Tuesday, February 17, 2026 

Project HEART (Help End All Racist Thinking) Newark 
a partnership between Olivia Shidler and Ahavas Sholom 
will Launch in Newark Public Schools 

A letter from Olivia Shidler, founder of Project HEART (Help End All Racist Thinking)

Dear Ahavas Sholom:

During the summer of 2020, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, I was a rising Milburn 6th grader, who felt the need to help stop racism in its tracks. I created Project HEART (Help End All Racist Thinking) with the idea of teaching those younger than myself about breaking down biases early on. I was grateful for the support of my Religious School Director, Abra Lee, at Temple B’nai Jeshurun (TBJ) in Short Hills, who invited me to come into K-2 classrooms.

Using picture books with award-winning art and literature, I addressed the TBJ students at key points in the year – Sukkot, Chanukah, MLK Day, Passover – to teach how the value of b’tzelem elohim (that we are all created in God’s image) roots us in building bridges. As I got older, I hoped to expand the program into Newark with the goal of bringing black and white students in our neighboring communities together to help create a more just world. After taking Abra’s Jewish diversity course at TBJ, I thought the best place to start building these bridges would be in partnership with a diverse congregation that values racial justice.

All roads led me to Ahavas Sholom!

At the same time I was inspired to create Project HEART, Eric was at work creating Ahavas Sholom’s racial justice program – Diversity United – after the murder of George Floyd.  Of course, the more I explored, the more I began to develop a deeper appreciation of Ahavas Sholom’s commitment to racial justice.

I thought it was so cool that Ahavas Sholom had a black rabbi and that Eric and Rabbi Collins were about to set out on a civil rights trip to Selma, Alabama. I appreciated that as the only active synagogue in Newark, Ahavas Sholom was doing so much to strengthen the Newark community. 

Additionally, I loved the fact that it helped the women’s beauty salon in the Jewish community of Namutumba, Uganda get off the ground, striving to help the community toward self sufficiency.  This inspired me to read The Very Best Sukkah: A Story from Uganda by Shoshana Nambi, to the students at TBJ on Sukkot, in conjunction with teaching the values of community and kindness.

As our partnership continued to unfold, Eric introduced me to key people in Newark: Sanaz Hojreh, an arts education consultant who helped guide me on my Newark proposal; Devonne De Nose, Director of Visual & Performing Arts, Newark Board of Education, who is now a partner; and Daryl Stewart, Newark Arts Director of Programs, who also has enthusiastically supported my desire to connect our communities through racial justice education. 

This past fall, I met Mary Ojo and Jade Toseafa, visual artists from Newark Arts High, at the Camp Revival exhibit at Ahavas Sholom’s Jewish Museum, where their self-portraits were featured. They are now my teammates! 

We’ve worked on our lesson plans together to bring Project HEART (ART is now bolded, emphasizing that we are using the arts to build identity, unity, and community) to both of our communities – leveraging me as a musician and them as visual artists. 

Together, we’ve already begun to make an impact on over 50 students at TBJ and will be launching Project HEART in Newark next Tuesday, February 17th!  Throughout the remainder of the school year, we will be visiting 6 K-2 classrooms in Newark Public Schools on multiple occasions.  All told, we will be reaching about 120 students in the Newark Public Schools over the next few months!

All thanks to Ahavas Sholom. I couldn’t be more grateful for your partnership!

Sincerely,

Olivia Shidler
Age 16