This winter break, I am going to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with my family. It’s kind of a tradition that we go every year together. I go with my parents, sibling, cousins, aunts and uncles. I’m really looking forward to it because it’s really good...

Podcasts — edited audio recordings of people talking about various topics — have recently grown in prominence and popularity, especially among teen listeners. Podcasts are often free and accessible via many platforms such as streaming on the Apple...

On Yom Kippur 5769 (2008 ), Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg stood on United Hebrew’s bimah and delivered a sermon that explored what the holy day is about: “change.” As she got further into the speech, she noticed that she overlooked something. Every time...

My great-grandmother sits in her favorite chair, puts her feet up and asks me if I had any trouble finding a parking spot. When I respond, “No, I got a good spot today, right up front,” she smiles and crosses her hands, displaying perfectly manicured...

This Thanksgiving, I look forward to seeing my out-of-town family. Every year, my family comes in and we don’t usually do anything that exciting; we just sit around and talk. But, I would say that Thanksgiving is the main holiday that relatives come...

Starting at sundown Dec. 2, Jews around the world will celebrate the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, for eight nights. While there are many ways to celebrate Hanukkah, including lighting the menorah, singing traditional songs and eating foods such as doughnuts...

Prior to this summer, the longest I had ever been away from home was five days. It was Presidents’ Day Weekend 2018, and I spent it in Orlando, Fla. at BBYO’s International Convention. I was never a sleepaway camp kid — being away from 9 a.m. to...

The shift from middle school to high school can be one of the hardest times of a student’s life. Anna Speller, an MICDS student and member of Congregation Shaare Emeth, hopes to help alleviate some of the stress and hardships that come along with this...

The Illinois city of Belleville was once home to a thriving Jewish community. Everywhere you looked, there were Jewish teens and young adults. Over the past 50 years or so, the Jewish community in that area of St. Clair County has largely decreased; many...

The North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) kickoff is an event where high schoolers come from across the Midwest to participate in a variety of workshops, celebrate Shabbat and sing and dance together as a community. Taking place over the weekend...

Twice each week, middle school students make their way to Shaare Emeth Congregation to prepare for their b’nai mitzvahs – not an unusual sight by any means. But at this synagogue, there is a key difference in how students learn prayers; they practice...

With midterm elections approaching soon, political-talk is ubiquitous, and for a small number of teens, politics play an important role in their lives. Ranging from campaign-work to advocacy, from staff positions to volunteering, no matter their age or...