Julia and Rena

Valentines Day is in full swing at Van Nuys Public School in Northern Los Angeles.

Two Mexican students are kissing by a car decked with flowers.

Nearly every student is walking around with a heart balloon.

The cement feels the slow pounding of my shoes as we make our way through classroom buildings, on route to the school’s small Jewish Club, which meets on Wednesdays at lunch time.

I hear rap music blasting from the lawn.

A girl is leaned up against a wall crying, and no one is paying attention.

The very strides of the students passing by reek of television.

The multi-cultural faces around me are cold and foreign.

I haven’t felt this out of place in a while. A part of me wants to turn around and run, but the purpose behind our arrival moves me forward.

And still, one question takes up all the space in my mind.

In L.A.’s oasis of Jewish life, what are Jewish kids doing here?

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We entered the classroom, where young faces gave some shape to our mission.

After being introduced as a JSU guest speaker, I face the classroom.

Out of about fifteen kids, eight are boys. And some of the girls aren’t even Jewish.

It’s very nerve-racking to speak to a group knowing that only a possible few are likely candidates for what you have to offer. But I opened my mouth and the words just came. Although the Bais Chana experience far exceeds even the most splendid description, I managed to paint a picture of all the fun and all the learning that would fill a unique President’s Day weekend.

Afterwards, we hung out to try and talk to the girls. The girls that were there all had weekend plans. One had volleyball practice. One had a dad’s birthday. One just couldn’t miss school.

But we weren’t going to take “no” from everyone.

Towards the right of the room, two girls were together studying the postcards we had handed out. We approached them and started talking. They were somewhat interested, and needed to present it to their parents. Acknowledging the limit to our efforts, we exchanged numbers, and told them we’d be in touch.

When we returned to the car, I sat down and sighed – a little overwhelmed. My friend examined a new scratch on our car as I sat inside with a lump in my throat. My eyes grazed the shallow scene from the parking lot as I silently prayed that the Jewish students at Van Nuys High School are blessed with everything they need to vitalize their Jewish identity and express it with true pride.

Only hours later, we are driving on the freeway when we get a call. It’s one of the girls from the school. She wants to sign up, and so does her friend.

Suddenly, our car is bursting with enough joy to fill a wedding, to last a lifetime. It was extraordinary. With my hand over my heart, I looked at my friend and felt my eyes twinkling.

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The program is now over.

Over the past days, no girl was left untouched by the beauty, intelligence, and warmth of Judaism.

Julia and Rena have since returned to their public school with knowledge, clarity, pride, and inspiration that exceeds the teenager with even the best Jewish education. They are not going back as the same people that left on Thursday. There is a recharged soul glowing within that can take on anything.

I am grateful to have a Rebbe that sends us marching into unfamiliar territory. Two Jewish girls now know that they belong - all because we walked into a place where we felt we didn't.