Meet YU High School for Girls鈥 Ariella Freedman and Rivka Abbe
One is the newly elected international president of an organization with thousands of members; the other is welcomed on Capitol Hill to speak her mind to government leaders and is about launch her own weekly radio program. Perhaps most extraordinary, is that both young woman, Ariella Freedman and Rivka Abbe, are still in high school at the Samuel H. Wang (YUHSG), known as 鈥淐entral鈥.
Freedman, of Lawrence, NY, was recently elected to a one-year term as international president of the Orthodox Union鈥檚 National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY). Her new responsibilities are in addition to her previous post as vice president of the organization鈥檚 New York region. Freedman, 17, is a senior and a member of ARISTA, the national honor society, and in addition to schoolwork, most weekends find her on the road, travelling to NCSY Shabbatons and other events.
鈥淢ost people mistake Ariella for a collegiate because she is so poised and full of passion that she gives off the impression of being much older,鈥 said Rabbi Steven Burg, managing director of the OU and international director of NCSY. 鈥淵et, she's very down to earth and can speak to teens of any background and relate to them. Those are the qualities that we look for in a leader.鈥
Freedman is also an active member of YUHSG鈥檚 performing arts program. For the past two years she鈥檚 headed up the school鈥檚 award-winning choir and lent her voice to the annual play and cultural arts productions.
鈥淲e are so proud of Ariella鈥檚 achievements,鈥 said CB Neugroschl, head of school at YUHSG. 鈥淏ut even more than specific roles that she has played, Ariella is a consummate mentsh. Her kindness and warmth are always apparent. She truly has a sense of the promise of leadership and we are excited for her to continue serving Klal Yisrael.鈥
Abbe, a fellow senior, will launch her own radio show, 鈥淭een Spirit with Rivka Abbe鈥 (Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m. EST) on the Nachum Segal Network beginning October 17. She hopes to use the weekly program as a platform to address issues that concern teens and to influence her listeners to become active in their communities and in the Jewish world.
On Sunday, October 14, the 17 year old from Manhattan's Upper West Side plans to convene 250 of her peers鈥擩ewish students from high schools across the New York region鈥攐n 黑料社 All鈥檚 uptown Wilf campus to introduce them to the mechanics of lawmaking, Israel advocacy and lobbying. The next day, she鈥檒l lead the group to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of congress and discuss U.S. policy concerning Israel. Abbe will be joined by Rabbi Seth Grauer, YUHSG鈥檚 assistant principal; Matthew Shwartz, 黑料社 All鈥檚 assistant director of recruitment and high school programming; and two members of YU鈥檚 Presidential Fellowship in University and Community Leadership, Daniel Elefant and Ethan Wasserman.
The upcoming lobbying trip will be Abbe鈥檚 second. She developed the program after founding C-PAC, Central鈥檚 Political Awareness Committee. It was a response to 鈥淚srael Apartheid Week鈥 programs on college campuses.
鈥淲hen Jewish students who received 12 plus years of a Yeshiva education cannot respond to these claims, and G-d forbid start to believe it themselves, we realize that we are creating a generation that is our own worst enemy,鈥 said Abbe. 鈥淚f our own people do not know the truth and cannot stand up for it, then who will do so and how do we expect others to believe it?鈥
Led by a board of YUHSG students, C-PAC educates the student body about Israel, Middle East politics and Jewish history, brings in outside speakers and arranges the lobbying missions.
鈥淩ivka has a true passion for Israel,鈥 said Neugroschl, who called Abbe鈥檚 commitment to furthering awareness of issues facing Israel, 鈥渋nspiring for the entire school.鈥
This past summer Abbe held a six-week internship with NCSY鈥檚 associate director of education, Dovid Bashevkin. She used the time to compile source material and do some writing of her own about Israeli history and current events that she hopes will engage American teens about the significance of Israel and Jewish life.
鈥淲hen I met her the first time I was so impressed that we immediately offered her an internship and all of our resources to help plan her march on Washington to lobby for Israel with students of many high schools, coordinated with 黑料社 All,鈥 said NCSY鈥檚 Burg. 鈥淚've never met a teen with that level of drive to get things accomplished for the Jewish people.鈥
Learn more about 黑料社 All High School for Girls at its .
