Over 200 teens and staff from across the region came together in late October for the Midwest Fall Regional Shabbaton, where they laughed, sang, danced, and learned about the importance of seeking truth in today’s confusing world.
The Shabbaton theme was “Be the Emes/Truth,” a point that was driven home by guest performer Nissim Black. Nissim, an American-Israeli rapper and singer, shared his own search for truth that culminated in finding Hashem and Judaism.
While Nissim added star power to the Shabbaton, many participants were just as taken by the beauty and connection of an authentic Shabbos, celebrated with friends.
Your support made this transformative weekend possible.
Read on as our teens share their favorite Shabbaton moments…
Jackie Botvinnik (l.) is a sophomore at Glenbrook South High School in Illinois. She says she had “so much fun” making new friends at Shabbaton, but most of all, she appreciated the opportunity to connect more deeply with her Judaism.
“The highlight of the Shabbaton for me was getting to connect with Hashem in ways that I previously hadn’t,” Jackie says, “and the learning sessions which taught me how to live out my truth.”
Jackie says she and her family light candles and make Kiddush and eat challah on Friday nights, but Shabbaton inspired her to do more.
“I am trying to observe Shabbos more frequently and work on connecting with Hashem,” she says. “And [I] strive every day to be the best version of myself I can [be].”
Yair Horesh (l.) is a freshman at the Barstow School in Kansas City. While Yair typically spends Shabbos with family and friends, he says being at a regional Shabbaton with nearly 200 Jewish teens was something else entirely.
“My biggest takeaway was how much of a [Jewish] community there is, and how connected everybody is,” Yair says.
Yair adds that he found Nissim Black’s story, and particularly the deep connection Nissim built to Hashem through prayer, “pretty cool and pretty inspiring.”
Overall, Yair says, “I really felt connected at my first NCSY Shabbaton.”
Kira Wittlin (r.) is a junior at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago. For Kira, a Shabbaton regular, the highlight was Saturday night Havdalah followed by the Nissim Black concert.
Kira says she found Nissim’s story of growing up in the inner city of Seattle and then finding G-d and becoming an Orthodox Jew “extremely moving.”
“What I learned from Nissim Black was that you can talk to Hashem anytime about anything,” Kira says. “I would like to add this kind of connection with Hashem into my own life.”
For Olivia Haynes (r.), a junior at Ladue High School in St. Louis, Fall Regional was her first NCSY Shabbaton – and “I definitely won’t be missing another,” she says.
Olivia says she loved everything about the Shabbaton – meeting new people, hearing Nissim Black’s story, and all the singing and dancing.
Being at Shabbaton has also inspired her to “prioritize keeping Shabbos more.”
But most of all, Olivia says she was moved by “the beauty of Judaism.”
“I don’t know how to explain it… There was something so beautiful about having all these Jewish teens just there together, learning and connecting with Hashem – and with each other.”