www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c37_a13697/News/Natio -
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Published on: 10/12/2008
Last Visited: 10/13/2008
"What the academy has created is a Jewish community in which it's safe for teenagers to explore — as well as remaining committed to —traditional customs and practices of worship if that is what speaks to them the most," says Glenn Drew, AHA's executive director, who says the school fills a niche that the American Jewish community hadn't realized it needed. "What's so important to the academy," Drew continues, "is not to dictate one denominational value over another but to provide as many options [as possible] for children to engage Jewishly."And since 2001, AHA has been doing just that, not defining a clear Jewish role for its students but creating an environment in which they can come to their own Jewish identities and go on to college and the wider world with experience and a deep commitment to, as Drew puts it, "Jewish peoplehood."
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As Drew, a nephew of Sabbah, puts it, "What type of Jewish parent is going to send their kid away for school?
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"Trying to dictate to teens about one denomination or another is a challenge we don't need to undertake," says executive director Drew.