Eli Kopp has been praised for his work for peace. Karen Corbett Sanders, a long-time school board member representing the Mount Vernon District, describes Eli as “an amazing young man who approaches difficult subjects with compassion and intellect, which is greatly appreciated by those whom he encounters in the political environment.”
In his sophomore year, Eli was one of the founding members of the Jewish American Club (JAC) at West Potomac, and he currently serves as the organization’s president. He points out that Jews make up only 2% of the US population, but they are the victims of more than 50% of religious hate crimes. Eli witnessed this first-hand when he was confronted with antisemitic graffiti which was visible to all graduates and their families at West Potomac’s 2023 graduation ceremony. He vowed to make every effort to bring peace to the school through cross-cultural contact and education.
The JAC is open to all students. A major goal of the Club is to involve students who do not know about Jewish people and help them to learn about their culture and customs. Eli says, “My hope is that the JAC will increase peace and collaboration at West Potomac.” Chris Promen, sponsor of the JAC, says of Eli’s work, “I have watched first-hand the positive impact that he is making at West Potomac. He is clearly about uniting people and has done outstanding work in his position as president of the JAC.”
Eli’s religious and Hebrew educator, Todd Bolick, adds that “He is a great person all together: a role model, an ambitious leader, and a curious, respectful, friendly, and intellectual scholar. I could always depend upon Eli to thoughtfully contribute to our studies, to participate fully, and to be a great peer role model and classmate to his fellow students.”
Eli is a student-to-student ambassador with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. The goal of the organization is to counter bigotry and stereotypes by providing personal contacts and descriptions of life as a Jew. Eli feels that his presentations at area schools have put a “human face” to Judaism, the best antidote to bias and discrimination.
Eli has also engaged in advocacy at a national level. He participated in the L’Taken Social Justice Seminar. In this program, students discussed issues such as reproductive choices, LGBTQ rights, climate change, and health care and he spoke to his representatives on Capitol Hill, advocating for laws to end gun violence.