Lake Brantley's Club L'Chaim rises up against hate

Students and faculty of Lake Brantley High School are learning about how to stand up to hate in these troubling times. Through the dedication of Brantley's Club L'Chaim co-presidents Alana Halperin and Jordan Greenberg and student members, another informative meeting was held at the school to bring awareness to the reality of hate in the world, and how to combat it. These meetings are part of an on-going series. The first meeting of this kind was held a year ago. Although the students expected about 50 people to turn up to that event, the auditorium was filled to overflowing.

This year Club L'Chaim, under the guidance of faculty adviser Dan Smith and Rabbi Mendy Bronstein of Chabad of Altamonte Springs, invited 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Dr. Jacob Eisenbach to speak to another large gathering of students about his experiences during and after WWII in Europe, and that anti-Semitism is very much alive today. Eisenbach shared that it was after the war his brother was killed just because he was Jewish.

"This was an empowering event for the students," said Bronstein. "It is important to be proud of your heritage, and each motzvos we do lights up the world with goodness and kindness."

The message students took away from the meeting was not to shy away from anti-Semitism and to be proud of their heritage.

Halperin encouraged the students to start initiatives of their own to promote acceptance and to fight hate, and stated that everyone should do what they can do.

Also in attendance were Mike Gaudreau, executive director of Seminole County high schools; School Board member Abby Sanchez; and Idit Lotringer, director of Hebrew and Judaic studies at the Jewish Academy of Orlando.