Students to Attend Inauguration

Students to Attend Inauguration

The 2008 presidential election brought out young voters in unprecedented numbers, but it also sparked political interest in an even younger population — those who aren’t even old enough to vote.

Mariana Benjamin, a ninth-grader at Wildwood School in West Los Angeles and a member of Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, is one of these self-proclaimed political junkies, and this month she will watch history unfold as she attends Barack Obama’s inauguration.

During the campaign, Benjamin switched off MTV and switched on CNN, FOX News and MSNBC. Benjamin explained that as part of the country’s emerging generation of leaders, she has a great responsibility to stay informed about U.S. politics. She feels that as a Jewish teen, there is “a responsibility to help the world” and that staying informed is a necessary component to the value of tikkun olam.

Her dedication earned Benjamin a coveted seat in a student delegation that will witness Obama take the presidential oath of office. After participating in a summer program with LeadAmerica, which provides college-accredited leadership conferences for high school students, Benjamin was nominated to join a delegation of 400 high school students from across the country to attend the swearing-in and inaugural parade.

The group will also meet with military and intelligence officers and government officials to learn how each will be affected by the new administration. In addition, the students will take part in a simulation of the president’s first 100 days in office.

Samson Reznik, a Milken Community High School graduate and a senior at Clark University in Massachusetts, was selected by his college to be one of four recipients of a fellowship to attend a seminar on the inauguration and the event itself. Reznik is majoring in government and international relations and has interned for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) in Washington, D.C.

Palms Middle School seventh-grader Jack Bloom will take his second trip to Washington with the National Youth Leadership Conference, which is holding an inauguration conference where the students — who have been identified as potential leaders — will attend the inauguration and a ball. In addition, they will hear from former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Vice President Al Gore.

Bloom’s grandparents, Don and Sally Goodman of Encino, will escort him to the conference and spend some extra time with him touring the capital.

Benjamin financed her Washington trip on her own. She raised the $2,500 tuition to attend the conference by selling baby-sitting vouchers.

“What I’ve gained during this election is a sense of pride in calling myself an American,” Benjamin said. “I expect the inauguration to confirm my confidence.”

— Marion Ashley Said, Contributing Writer

Holocaust Educators Workshop Focuses on Moral Development

Educators and community members are invited to Moral Development Through Teaching the Holocaust: A CA Standards-Based Workshop taking place on five consecutive Thursday evenings, starting Jan. 29.

The program emphasizes using the Holocaust as a way to teach moral development and decision making at the middle and high school levels and is sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance and the Center for Excellence on the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, Human Rights, and Tolerance.

Educators completing the workshop are entitled to salary points from the Los Angeles Unified School District and in-service credit from the Bureau of Jewish Education.

Registration fee is $65 (before Jan. 20); $75 after. Fee includes a kosher dinner each session, all learning materials and handouts, as well as a discount on additional books and videos. To reserve, call the ADL at (310) 446-8000 or e-mail mfriedman@adl.org. Advance registration is required and space is limited.

— Julie Gruenbaum Fax, Senior Writer