High School Debates foster teens' Jewish identity

The High School Debates, which took place on December 11 at King David High School, is one of the initiatives sponsored by Jewish Federation to reinforce Jewish identity, values and customs amongst our teens.

More than 80 teenagers from King David High School, Pacific Torah Institute, Shalhavet and Torah High debated issues such as whether “Israel should not release prisoners as a bargaining tool in negotiations with Palestinians” and if “Canadian institutions and organizations have the right to set religious, ethical or personal standards for members”.

It is refreshing to see the youth of our community encouraged to look at complex issues from multiple perspectives and to debate them in a civil and thoughtful way. The quality of the discussion was remarkable and we would like to extend special thanks to the teachers and coaches who worked with all the student teams in preparation for this formative event.

Thank you as well to our partner, King David High School, and our sponsor, the Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library, for their participation in this terrific event.

You can review the list of teams adjudged winners.