The local teens, recently named Bay Area Bronfman Youth Fellows, are both anxiously awaiting their Tuesday departure to Israel.
The two will join 26 other teenagers from the United States and Canada for a five-week program of intensive study, travel and dialogue with members of the Bronfman Fellowship educational staff, as well as with prominent political and literary figures.
They will also have a weeklong encounter with a parallel group of outstanding young Israeli high school students called Amitei Bronfman.
But despite similar summer plans, Greene and Stone have very different points of reference for viewing their upcoming trip.
Greene, a San Rafael resident, visited Israel last summer. Stone, an Oakland resident, has never been.
Greene plans to pick up where he left off and build upon earlier memories. Stone wonders what experiences will await her.
“This is a chance to spend my summer with 25 other kids who really stand out — really interesting people,” said Greene, a Terra Linda High School student who was recently elected student body president. “I hope it’s everything I didn’t get last summer.”
Like the Bronfman Fellowship program, Greene’s previous trip included of a cross-section of local Jewish students. However, Greene said his high expectations were immediately diminished by the group’s lack of enthusiasm for Israel.
“I was looking forward to going to Israel for a meaningful and spiritual experience,” he said, “but the mentality of the group was more that of getting away from home. I appreciated the opportunity to go to Israel and learn. There were few others who felt that way.”
Greene, whose busy month has included representing his school at the American Legion California Golden Boys’ State “Laboratory of Practical Political Science” in Sacramento, feels confident he will find his much sought-after meaning and spirituality with Bronfman.
He is also hopeful he will forge friendships which will last a lifetime, already making contact with some of his fellow “Bronfmanin” through e-mail.
“I’m going to make friendships here that will last for many years,” said Greene. “We’ve already had some pretty amazing, in-depth conversations [over the Internet].”
A member of Reform Congregation Rodef Sholom, Greene serves on the worship committee and was a founding member and first president of RUSTY, the temple youth group.
But throughout his active Jewish life, Greene said he hasn’t had much experience with streams other than Reform Judaism.
“I’m hopeful this program is going to give me the opportunity to look way beyond that,” he said.
Stone, on the other hand, doesn’t know quite what to expect from the trip, but said she’s ready for anything.
“The fellowship program just seemed like the right next step for me,” said Stone, a Marin Academy student in San Rafael, active within the Multicultural Action Coalition and a co-leader of the Gay-Straight Alliance.
Stone spent last summer as an intern for FAITH, an interfaith youth leadership program sponsored by the San Francisco Foundation. In the FAITH program, she was engaged in extensive work surrounding cultural diversity, but none specifically geared toward “the diverse culture within the Jewish community.”
An active member of Kehilla Community Synagogue, a Jewish Renewal congregation in Berkeley, Stone said she hopes to leave Israel at the end of the summer with “a greater understanding of what connects us as Jews.”
“Even though we’re all so different, we can really get along,” said Stone. “I look forward to the experience of building community together.”
The Bronfman Youth Fellowship program, designed to develop future community leaders with a commitment to Jewish unity, was launched 14 years ago by Edgar M. Bronfman, chairman of the Seagram Company Ltd. and president of the World Jewish Congress.
This summer’s group includes 13 males and 13 females entering their senior year of high school, from 13 states and one Canadian province. Greene and Stone were chosen from a pool of 317 applicants.