An Inside Look Into OCSA’s JSU

Kayra Hidirlar

Numerous clubs, organizations and groups that are offered at OCSA give students opportunities to get involved in extracurricular activities. The Jewish Student Union (JSU) is one of the groups known to contribute to the OCSA community through its educational programs regarding Jewish culture.

Rebekah Sundukovskiy (IA ‘24), the current president of JSU, joined the group in seventh grade and has been participating in its activities every year since then. “What drove me was the lack of Jewish representation on campus,” she said.

To fight against this lack of representation, JSU holds classes open to the entire student body. These classes teach students about Jewish culture, holidays, and history.

In addition to these classes, JSU organizes multiple events both within school and outside of school. One event that made a large impact on the OCSA community was when JSU interviewed Eva Schneider, a Holocaust survivor, about her story. Milana Berhe (CW ‘24), one of the co-vice presidents of JSU, expressed that “so many people and teachers and other staff were so impacted by that presentation” and added that she “felt like we did something important for this school.” 

JSU is planning on doing this educational event again this year, but on a bigger scale. Last year, not everyone was able to attend the event due to limited space in Symphony Hall. People were pouring out into the halls and even then, not even a quarter of the students were able to fit. Therefore, JSU is seeking to give as many people as possible the chance to hear from a primary source, while there is still time. “We’re the last generation who is going to get to hear from survivors,” Sundukovskiy mentioned. “It’s such a rare occurrence now.” 

On a separate note, while JSU’s main goal is to stand up for and spread awareness about the Jewish community, it is also a place to become a part of a group filled with like-minded peers. “We have our own JSU culture, and it’s not just about the religion, it’s about the culture and even just the people,” remarked Noga Raz (CAH ‘24), the other co-vice president of JSU.

The board of JSU highly encourages everybody to attend their meetings, which are held in A14 every blue Thursday, because of the time and effort they have spent to give OCSA students a chance to contribute to ever-lasting change. At the end of the day, JSU is a place where people can learn about Jewish culture, interact with others in a positive setting, build leadership and teamwork skills, and take action on issues regarding the discrimination of the Jewish community. Look out for these events that the JSU will hold in the future because they have a lot planned for this year for the OCSA community!