Ilana Beller learned an important lesson at the Panim el Panim (Face to Face) conference in Washington, DC: One person can make a difference.

Since 1988, teens from communities throughout the United States have gathered at the annual conference, which is the flagship program of the Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values. The organization, based in Rockville, Md., runs seminars in social activism and public policy within the context of Jewish values and principles.

Ilana, 15, who resides in Little Silver and is a student at Red Bank Regional High School, attended the Feb. 18-21 conference along with 250 other high school students.

Ilana Beller’s Panim trip as well as the trips of nearly 50 others in the last three year was sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County and the Benn Family Fund for Teen Leadership.

The participants learned about political activism by attending workshops, meeting with government representatives from their home districts, and exploring such topical events as civil liberties and the environment.

The lessons were not lost on Ilana.

“I learned how easy it really is to be heard by people who can help improve the world around us,” she said. “You can write a letter to members of Congress, you can circulate or sign petitions about subjects that you feel are important, you can attend a rally, and you can lobby for issues that matter.”

Ilana and other conference attendees met with an assistant to Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ); they discussed immigration issues, homelessness, and events in Israel.

“The threat that Iran poses with its nuclear weapons can affect Israel and every other country in that region,” said Ilana, who participated in a workshop on the topic. “Iran presents a threat to Israel and the other neighboring countries; Iran has created a dangerous atmosphere. One concern is whether other countries will try to obtain nuclear weapons in response. And it’s not clear how the United States should deal with this situation. That’s why a lot of study and discussion are necessary to try and figure out what this country should do — there are no easy solutions.”

Each workshop and each discussion at the conference revealed just how important it is to be well informed and participatory, she added.

“It became very clear how an individual or a group can make a difference,” said Ilana. “Rep. Holt’s assistant told us that the congressman reads every piece of correspondence he receives, no matter how long it takes. Sometimes people our age don’t realize that they can talk to a member of Congress in person or through a letter or e-mail. One way or another, your voice and your viewpoint can always be heard.”

Other workshops on diverse subjects — the environment, poverty in America, and immigration and refugees — also illustrated the importance of an informed public.

“There is legislation that’s been presented to the 110th Congress that has great impact on people who are in this country illegally,” Ilana said. “It has to do with their being able to demonstrate that they have worked in the agricultural field for a specified amount of time. Based on that, they may be able to receive permission to stay here. It’s not an easy issue to explain or understand, but it’s important to know what is happening and what changes may be in store.”

A discussion of homelessness in America, at which two guest speakers told their personal stories, was a poignant experience for the Panim participants, she said.

“One woman who came to the United States from Europe had no place to stay,” Ilana said. “It was around Christmas time, and she went to several churches and asked if she could stay there. She was told that she couldn’t, so she eventually found a synagogue. The people there gave her shelter.”

The actions of that synagogue mirrored the Jewish perspective on poverty and homelessness; it is an individual and communal obligation to be charitable and assist those less fortunate and to advocate on their behalf, she said.

A seminar on genocide revolved around the mass killings taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan and reminded Ilana of an article she wrote for the synagogue bulletin at Congregation B’nai Israel in Rumson, where she and her parents, Michael and Susan Beller, and her two brothers, Ari, 13, and Noah, nine, are members.

“I wrote it to make people aware of what’s happening there and that it can’t be ignored,” she said. “It’s the responsibility of the world community to help. I believe that’s true now more than ever. The phrase ‘Never again’ has to apply to all acts of genocide.”

Since she returned from the conference, Ilana has discussed much of what she learned with her high school friends and classmates; the situation in Darfur and the necessity of environmental awareness, particularly in the areas of global warming and energy conservation, have evoked some interesting reactions, she said.

“I found that some still didn’t know very much about these issues, and you have to know about something before you can care about it,” Ilana said. “Jews believe in tikun olam — we’re supposed to care. But as human beings, that’s our job.”