Diversity was the order of the evening, as teens participated in “Listen, Learn, & Share,” a program designed to combat hate and bias with education.

Moderated by Rutgers University Adjunct Professor of Sociology Dr. Jackie Phillips, MSW, LCSW, the program encouraged teens to talk with each other about their Catholic, Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish faiths.

Under Dr. Phillips’ gentle probing, participants explained three things others should know about their faith, what they enjoyed most about it, and their favorite foods related to a holiday. Among their discoveries was that each has a significant spring holiday relating to renewal.
 
They also talked about how old they were when they decided to take their individual practices seriously. For almost all, it was in their teens, which emphasized the program’s timeliness.

Danielle Verde, an intern at the Jewish Federation in the Heart of NJ, completing a Masters in social work, designed the program.
 
Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Seeing Human series also recently included an interfaith adult program on different cultures’ spring holidays and their themes of renewal and redemption.

For more information about Federation programs and other ways the JCRC is building multi-cultural allies in the fight against hate, contact danr@jewishheartnj.org.

Our Seeing Human series continues with an all-ages program, Sacred Renewal in Spring Holiday Celebrations, on Monday, April 26 at 8 PM. REGISTER