This year during the week of Yom HaShoah, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia brought together two very special groups of teens: our own Diller Teen Fellows and Alumni and a panel of students from Rwanda's Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV).
The virtual meeting took place at a time when both groups were reflecting on historical tragedy. While Jews worldwide remembered the Holocaust, the Rwandan students were observing Kwibuka ("remembrance"), a 100-day morning period for the many lives lost during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. While the teens' past and present realities are worlds apart, they both wrestle with a similar question: What is your responsibility as a young person to remember the past?
Youth leadership was a common theme, with several of the Rwandans teens describing it as integral to both remembering and moving past tragedy.
"Leadership means a lot to my country, as the genocide never would have happened if we had strong leaders," said Deborah Meillah Asiimwe Hirwa, ASYV's student government president. "As young people, we are on a journey of building ourselves from a terrible past to ensure that a genocide never happens again."
Livingstone Rwagatare, a senior at ASYV, said, "Since our genocide happened very recently, we have many survivors who live in very poor conditions. It is the youths' responsibility to give them hope and a better life."
Lily Gaither, a current Diller Teen Fellow, thanked our panelists. "After such a terrible genocide, it is inspiring to hear how you are all doing such amazing things in order to heal your country and pursue your dreams," she said.
During these uncertain times, Philadelphia's Diller Teen Fellows are still able to make connections, strengthen their Jewish identities and learn what leadership means. This was a truly special meeting where all were reminded that our responsibility to remember is shared, whether we live in the next town over or across an ocean.
Know a Jewish teen with leadership potential? Applications for the 2020-2021 Diller Teen Fellows cohort are now open! Click here to learn more.