Jewish public school teens from Chicago and Kansas joined hundreds of others from across the U.S. who spent their winter break in Stamford, CT, learning Torah at NCSY’s Annual Yarchei Kallah, Dec. 27-31.

The theme of this year’s five-day “learning retreat” was the Power of One – both when the Jewish People are united as one, and when a single Jew does a mitzvah. Text-based study focused on the Shema.

Many of the teens say they were inspired to increase their Jewish connection and commitment. Asher Glass of Kansas (r.) is one of them.

“For me, the highlight of Yarchei Kallah was meeting so many different people from all over North America, and sharing at least one thing with each of them: being Jewish and showing Jewish pride,” says Asher, a senior at  Shawnee Mission South High School. “I [now] intend to say Shema every night before I go to bed.”

Amichai Doubler, a junior at Evanston Township High School in Chicago, adds, “Something I [intend] to take away from this is the friends I made and the connections I had with the Rabbis. I’m starting to wear tzitzit, daven more and try to learn, even if it’s for fifteen minutes.”

The program also featured prominent educators Rabbi Ari Bensoussan and Rabbi Daniel Kalish, as well as a concert by Chassidic singer Shulem Lemmer.