For Meryl Engle, contributing to the Jewish community is a family tradition.
The 16-year-old followed in her older brother and sister’s footsteps when she became a madricha for the Weiner Religious School at Congregation Beth Torah.
Her parents, Teala and John Engle, also stay involved; Meryl’s mom is a teacher at the religious school.
The best part of the job is “when I can tell that I’ve made a difference to a kid,” she said. “There was a little boy with special needs who wouldn’t talk to anyone. We were planting parsley, and I finally got him to plant his parsley … every week he would grab my hand (to show me the parsley). I made a difference. I helped him open up and not stay so quiet all the time.”
Experiences like that help Meryl feel connected to Judaism.
“The feeling I get when I come home every Sunday at noon— I feel like I’ve made my little contribution to my synagogue and to the Jewish community,” she said. “I just feel like sometimes I lose concentration on what’s important when I’m stressed with school, and (this) puts my life back into perspective for me.”
Meryl, who will be a senior at Blue Valley North in the fall, has tried to promote religious understanding at the school through the Jewish Student Union.
“She’s never concerned about her ego; she’s always focused on the big picture that the club was succeeding and reaching out to new kids,” said Hillel Goldstein, JSU’s director.
As president of JSU last year, she planned programs and recruited new members while also encouraging non-Jewish students to attend meetings so they might understand their Jewish classmates better.
“They think it’s interesting to learn about something they haven’t really been exposed to. I really enjoy being that connection to Judaism for them. Showing them what my beliefs are is important to me,” she said.
When she was a candidate for Matzo Ball queen in BBYO, Meryl became involved in philanthropy projects. After she won the title, she decided to continue spreading goodwill by teaming up with her uncle, Jim Engle, who runs a contracting company.
“I realized I had a knack for getting people (organized) to do something big. I didn’t want to stop my charity work,” she said.
In honor of friends and family who have died from cancer, Meryl helped arrange for contractors to donate time and supplies to build a house, with the proceeds of the sale going to support brain cancer charities.
This summer, she will continue to make Jewish connections by leading services and other Jewish activities as an ozo counselor-in-training at the Herzl Camp in Wisconsin for a group of 10-year-olds. Meryl has been a camper there for five years.
“I am so excited to go back to my favorite place on Earth … where I found my own Judaism, and where Israel became important to me,” she said. “
Israel has a place in Meryl’s plans for the future. After visiting Israel on a month-long trip with United Synagogue Youth last year, she decided she wants to make aliyah.
“Other than Herzl, I’ve never felt so at home and so comfortable being Jewish. I want to contribute to Israel somehow … I just can’t see myself anywhere else. Everyone (on the trip) was willing to teach me every part of Judaism that is there,” she said.
Before that, she has to finish high school and go to college, where she hopes to study biomedical or biochemical engineering.
“I just feel like being a biomedical engineer would be where finding a cure for cancer would really start,” she said. “I love science and chemistry, and I feel like it’s my calling.”
She is preparing by participating in the Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program in biomedical engineering, where she will take classes, complete labs and have a bioscience internship in the field.
To others, Meryl’s future seems clear.
“She has amazing natural ability to be a leader and an amazing passion for her connection to Judaism. She’s going to accomplish amazing things,” said Goldstein.