Coalition for Black and Jewish unity brings high school students together for second year of transformative Leadership Academy.

The Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity’s Leadership Academy capped off its second year, building off the success of last year and once again providing a memorable experience for the students and faculty. Just as importantly, once again new and genuine friendships were established among the students — a critical goal of the Academy — as they discovered the common bonds between both communities.

Last year the Coalition, a local organization dedicated to fighting racism and antisemitism founded eight years ago, launched the Leadership Academy to cultivate a new generation of leaders among both Black and Jewish high school students. Over the course of a semester, students met for a series of classes, culminating in an educational trip to Washington, D.C. 

This year, the Leadership Academy — with the generous support from the Ravitz Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Detroit, a Coalition partner — embarked on a more ambitious program with a larger group of students, a new curriculum, a deeper faculty bench and an expanded itinerary for the Washington, D.C., trip. 

“The Leadership Academy is transformative for youth and adult leaders from both communities,” said Erin Dunne Cavataro, the director of Community Relations at Federation and a co-leader of the Academy trip to Washington, D.C. “The teens are energized and eager to learn from each other, and their commitment to building meaningful relationships reinforces the lasting impact of bringing communities together.” 

After a competitive application process, students from Frankel Jewish Academy (FJA), Cass Technical, West Bloomfield High, Gross Pointe South, the Detroit School of Arts and other Detroit area high schools came together for a curriculum tackling some of the most difficult and sensitive issues confronting both communities, such as anti-Zionism, the rise of hate groups, racist and antisemitic conspiracies, police brutality and the Israel-Gaza war.

The expanded faculty included an impressive roster of expert educators, including Wayne State University professors, local rabbis, pastors and community leaders. These speakers included leaders from the Coalition such as former ADL Regional Director Carolyn Normandin and Coalition Co-Director Pastor Robyn Moore, as well as outside experts like WSU professor Dr. Howard Lupovitch, who spoke about Jewish migration in Detroit, and Rabbi Josh Bennett, who addressed the vexing question of Israel and the difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

For Rabbi Bennett, despite the difficult subject, the experience left him uplifted: “I was thrilled to see a group of insightful and committed teens willing to tackle the hard work of understanding antisemitism and racism,” he later commented. “Together, their ability to listen to each other and see the world from a new vantage point was refreshing. It is this unique ability that will lead our community into a more promising future.” 

The Trip to Washington, D.C.

Just as last year, the highlight of the semester was a trip to Washington, D.C. The students visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture and were invited to the U.S. Capitol to meet Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and sit in on a congressional hearing. After meeting the students, Rep. Stevens tweeted photos about the “incredible students” of the Academy.

“I’ve been on many trips with students, and this ranks among the best,” Coalition Co-Chair Rabbi Marla Hornsten raved. “The students connected with each other almost immediately, engaged in deep, meaningful, and difficult conversations and committed to continuing them even after the trip was over.” 

Similarly, Pastor Aramis D. Hinds Sr., another faculty member on the trip and the co-chair of Programming for the Coalition, saw the trip as a source of pride and hope: “This trip was more than just an educational opportunity; it served as a powerful testament to the empathy, understanding, optimism and friendship that thrive when young minds connect across cultures. It fills me with a profound sense of hope for the future.”

Connections

But just as last year, the real beauty of the trip was, as best described by Morgan Jenkins, an African American junior at Novi High School, the “deeper connections while bonding over fun experiences.”

The bonding among the students was evident throughout the trip, whether it was strolling together through the museums or in mundane places like restaurants and airports, where they comfortably sat together and just enjoyed the company of fellow students whom they may never have met elsewhere.

One obvious example was the presence of Israeli student Shira Rafalovitz. Rafalovitz is an 18-year-old Israeli who is in the U.S. for a year as part of the Shinshinim program, which allows Israeli students to defer their mandatory army service for one year. Her perspective and outgoing personality put a human face on the realities of living in Israel post-Oct. 7. On a personal level, she expressed, it was “an eye-opening experience.”

“I’ve learned so much about African American history, resilience and identity,” she said. “At the same time, sharing my own story, especially about life in Israel after the war, was extremely powerful. Many had never heard these perspectives before, and the conversations we shared built bridges between these two amazing communities.”

This year’s semester, just like last year, re-affirmed to the Coalition the need to cultivate future leaders in the fight against hate. These students clearly have leadership qualities and are now better equipped to take on this momentous task.

As Molly Resnick, a junior at FJA, said, “After not only the trip but also the classes, I have felt more comfortable with speaking out and being more aware. This was an amazing program, and I would recommend it to anyone in high school to better understand what is going on in the world and in both of our communities.” 

Mark Jacobs is the co-founder and co-chair of the Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity.