At a time when Israel and the Jewish people have become the focus of political agendas, several local teens have taken on the mission to share their lives with non-Jewish teens in an effort to foster good relationships.

The program is part of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation’s Student to Student program.

“The program was started in 1992 by the JCRC of St. Louis,” said Nicholas Bush, Youngstown Area Jewish Federation development and community relations manager, and coordinator of the program.

The program brings Jewish and non-Jewish high school students together to learn about Judaism through personal experiences and storytelling. Two Poland High School students who have taken on the task are Eli and Jake Hagler. Recently, they discussed their experiences with more than 20 students from Newton Falls High School, and they plan to continue with other area schools.

“I started sharing my Jewish heritage with others primarily through the curiosity of my friends and classmates,” Jake Hagler said.

He said antisemitism hasn’t been a major issue in his life, but he has experienced it through the stigma around Jews and especially the strong opinions around Israel in modern politics.

“People often assume things about Jews or even dislike Jews as a whole due to opinions on the current war,” Jake said.

He said there have been many times during his presentations when other teens were unaware of things he talks about, noting “most don’t know ‘anything of substance'” about the religion.

“It’s just manly stereotypes,” he said, “so everyone was very surprised when they learned.”

Jake’s brother, Eli Hagler, said many students are in awe when they hear the talks he gives.

Eli said many have come away from a presentation gaining new knowledge and insight into what it means to be Jewish. Eli said being amazed by the information is more common than many would think.

“A lot of people didn’t know about how close Christianity and Judaism are to each other,” Eli said.

For the future, both Eli and Jake plan to continue their efforts.

Besides Jake and Eli, the local delegation in the Student to Student program includes Tres and Blythe Hively (Bio-Med in Rootstown), Maddie Long (Crestview High School), Sid Brawlasce (Beaver Local) and Jensen McKelvey (Ursuline High School). The next stop for the program will be Salem High School.

“It’s so important for teens to be the ones to teach people their own age about Judaism,” Bush said. “It makes it less of a lecture and more of a fun learning opportunity. I also think it makes it less intimidating for students to ask questions of kids their own age, rather than have one of us do the same.”

He said the program has experienced tremendous success for both the student leaders and the schools they have visited.

“They have been able to lead candid conversations about their Judaism and some of the unfortunate hate they receive because they don’t shy away from who they are,” Bush said. “Having these honest conversations, hopefully, will make students think twice about making a joke or a harmful comment about Jews.”

According to Liron Daniel, Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Israel engagement coordinator, and coordinator of the program, the impact has been both immediate and meaningful. She said there is steady strong feedback from both hosting teachers and their students.

“What stands out most to me is the level of sincerity and maturity the participants bring into the room,” Daniel said. “When young people speak honestly about their identity and experiences, it creates a space that feels real rather than theoretical. That authenticity is what makes the program effective. It doesn’t just deliver information, it builds understanding.”

She said complex topics like Judaism, Israel, identity and antisemitism are often discussed from a distance or through headlines. This program replaces assumptions with human connection. It allows non-Jewish students to encounter Judaism not as a concept, but as a lived experience shared directly by their peers.

The Jewish Community Relations Council represents the Jewish communities of Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania to safeguard the rights of Jews here, in Israel, and around the world. It’s an agency of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation. To learn more, visit jewishyoungstown.org.