Holla for challah: students treated to free bread

Every Friday after sixth period, Samo students are welcome to enjoy a home-made, personal challah distributed on Michigan and Lincoln by Menachem Levitansky. Levitansky comes to Samo from the Chabad Synagogue of Santa Monica on 17th Street and also co-directs the westside chapter of the international Jewish organization CTeen with his wife Bracha Levitansky. CTeen has over 500 chapters worldwide and intends to spread awareness about the Jewish religion and traditions while connecting Jewish teens from all backgrounds.  “In general, all of the different programs that we do, the challah corner, the Jewish Club, going to six flags or packing sandwiches for the homeless, are based on these three types of things: educational, humanitarian and social programming for Jewish teenagers,” Levitansky said. Levitansky has been associated with Samo’s Jewish Club and the Challah Corner personally for five years, but Santa Monica’s Chabad Synagogue’s involvement at Samo goes further back.  “The Jewish students at Samo invited us to sponsor their Jewish Club weekly, so we come from time to time on Thursdays to sponsor the pizza and teach them about different Jewish traditions. [We’ve been at Samo] for a long time,” Levitansky said. Friday’s home-made challah and Thursday’s pizza for the Jewish Club are funded by Levintansky’s synagogue and the private donations they receive from the local religious community. These philanthropists work alongside Levintansky to sponsor Samo’s Jewish organization, as they share a common goal of promoting the Jewish perception and spreading awareness about the religion. “[We all] care for the community and [want] to teach the teenagers and the youth the beauty about Judaism and the Jewish culture. [We return to provide] a place they can call home, feel comfortable and learn more about the Jewish culture,” Levintansky said.  Although CTeen and Jewish Club focus on Judaism specifically, the organizations are not exclusively for Jewish students but rather welcome anyone interested in learning and giving back to the community. What keeps Levintasky and his wife at Samo is the eager minded and excited students.  “Not only Jewish students, but also non-Jewish students [enjoy] learning about Jewish culture and religion and how we can respect one another even though we don’t necessarily believe in the same religion,” Levintansky said.  Jewish Club promotes inclusivity and the challah corner is only one aspect of Santa Monica’s sector of CTeen. All students are welcomed as members of this international organization and join Levintaasky and his wife throughout their next endeavours, projects and activities.  “I find his presence on Fridays comforting and I treat it as a reminder of the presence of the Jewish faith in my community,” avid challah recipient Emma Guerrini (’20) said.