What’s on the Mind of
Today’s Teenagers


What keeps today’s teenagers up at night? We asked David Netzer, Sophia Klaff and Sarah Merwin from JCC’s 4Front to share their unique perspectives on the future and how they plan to change it. 4Front, the Baltimore Jewish community’s comprehensive teen initiative, is managed by the Jewish Community Center (JCC) and supported by The Associated, the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, and other local donors.   

Continue reading to be inspired by their determination and willingness to take action toward creating positive change. 

David Netzer

David Netzer
Diller Teen Fellow

My largest concern for the future as a Jewish teenager is the rise of antisemitism in America. Over the last few years, hateful attacks on Jewish people have grown and social media has had a disturbing rise in antisemitic content. I feel that my generation needs to respond by taking pride in our identity and not hiding. We need to speak up against hate whenever we see it and work to fight disinformation.

As a teen navigating the complexities of social media, it is vital to always report any type of hateful material. It is also important to support organizations fighting hate speech on social media such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. I think it is important to be connected to organizations that support the community and plan to do this through college and my career.

Sophia Klaff

Sophia Klaff
Peer Leadership Fellows

As a teenager with aspirations of becoming a doctor, I am passionate about addressing the rising healthcare costs for the public. I believe that access to affordable, high-quality medical care is a fundamental human right, regardless of socioeconomic background. By pursuing a career in medicine, I hope to make a positive impact on the lives of my patients and contribute to the ongoing efforts to improve healthcare accessibility and affordability. As a future doctor, I feel a responsibility to advocate for policies that prioritize affordable and accessible health care for all, both in the United States and globally.

Sarah Merwin

Sarah Merwin
Gesher Teen Board Member

As the world continues to evolve farther away from the society that Judaism was originally founded in, there have become new problems for how to make these two divergent ways of living congruent. My concern for the future of the Jewish community is how we will manage to bridge this gap as time progresses and it becomes even more difficult. For example, certain Jewish laws or traditions seem to inherently contradict modern societal norms particularly surrounding sexuality and the roles of women. There are many challenges in how different sects of Judaism choose to handle these issues. Some stick to a more modern approach while others choose to prioritize tradition. I worry that in the future, these different perspectives may cause irreconcilable divisions in the Jewish community.

To fix these challenges, I would facilitate conversations about the discrepancies between traditional and modern Jewish beliefs, acknowledging that societal issues are not always black and white. I would also push the idea that it’s okay to not agree on everything.


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The Associated is a home for everyone in the Baltimore Jewish community. We offer several email lists to help people find a community, engage with their peers and support Jewish journeys around the world.

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