schools and established Jewish clubs, giving teens a place to meet where they normally wouldn’t find Jewish programming. We created easily accessible, innovative, can’t-miss Jewish programming where teens are welcomed regardless of their background and where they would build a community of Jewish friends.
We now reach over 4,000 kids a year at 22 schools across six counties in Georgia. JSU helps Jewish teens build a network, including when they go off to college, no matter whether they’re affiliated, unaffiliated, and interfaith who want to get involved.
What has been most concerning to you about the rise of on-campus antisemitism since October 7?
It’s such a difficult time for Jewish teens because antisemitism has become a socially acceptable phenomenon. If you substituted any other minority group into our situation, you would never see people speak to other people that way and get away with it. You would never see a Russian teen punished for the actions of Vladimir Putin, so it is outrageous that Jewish teens, living in a totally different country, are being attacked ostensibly because of false claims about what’s going on overseas in Israel.
Jewish teens are reporting that longtime classmates are now making antisemitic comments that they would have never felt emboldened to say before October 7. It’s not just kids waving Israeli flags being attacked; it’s young Jews wearing Chai necklaces being whispered about, or seeing their peers walk around wearing Hamas keffiyehs in the halls of their high school.
How do we begin to combat antisemitism in American high schools?
You need a zero-tolerance policy. As much as no one wants to admit it, antisemitism is the worst it’s been in my lifetime. It snowballed so quickly, and now everyone needs to adjust to this reality.
If a kid draws a swastika on the wall at school, they need the same consequence as writing a racial slur. If kids walk down the halls with a keffiyeh, it needs to be treated the same as if they were wearing a KKK hood. We must educate students that regardless of how you feel or what you think, it is never ok to harass, threaten, or harm a Jewish student for being Jewish.
What is your message to non-Jews right now?
Non-Jews need to know that we need them right now. People imagine how they would have reacted if they lived during historical events like the Holocaust and say, “If that existed in my time, I would have been the one to do something.” Right now, the Jewish people are under attack. Now is a great time to step up and call out antisemitism. No matter what your opinion is about what happens overseas, it’s inexcusable to let Jewish kids in America feel uncomfortable for being Jewish.
Many young Jews are already involved Jewishly, but how do programs like JSU help the majority of Jewish teens who are unaffiliated?
We can’t focus only on the teens who already have a strong Jewish identity, and are therefore inclined to be involved and connected — we need also to reach those who haven’t yet found their place. We need to actively seek them out, engage them, and show them that Judaism can be a meaningful part of their lives. It’s about opening doors, not just for some, but for everyone. Sometimes, Jews feel disconnected from Judaism because of a bad experience or because they never even had a chance to be involved. We want to open or re-open that door. We want to engage as many teens and their families as we can, and help our kids walk away with more Jewish friends and connections, and with a stronger Jewish identity.
JSU organizes Israel trips, where teens can share their journeys on social media and provide their Jewish and even non-Jewish peers a perspective of Israel much different than the media portrayals. It also gives them a personal connection to Israel, gives them a sense of authority on the subject, and establishes or solidifies a connection to Judaism.
Why did you sign the Jewish Future Promise?
As leaders of the Jewish community, it’s incredibly important we set an example. People look to us for guidance, and we must make sure to publicize that it’s a priority for us to support Jewish organizations for future generations. There are a lot of great causes, but I can’t think of a greater cause than the continuation of the Jewish people.
Bio
Rabbi Chaim Neiditch is the Executive Director and Founder of the Jewish Student Union of Atlanta and is in his 30th year working with Jewish teens across the greater Atlanta area. He previously ran Atlanta’s Jewish Teen Center, served as Regional Director for NCSY Southern Region and Atlanta Region, and served on the Presidential Advisory Council of the Atlanta Jewish Federation. He is the winner of the Marcus Foundation and Jewish Federation’s Shark Tank. He has been named to Atlanta Jewish Times’ 40 Under 40, founded the JSU GO Israel Adventure program for Jewish high school students, and recently testified in front of the Georgia Senate to help pass GA HB-30, the state’s first Antisemitism Hate Crime Bill. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Chava, and four children.
