Participants at the event on March 17, 2024. Credit: Maayan Oved

By Shelly Shwartz

Being a pro-Israel or Jewish teenager in high school right now can be difficult and confusing. The Israeli American Council (IAC) and Shalom Austin’s  Senior Youth and Teen Director, Jessica Ochs, hosted an event on March 18, 2024, dedicated to high-school-aged teens who wanted to learn how to deal with antisemitism, antizionism, and tough questions about Israel, with engaging activities and guided discussions led by Austin’s ShinShin, Yarden Bleicher, and an Israeli exchange student from the University of Texas, Noam Bella. With their guidance, participants were able to engage in meaningful discussions and get a deeper understanding of these issues, while connecting with other teens. Stay tuned for more similar events in the future! This program is developed by IAC and is geared towards high school teenagers.