For Prospect campus security member Sarah Milstein, representation was always something she looked for. She wished for long lasting relationships with her friends, specifically others that are Jewish like her.
So when Milstein came to Prospect this year, she knew it was highly important to get that Jewish representation in the Prospect community.
Milstein decided to form a Jewish organization at Prospect, now named by Milstein and the club members as JSOP (Jewish students of Prospect). She outlined her main goals for the club.
“This will serve as a space for students who share a common culture,” Milstein said. “To join once a month to talk and perform acts of social justice.”
While this club has never existed at Prospect before, Milstein, who is Jewish herself, thought it would be beneficial to the entire student body, whether they are Jewish or not.
To Milstein, it is important that students have the representation in high school that she lacked growing up. Another of her goals for the club is for it to grow as the years go on.
“I want this to be a club that takes root in 2023 and develops into something meaningful for current and future students.” Milstein said.
The club isn’t just for Jewish students either. According to Milstein, it’s for anyone who has a genuine curiosity about the Jewish culture.
One of the main things the club hopes to achieve are “Mitzvahs” which is the Hebrew word for good deed. The club really wants to focus on giving back.
Some of Milstein’s ideas for the club are having donation drives, adopting a family for the holidays), which is being paired up with a family and providing them gifts and making their holiday special), making fleece blankets, and partnering with a children’s hospital to give back.
While this is still a new club, they are already making a difference by giving a group that has faced so much oppression a safe space.
“We are a small but mighty group,” Milstein said. “ We are trying to make an impact.”
The group has already made an important impact on one student. Freshman Evie Thomas is excited to be a part of something important to her.
“In middle school there were, like, no Jewish people there, so it’s nice to connect with [Jewish] people [here]” Thomas said. Thomas feels like she meets Jewish people here at Prospect, but it’s still not a huge community, so hopefully being a part of the club can introduce her to more of the community.
For Thomas, JSOP is a new way to connect with her friends since she feels like her friends don’t really know the backstory of Jewish culture and traditions. She feels like it gets tiring explaining holidays Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Thomas feels excited for this new club, and has some of her own goals that she hopes to get out of joining.
“I want to connect with other people and do good for the world,” Thomas said.
