If you ever spend ample time with Niles North’s Jewish community, you may have heard of “Cteen,” a Jewish youth group not associated with the school but very adjacent to it.
The Skokie-based organization is directed by Rabbi Yochanan Posner and Yona Posner (POSE-nur), both being frequent visitors of North. Rabbi Posner also sponsors (along with Elizabeth Shay) North’s Jewish Student Association (often called “Jew Crew”). Along with general social events and expected celebrations for Jewish holidays, they also host “Cteen Café” as part of Cteen. Here, students are served food, fun, and social fervor.
Upon entering the Cteen lounge at Lubavitch Chabad of Skokie (on Dempster St & Karlov Ave), one immediately notices the abundance of people eating food and playing games. Energetic and bouncy Jewish music—similar to hip-hop—can also be heard. The games can range from tabletop activities like chess or Bananagrams to video games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Food is served fresh in a buffet style manner with the type of food changing every week. Vegetarian options are also included. There is even a fridge in the corner of the room, where members are free to grab water bottles and sauces to add to their foods. Oftentimes, one will see Rabbi Posner and Yona chatting with group members, preparing food, and cleaning up the cozy room. The event occurs at 6:00 p.m. every Monday and has no official end time; attendees are free to leave whenever they choose.
Along with general social fun, Rabbi Posner and Yona often get all of the participants together for a quick Jewish activity. For example, on Oct. 7, 2024—the one year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel—Rabbi Posner invited attendees to light a candle in memory of those who perished on that date, and to take on a commitment to achieve a personal or spiritual goal in their memory. Participants chose goals such as helping friends when they might be in crisis, giving to charity, increasing in kindness, and growing in observance of Judaisim. On other days, Rabbi Posner or Yona might share a brief story or message of life wisdom from the Torah relevant to the real lived experiences of the highschoolers who are present.
Unbeknownst to many, Cteen is the reason why the NN Jew Crew exists; according to Rabbi Posner, many members of Cteen who go to NN wanted to replicate that homey, Jewish environment in the school building. As the rabbi puts it, “In many ways, Jew Crew is like an offshoot of Cteen, as it involves many of the same people.”
“I’m the person who started Cteen, here in Skokie, [around] 15 years ago,” Rabbi Posner said. “It has become bigger and more well-known [since then]. People kind of expect to see certain things because there’s a tradition of how Cteen does things. But now we know what we do, and how we do it, and [Cteen] has a pretty good reputation. There are so many parts of it that I think are important, but one of the big things is bringing Jewish kids together. We have students [from] different schools and they have a common bond of Jewishness but they’re not aware of each other. Cteen enables them to connect meaningfully with each other.”
It is often best to go with a frequently attending friend on your first time. Even if you don’t, Cteen creates an environment where it is easy to make friends; the student members are eager to make friends and get to know them. They may even invite friends to play on the nearby swings or basketball courts outside. For newcomers coming alone, Rabbi Posner explains, “it actually may be easier to get socially involved and meet new people when you are not focused on your pre-existing friends.” However, many of the events outside of Cteen Café, especially the holiday events, are directed towards Jewish students specifically.
To become more in-tune with Skokie’s Jewish community, some students might find Cteen Café to be the perfect place to visit. With food, fun, and a family environment, Cteen Café shows itself to be a great place to make friends and learn about a facet of the local Jewish communities. Dedicated to the outreach and health of said Jewish communities, Cteen stands out as an organization very present within the halls of North and other surrounding schools.
