Ari Weiss is a 16 year old Junior at Shaker Heights High School where he is a member of the Golf Team. A member of JFX since the beginning, he is a graduate of every JFX Sunday School class and continues to be an active member of the JFX Teen Club. In his spare time, Ari is also a pretty avid basketball player and fan. Ari applied to sit on the Federation's Saltzman Youth Panel. The following essay was Ari's application essay.
JFX Community
Q. What does community mean to you? Describe a community you have been a part of, how you have contributed to this community, and how it has impacted your life.
A. A community is multiple people with a purpose that supports you, helps you, and guides you throughout life. JFX – also known as Jewish Family Experience – is how I define my Jewish community; more clearly the people who have had my back ever since I was a little kid and have supported me through all of my religious upbringing.
My role in the JFX community is intertwined. First off, my parents actually helped the head rabbi and his wife, Rabbi Sruly and Ruchi Koval, come up with the whole idea for JFX in the first place back in 2002. JFX has been the center of my Jewish community and education forever; first as a younger kid learning about the basics of tzedakah, chesed and mitzvot, to Bar Mitzvah and learning what joining a community as a responsible adult truly means.
Rabbi Chaim Helman, who is still my main teacher today, gave me an assignment during my bar-mitzvah year. He gave my class a plastic container and told us to fill it up with tzedakah, and whoever has the most money would receive a little prize. A few weeks later when the containers were due, I came to Sunday school with at least six or seven full containers in my hand, and on that day I felt that JFX had truly taught me a great lesson on the meaning of tzedakah and charity. Learning about the needs of others and how our efforts help them has always stuck with me, and combined with my interest in business and finance, I believe uniquely qualifies me as a Saltzman Youth Panel candidate.
That year was a big year for the JFX community. It was a big year because I was their true first bar mitzvah ever, which meant a lot to me, my family, our rabbis and teachers, and entire community. I was able to show all of what I learned throughout my ten years with JFX to my family, friends, and the JFX community on that Saturday night in May, and boy did it feel good. Even today, JFX still teaches me about life lessons from the Torah, and I still learn Torah with Rabbi Helman whenever I can.
Even though I am now in high school, the JFX community today still supports me and offers me community experiences, with JFX teen club and "Mini Mussar” classes every few weeks.
In conclusion, the JFX community is one that has given so much to me and has allowed me to contribute and give so much back as a leading youth member. It has impacted my life in many ways that I believe have prepared me to be considered for this opportunity. JFX has done so much to instill the meaning of community within me, making me a better person as well as letting me share my knowledge with them also.
Shabbat shalom!
Ari Weiss
