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Rabbi Shmuel Katz has been named the new Chicagoland NCSY/JSU Director. Shmuel is a native of Los Angeles, CA, where he participated in NCSY as a teen during his years at Yeshiva University High School (YULA). After graduation, he went on a Birthright trip and ended up staying in Israel for 6 years. For the…

Teens Share Their ‘Most Meaningful’ Shabbaton Moments   For Charli Ernstein (left), a Kansas native and junior at Ida Crown Jewish Academy, the highlight of Shabbaton was the dancing at pre-Shabbos ruach and havdalah.“Not all of the girls necessarily knew each other, but we still danced together, pulled each other into the middle, united as…

An Evening to Remember    

Despite its name, Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, TN, serves students of all backgrounds, including many Jewish teens. Harrison Lane (left) is one of them. And though he hasn’t experienced much in the way of antisemitism or anti-Israel sentiment, Harrison, who graduates in June, is concerned about what he may face on college campus.…

Teens Share Their ‘Most Meaningful’ Houston Relief Mission Moments For Nehama Kasynski, a junior at Deerfield High School, the best part of the trip was actually what she went home with. She says there were many takeaways, and she  intends to incorporate the valuable lessons she learned into her everyday life. What’s at the top…

Antisemitism is a very real challenge on college campuses across the region, and Butler University in Indiana is no exception. JSU alum Madison Pines was recently named Hillel president, and in addition to promoting Jewish engagement on campus, she is taking a leading role in combating antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment. Where did she get the…

Kansas City NCSY/JSU is excited to welcome Aharon Zazulia as its new City Director. Aharon, a Colorado native, is passionate about everything NCSY. He served as a regional NCSY advisor in Southwest and was involved in NCSY programming in his hometown of Denver. Aharon loves the great outdoors and enjoys skiing, hiking, camping and rafting.…

When Eli Sklar (right), an NCSY advisor from New Jersey, recently staffed a Memphis Sh abbaton, he was surprised when a teen advised him to take off his kippah before entering the local mall because “it’s not so safe.” It was that conversation, he says, that made him realize for the first time that “these…

Teens Share Their ‘Most Meaningful’ Houston Relief Mission Moments Stone Schwartz (back right) is a senior at Niles North High School. He also found volunteering at the Houston Food Bank to be particularly meaningful. But he says there was another aspect to the trip that made it even more impactful – and will lead to…

After two long years, Midwest NCSY held its first, in-personal regional Shabbaton in mid-March. Nearly 200 teens and staff from Chicagoland, Kansas, Memphis, Minneapolis, and St. Louis joined together in Racine, WI, for a weekend of learning, singing, dancing and – most of all – connection and inspiration Due to Covid, the majority of teens…