By ShinShinim, Kyla and Eden
Guest Columnists
One of our ShinShinim in action during May 2025
The month of May has been truly meaningful and amazing for us.
We started the month with an unforgettable experience: attending the Kentucky Derby, and WOW! We can confidently say it truly lives up to its name as the most exciting two minutes in sports, and we’re so grateful to have had the chance to be there.
Our Israeli Story journey also continued, this time taking the project to public high schools, Ballard and Manual, as well as to the Trager Family JCC. It was wonderful to see the teens’ interest in our stories and in learning about our beautiful country. It was also incredibly fulfilling to help expand Trager Family JCC members’ knowledge about Israel and to showcase a different side of Israel than what’s typically shown on social media.
Kyla went on a trip to Great Wolf Lodge with BBYO Teen Connect and had so much fun celebrating Shabbat and enjoying a cozy evening game night. Saturday was all about the water park, and the kids had an absolute blast! We were so happy to be part of such a great weekend.
To conclude our Cooking Culture series, in our final session we made Ashkenazi rugelach and Lotus spread. We loved sharing Israeli immigration stories, including some from our own families, and introducing participants to delicious cultural foods they may never have tried before. Exploring and teaching about the many cultures within Israel was a terrific, heartfelt experience. Thank you to everyone who attended any of the four sessions. It was truly special.
We also celebrated alongside Jewish Louisville teens at the We Will Dance Again party, honoring the We Will Dance Again movement and Israel’s Nova Festival, where so many people lost their lives on October 7, 2023. We had huge fun dancing, eating, playing games, and celebrating with everyone who joined us, as we recognized the strength and resilience of the Jewish people. The teens truly found a place in our hearts throughout the year, and we’re so happy we had the chance to celebrate with them.
Another powerful moment this month was attending the screening of the film October 8 at the Trager Family JCC. Viewing the film was an incredibly emotional and overwhelming experience. As Israelis, we lived through the early days of the war and continue to feel the reality of what’s happening back home. Seeing what Jewish students on U.S. college campuses are going through made us appreciate our work here even more.
We want to send strength and love to all our fellow Jewish students out there. Never be afraid to be who you are, embrace your identity and always remember that you’re never alone.
This month, we also wrapped up our activities with the preschools and Club J. We had such a great time this year teaching, learning, and having fun with the kids. It’s hard to say goodbye, but we’ll be so happy to see many of them again at camp.
And now…even though Louisville’s weather can’t quite decide what season it is, we can definitely feel that summer’s around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited to soon see the kids at Camp J and Camp Livingston. We’re already hard at work preparing for the best summer ever!
Please don’t forget to mark your calendars to attend the annual Israeli Street Fair on Sunday, June 8. It’s going to be a huge celebration outdoors at the Trager Family JCC. We can’t wait to see you all there!