Friends, we are living in a moment that feels at once surreal and horrifying. Israel remains locked in a place of uncertainty, the status of hostages still an unknown. The President suggests that Gaza be emptied of its residents, shipped off to neighboring countries. He says with no irony or sarcasm that Gaza become an American resort somehow. Threats of tariffs boggle the mind. Executive orders undo the rights of transgender Americans. Questions of healthcare and religious freedoms abound. Government agencies are shuttered. Add to this the ongoing antisemitism, the poverty, the war in Ukraine and the demise of our natural world.

So many of us are, to say the least, profoundly concerned. We are concerned as Americans. We are concerned as Jews. We are concerned as lovers of a democracy that safeguards and lifts up all of us.

I have realized over these recent weeks that an antidote to the compounding feelings of desperation and angst is our youth. They embody hope and enthusiasm. They are un-phased by the talking heads or political pundits. Their eye is on the future and are eager to build a world of justice and peace.

Every year, we bring our Confirmation class to our nation’s capital to take part in the L’Taken seminar along with Jewish teens from across the country. The weekend is put on by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, our movement’s advocacy arm in DC. Over the course of four days, we learn, tour, pray and discuss the most pressing issues of today. We hear from speakers. We visit the MLK Memorial, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The weekend culminates with a visit to Capitol Hill to deliver impassioned speeches to our elected officials.

This year, our brave, bold teens wrote speeches that were compelling and inspiring. They met the moment, bringing their own wisdom to the wise words of our Jewish texts and traditions. They took advantage of the opportunity to lend their perspective to these incredibly fraught times. In all, they spoke on four topics in the offices of both Pennsylvania senators and our congressional representative, Madeleine Dean. The topics they chose were gun violence prevention, ending antisemitism, protecting reproductive rights and comprehensive immigration reform. Their speeches were clear and concise, bringing Torah and Jewish ideals to these monumental challenges. They reminded our leaders that people most affected by legislation around these areas are indeed people.

There are places to turn right now: community, loving friends, the words of our heritage. Another place to turn right now is our youth. We can be inspired by their willingness to stand up tall for what they believe in and demand a world of greater compassion, kindness and fairness.