Community Building

We have held a number of Shabbat dinners, hosted by Lights of Tomorrow members, to bring Jewish teens and allies together and give them a chance to connect with a sacred Jewish culture practice.

In October 2025, we held a Sukkot event to give teens a chance to connect, reflect on the anniversary of October 7th, and celebrate this festival.

In December 2024 and 2025, we held Hanukkah celebrations where teens connected over the values and practices that make this holiday special. 

At our 2024 Hanukkah event, we brought together American teens and Israeli shinshinim (high school graduates on their year of service before the army) to make paintings with messages of support and hope for October 7th survivors. 

In March 2025, we worked with the Israel Forever Foundation to hold a Zoom conversation between American and Israeli teens where we shared our experiences, fears and hopes as Jewish teens today. 

At our 2025 Hanukkah event, teens spread the light of this holiday by making thank you packages for lone soldier veterans. 

In June 2024, we brought a group of teens to the Nova Festival exhibit in NYC, giving them an opportunity to bear witness to the horror of the Nova massacre and of October 7th together. 

We have partnered with other Jewish organizations (including Chabad of Yorktown, the Justice Brandeis Law Society 9th JD, Israel Forever Foundation, and Faces of October 7) to host two consecutive October 7th memorials, bringing together hundreds of Jewish and non-Jewish community members to remember and to bear witness to survivors' stories.

For Yom Hashoah in April 2025, we brought a group of teens on a tour of The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in NYC. 

Students on our executive committee take part in planning and organizing our programs and events. 

All of our events are teen-led, giving Lights of Tomorrow members opportunities to develop their speaking and communication skills and to make connections with community organizations and leaders.

We give teens the opportunity to directly engage with local government officials to increase support for Lights of Tomorrow initiatives.