During LEADS Day at IC, I had the opportunity to visit the Weitzman Museum of American Jewish History. There, we learned why “Never Again” is so important in our society today. 

To begin, we did an activity called “Guess the Jew,” and of course, names like Anne Frank came up immediately. We all know her story. We learned it in middle school or during holocaust education class. But that made me wonder—why is her story the one we rely on the most? Why do some stories become the story, while others fade away?

Then we discussed how Jews are portrayed in media today—either as victims or villains, powerless or all-powerful. That binary is dangerous. It flattens a complex identity into something easy to misunderstand.

One thing one of the speakers said that really stuck with me was this: the museum isn’t just a building. 

The museum is us.

As Jewish teens, especially in spaces where we’re a minority, we are often the ones telling our story—whether we choose to or not. So the question becomes: what story are we telling?

Jewish history isn’t just tragedy. It’s resilience. It’s ups and downs. It’s survival and rebuilding. If we only tell the hard parts, we miss the strength. If we ignore the hard parts, we lose the truth.

We ended with this sentence: 

I am Jewish because… and because I am Jewish, I…

For me, it’s my ancestors who left Poland for America. It’s camp. It’s Hebrew school. It’s the necklace I wear with pride. It’s history. It’s a responsibility.

LEADS Day reminded me that “Never Again” isn’t passive. It means owning our narrative. Expanding it. Protecting it.

We aren’t just part of the story.

We are the storytellers.