68 Illinois Jewish Teens Take Part in NCSY Event in Israel   

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The Latrun Tank Museum on the outskirts of Jerusalem rocked with live musical performances, American barbeque and greetings from distinguished guests recently at the Orthodox Union’s (OU) Yom NCSY, a record event with 2,500 summer program participants. Participants hailed from 32 states, Canada, United Kingdom and Israel and represented the full Jewish religious spectrum.  

The evening featured a special opportunity for participants to meet newly installed Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog and entertainment from New York-based DJZJ, singers Eitan and Shlomo Katz and performances from Israeli singers. 

“Yom NCSY represents the very essence of what NCSY Summer is all about. At the event it doesn’t matter what your religious background is, it’s about a united non-judgmental, encouraging environment celebrating our shared connections in the home of the Jewish people,” said NCSY Summer Director David Cutler. “The palpable energy, cheering, singing and dancing has made this the highlight of the summer.” 

In addition to the festivities, the event highlighted the 20th anniversary of The Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey (TJJ), NCSY’s premier touring program for public school students. Now in its 20th year, the program has also recently created two additional programs for participants hoping to spend an additional summer within the umbrella of TJJ. The TJJ Ambassadors and TJJ Ambassadors Poland programs are geared towards leadership development within the program’s national alumni community. To mark this landmark year, NCSY is establishing the TJJ Founders Scholarship in honor of Rabbi Barry Goldfischer, the beloved TJJ educator known for his warm and engaging personality. Rabbi Goldfischer is the current director of TJJ and has been involved with the program since its inception.  

“The energy and enthusiasm of these young people were contagious. It was wonderful to see them all come together – from all parts of the world and from many different religious backgrounds – to celebrate their summer together, sharing in a love of Torah and Israel,”  said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Allen Fagin. 

“The Orthodox Union takes enormous pride in NCSY’s summer programs,” said Moishe Bane, President of the Orthodox Union. “The incredible array of styles and approaches reflects the OU approach to Judaism – that religious, Jewish growth must be made accessible and engaging for every Jew, regardless of educational, religious or cultural background. God has blessed the OU with NCSY staff that has the passion, commitment, and brilliance to advance that aspiration.”  

NCSY’s summer programs in attendance at the event included: BILT, GIVE, Euro ICE, Israel ID, JOLT, JOLT Israel, Kollel, Michlelet, Next Step, 4G Euro, Rescue Israel, TJJ Ambassadors, TJJ, TJJ Ambassadors Poland. Additionally, U.S. based programs GIVE WEST and NCSY Sports were able to take part through NCSY’s Livestream. Over 200 participants of Yad B’Yad, the summer Israel-travel trip ran by the OU’s Yachad division, also took part in the event.

“It is extraordinary to see so many different teens from such a wide array of religious backgrounds all learning and growing on NCSY Summer Programs. The fact that we had more Chicago participants on our programs this summer than ever before is a testament to the quality of our teams both in the Midwest region and in NCSY Summer, and is a source of great pride to me personally. I am excited to see what the future holds as these teens take the inspiration from this summer and integrate it into their lives during the upcoming school year.”- Rabbi Micah Greenland, International Director of NCSY (from Chicago)  

“What I really like about the Michlelet Torah studies is that every girl that is here and in the beis medrash, everyone chose to be here. We all chose to make our summer meaningful. We all wanted to be here. And by wanting to be here, it just makes the learning so much more meaningful and better. We’re not learning for a test, we’re not learning to memorize, we’re learning on a choice, we’re learning because we want to make our summer better. We want to become better. And there are girls that choose at night to go to the beis medrash…making the choice to learn makes the learning so much better.” 

“I really enjoyed…recently we greeted a Nefesh b’Nefesh flight, we woke up early to go to the airport and waited at the tarmac for the people on the flight to come off so we really greeted them! They came straight off the plane into Eretz Yisrael, we were screaming, had ‘Bruchim Habaim’ signs, we danced with them, everyone was dancing together. The chayalot were dancing, the people who live in Israel were dancing, we were dancing, the people who just moved here were dancing, it was like the best experience ever just to greet people there.”  – Rivka Loeb, NCSY Michlelet, Chicago 

“This summer on NCSY Michlelet I had the unique opportunity to spend six weeks traveling, giving, and learning in Eretz Yisrael. I found this program to be unique because everything we do is connected to Torah and personal growth. With amazing teachers and madrichot, I have gained a new appreciation for yiddishkeit that I hope to carry with me throughout my life.” – Tali Shabat, NCSY Michlelet, Chicago 

“What I find special about NCSY Kollel is that it has a Bais Medrash packed with 350 guys spending their summers learning all day and night. You can’t find this anywhere else but Kollel!” – Doni Miretsky, NCSY Kollel, Chicago 

“This summer I have had the unique opportunity of head staffing Michlelet NCSY, an all-girls learning program in Israel. Through my role, I have been able to be a part of giving these girls an incredible summer by participating in the planning and logistics as a head staff member while simultaneously connecting with campers and madrichot. My role as head Madricha has helped me appreciate the hard work that goes into each and every detail to make sure the girls maximize their summer. – Ayala Cohen, NCSY Michlelet Staff Member, Chicago 

 

 

ABOUT NCSY 

NCSY, the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union (OU), is dedicated to connecting, inspiring and empowering Jewish teens and encouraging passionate Judaism through Torah and tradition. NCSY provides innovative, informal Jewish education, leadership training, retreats and summer programs that foster positive Jewish identity and connection to Israel, preparing the next generation of committed Jewish communal leaders. For more information, visit https://ncsy.org/. 

  

About the Orthodox Union 

Founded in 1898, the Orthodox Union, (OU), serves as the voice of American Orthodox Jewry, with over 400 congregations in its synagogue network. As the umbrella organization for American Orthodox Jewry, the OU is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals through NCSY and Birthright Israel/Israel Free Spirit trip organizer, and Yachad, the National Council for Jewish Disabilities, among many other divisions and programs. For more information, visit https://www.ou.org/.