Rabbi Moshe Scheiner Solomon Leadership Program Empowers Teens to Become Tomorrow's Leaders

Rabbi Moshe Scheiner, founder of Palm Beach Synagogue, wanted to create a leadership program that would help teenagers know they weren’t alone in their struggles.

So in 2016, the Palm Beach rabbi teamed up with local philanthropist, Larry Sonsow, and the Sonsow Foundation, to launch the Solomon Leadership Program. Scheiner said that the idea behind the program — which connects high school students with local leaders — was to provide students with a mentor that would provide first-hand guidance into what the obstacles they have faced along the way.

“Every person you see was also a teenager once upon a time, and they had their own struggles and challenges,” Scheiner said. “Who they became was not because they didn’t have challenges, but because they preserved, succeeded and followed the right path.”

The program, named after King Solomon — who is biblically known for his wisdom and strong leadership — has since expanded to 12 chapters across the U.S. and Canada. Students must apply to the program, open to high school juniors and seniors, and college credit is awarded through Palm Beach Atlantic University.

The leadership course consists of 12 sessions, beginning with a meet and greet and a lecture on leadership, and ends with a closing session and a Solomon graduation ceremony. The eight sessions in the middle are dedicated to the program’s leadership pillars — character, tolerance, communication, vision, empowerment, persistence, strategy and judgement. The curriculum combines leadership training through lectures, prominent guest speakers and the students’ mentors.

Solomon welcomed its first church chapter earlier this year, the Northwest Wisdom Academy. The new West Palm Beach chapter will be led by Rev. Jamian Lovett, senior pastor at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, and Rev. Gerald Kisner, pastor at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church.

Scheiner said that although he never envisioned Solomon expanding beyond his synagogue, he was excited when other synagogues started reaching out to open their own chapters.

“We’d put a lot of work into the program,” he added.

But with the addition of the program’s newest chapter, Scheiner said he’s hopeful that the program will continue to expand into different faiths. He added that the program itself isn’t religious and is open to students from all backgrounds.

“These are universal values that all human beings share, like character, tolerance and communication,” he said. “And what we are trying to do is cultivate good leaders.”

The five-month program, which runs at the Palm Beach chapter from mid-November to late-April, looks for a diverse group of student applicants who have exhibited leadership skills within their local schools and communities. Scheiner said that he looks for students who he thinks has the ability to motivate or inspire others, adding, “We have to see potential in them.”

“A strong applicant is someone who is concerned about the welfare of others,” he said. “Someone who has shown they aren’t focused on themselves. They are trying to have an impact to better the lives around them.”

Scheiner recalled a Solomon student who first arrived at the program with little confidence due to a speech impediment. His mentor, who Scheiner said noticed the student’s difficulty, paid for him to attend speech therapy. After the program’s five months, Scheiner said “he was a transformed human being.”

“This kid got up at graduation, with full confidence, and delivered the most eloquent and beautiful speech,” Scheiner said. “I was in tears, because I remember how the kid came in.”

Betsy Linkhorst, a current Solomon fellow, said she has already noticed a difference in herself since starting the program late last year. The Dreyfoos High School of the Arts senior said she has already started taking on more of a leadership role on her school’s tennis team, adding that she has also noticed personal improvements.

“Within my personal life, I’ve noticed that I’ve become a more mature person, and more thoughtful about my actions and the consequences that can result,” Linkhorst said. “Just thinking about my actions on a grander scale, and the influence I have on other people.”

Linkhorst said that the program also fosters a sense of community, adding that she has become friends with other Dreyfoos students at Solomon that she didn’t previously know.

Cecily Mendelson, also a current Solomon fellow and a junior at Dreyfoos, said that she’s most excited to keep up with the community she has built so far in the program, including her mentor.

“My mentor has been a great help over the past few months in many aspects of my academic and personal life,” Mendelson says.

The program is also enriching for the mentors, Scheiner said, adding that it helps unite different age groups.

“There is just so much benefit by just passing the baton and sharing the knowledge that you’ve gained,” Scheiner said. “A lot of times, people feel like, ‘If I have to work so hard to learn that in life, I don’t want it to go to waste. I want to share it with somebody who could benefit from it.’”

Robert Glass, the board chairman at Solomon and a mentor for the program, said that it has been rewarding to see the students improve throughout the program. Glass formally served as the president of Loehmann’s retail company and retired about 12 years ago, he said. Post-retirement, he added that his involvement with the program makes him feel like he’s “doing something worthwhile.”

“You’re giving back to the community and you’re watching these kids develop,” Glass said. “It gives you purpose.”

Glass said that the team hopes to continue to expand the Solomon program into other faiths and community centers. They plan, he says, to double the number of chapters over the next three years and strengthen the program’s presence in Florida and throughout the country.

“What they learn in 10 sessions took me a career to learn,” Glass said. “If I had been able to go through a program like this when I was their age, I would have learned a great deal to have prepared me for the leadership roles that I had.”