With a goal to bring people together no matter religion, gender, ethnicity or background, Jewish Student Union (JSU) is a club that is open and welcome to everyone.
JSU meets Wednesdays once a week from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in room 1106, in Mollie Oakeley’s classroom. Senior Class President Zoe Klevens talks about what JSU is and appreciates what it has done to help her. Klevens has been president since her sophomore year.
“The purpose is to bring people together whether you are Jewish or not and feel like you belong. It is a place that people feel they can always go to. There’s pizza, games, and fun learning,” Klevens said.
Senior Benjamin Kruger enjoys the club and the people it brings together.
“I am involved in JSU because the people are absolutely wonderful. It’s an awesome space and time to connect with the Rabbi and my fellow Jewish peers,” Kruger said.
Klevens has one message that she wishes people would hear and understand about the club.
“You don’t have to be Jewish, it’s just a place to have friends. The Rabbi loves getting to know everyone and remembers people’s names,” Klevens said.
The club embraces everyone’s unique backgrounds and wants people to enjoy a time to hang out with others.
“JSU is one hundred percent open to all students and if you want to learn about Judaism, have intellectual conversations, and eat some pizza,” Kruger said.
Sophomore Nava Scheer shows up to JSU as much as she can and has helped find her Jewish identity through the club.
“I am involved in JSU because I wanted to find a place where I could feel understood as a Jewish teen and be able to come together with other Jews from my school to see that there are more of us than many people think,” Scheer said.
Not only has JSU helped people individually, it has also helped shape a community that can come together no matter a person’s age or school.
“I like when we have events that aren’t just with kids at Central because it’s a great way to meet new people as well as underclassmen,” Klevens said.
Scheer is hopeful for next year and the new people the club will get.
“I hope that JSU really gets recognized as a big club for a school. I hope we can gain lots more people than we have now,” Scheer said.
