FEATURE STORY
SEMESTER ABROAD HELPING TO BECOME A BETTER ADVOCATE IN THE COMMUNITY
BY JD KREBS
F
or Zach Patterson, Judaism and supporting his community go hand in hand. “A lot of my values come from my Jewish community,” says the San Diego native. “The ideas of Tikkun Olam, giving back, and the concept of Judaism grounding you and giving you a purpose is exactly what it does for me.” Now a senior at University High School in San Diego, Patterson has turned that ethos into a path of Jewish immersion and community service, exemplified through a semester at Jewish National FundUSA’s (JNF-USA) Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss) and his position on the San Diego Board of Education as their first-ever Student Board Member. “I saw a strong disconnect between those serving students and the students in the education system,” he said. “So, I said that we should create an advisory board for our school district and add a student to the school board, and it took me about three years to successfully do that.” Around the same time that he successfully set up the advisory board, Patterson was also accepted to Muss, JNF-USA’s flagship semester abroad experience in Israel for high school students. Patterson attended Muss in Spring of 2020, but the semester was unfortunately cut short after seven weeks due to the onset of the pandemic. However, he notes that his seven weeks were jam-packed with fun experiences. From exploring a Crusader castle to celebrating Purim in Tel Aviv; and from hiking Masada to spending a night in the Bedouin community, Muss made sure Patterson and his classmates got the most out of their short time in Israel. Muss’ emphasis on experiential learning meant that Patterson
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L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • JUNE/JULY 2022
learned about Israeli history using the land of Israel as a living and breathing classroom. “It was really a life-changing experience,” he said. “Muss brought what I was learning in the classroom to life. I would learn something and then visit the place where it happened and have that real interactive learning.” Patterson also has a deep appreciation for the many friends he made in his short time at Muss. “I came with a group of strangers; I didn’t know anyone there. However, I left with very close friends,” he said. “I left with people that I’m still in touch with today and people I plan on remaining friends with.” Once he returned to San Diego, he continued as a Student Board Member during one of the most chaotic times. “COVID-19 brought in one of the largest crises that we have ever seen in public education, and my job got a lot more complicated,” he said. “I had to deal with questions like: do we mandate masks, do we shut down schools, and how do we balance health and safety with mental health concerns?” Patterson credits both Muss and his Jewish upbringing for providing him with the necessary vision. “Muss understands the value of being connected to your education, and I want to pass that on to the San Diego student body,” he said. Patterson continued his Jewish advocacy during his time on the board. He pushed for Holocaust education and sponsored a resolution in the San Diego Unified School District condemning antisemitism, which passed unanimously. “We want to stand up to bias, we want to stand up to hate, and that includes antisemitism,” he said. “I’m proud to say I think I’ve made an impact in being able to support the Jewish community and saying
