Author: Year Round Programs

The initiative for the 2018-2019 program year was one dedicated to Women’s Health, both awareness and activism for women’s health.  The “action” was to collect women’s hygiene products at Young Judaea National and local events and donate them to shelters and other organizations. This project was successful in collecting thousands of items.  The collection process will not end with the year and the teens will continue to collect and donate.

The planned initiative for 2019-2020 will focus on the environment. 10^th grader Sofie Paternite brought the initiative to the convention body. Upon its selection, Sofie wrote “The national initiative for this coming year is environmentalism and climate change. I’m so excited to see the level of implementation of this topic throughout year round young Judaea as it has become more relevant in modern discussion. The idea for YJ to take charge on this topic stemmed from many social media posts regarding the importance of not using plastic straws as it kills marine life. With much thought and discussion, it seemed to be an age appropriate and hands on topic YJ could be involved with”.  A group of teens will begin their research soon on the topic to be ready for a full launch at Tel Yehudah this summer.

Harry S. Truman, former President of the United States became an honorary National President of Young Judaea at the recent Tri-Region Convention. National Young Judaea President Ed Berman, made the presentation, honoring Truman as “a significant figure in the young life of the State of Israel.” Truman granted the United States’ formal recognition of the State of Israel on the very day that the state was proclaimed, May 14, 1948. . .

In accepting these gifts, Mr. Truman mentioned the importance of the Bible in our daily lives. He stated that “the rules under which our government functions can all be found in this wonderful book – the Bible.” Yankele Satati, Shaliach to Young Judaea from Kibbutz HaSollelim, then spoke of the importance and meaning of Truman’s role in the establishment of the State of Israel. Yankele remarked that “the young peole of Israel in 1948, of whom I was one, were interested in building and protecting their country based on freedom and democracy. We were inspired and thankful for your immediate recognition of Israel’s Statehood.”

In his presentation of the pin symbolizing the honorary position, Ed mentioned the fact that “Young Judaea practices the principles of democracy at its conventions, club meetings, elections, and various executive committees. The job of preserving and teaching the tenets of the American government becomes a simple task in our movement. Young Judaeans are allowed to legislate and administer their own policies and therefore, gain firsthand knowledge of the dynamics of parliamentary rules and constitutional procedure.”
As he was formally installed as an Honorary President of the oldest Jewish youth group in America, Mr. Truman stated that “the future of America lies with groups such as yours which learn and practice the principles of the free world.”

~ From “The Senior” Vol. XVII No. 4: February, 1959

It was October 27, a Saturday morning unlike any other. As I was laying in my bed, skipping services like any typical son of two rabbis, I saw a news notification flash across my phone that shook me to my core. It read “Shooting Reported at Pittsburgh Synagogue”, my body froze and I did not know how to react.

My first question was which synagogue? As I went on Twitter, I prayed it was not my father’s synagogue, Beth El Congregation, a conservative synagogue found in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. I soon found out that it was not my parent’s synagogue but one that was twenty minutes from my house named Tree of Life. Stunned, I tried to call my parents hoping they knew of what was happening across the city and hoping they had already evacuated. Once my family was safe, I began to think of the aftermath and how Pittsburgh will react. Then one question entered my mind: What effects will this have on the Pittsburgh Jewish community? The answer is still being debated in my head.

As the son of two prominent rabbis, I have created connections with many members in the Pittsburgh Jewish community, and I know how tight-knit it is. I was at Tree of Life a week prior to the shooting for a friend’s bat mitzvah, and I saw how familiar all the members were with one another. Seeing this horrible act of anti-semitism and hatred saddened me to see how people were reacting. I was disgusted by the retweets that followed the same message, “screw your thoughts and prayers, go make a difference and vote”.

Although I agree that our country is in desperate need of stronger gun regulation and this tragedy only strengthens the argument, there is a time and place for words like that. I knew that thoughts and prayers could go a long way with the victims’ families and their communities because of how intimate the Pittsburgh Jewish community is. Seeing those tweets angered me, as it had not even been twenty-four hours since the attack, and people were already turning it into a political weapon. I tried my hardest in the aftermath to spread this message of thoughts and prayers, but it––unfortunately––did not go far.

Now, almost a month later, Pittsburgh is not the same, Beth El in particular. Before the shooting, every Shabbat, Beth El would have its doors wide open, welcome for all. Now, the doors stay locked needing approval to enter with an armed guard roaming the building at all times. Now, I fear practicing my own religious beliefs. If I cannot safely pray in my own city, then where can I? And now, I fear for my parents and my own community because Pittsburgh is not a safe place for religion now. The violence spread across America has come to strike the Jewish community in the heart, and now, Pittsburgh will never be the same.

But after six years at Midwest and two in Tel Yehudah, Young Judaea, if anything, has taught me that hatred and fear have no place in the world. We, as Jews and as Americans, cannot let this violence win. Young Judaea was founded on the idea of unity and that is what is needed throughout the country right now. To quote Gandhi, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world”. Old or young, rich or poor, it is our duty to end this anti-semitism and show the world that the Jewish people will survive and thrive.

~ Myles Greenbaum is a senior from Pittsburgh, PA

Erev Tov.

To start, I want to welcome you all to asepha. Asepha is one of the most important parts of national convention and of what we do as a peer-led youth movement. It is our chance to shape our future and examine what’s important to us as a Pluralistic Zionist Youth movement.

But why are you here? Think about it. What has driven you to spend a weekend around other Jews learning about cultivating a community? I’m sure that for many of you the primary answer to that question is simple. Your friends. The connections you make at summer camp and through involvement in Jewish youth movements are unlike any other relationship. Aside from these connections, Jewish youth groups and youth movements play an incredibly important role. They bring together Jews, who as a people that for thousands of years have survived the pressures that try to force us apart. Simply, Jewish youth movements keep Jews Jewish. There is still undeniable antisemitism in this world, and if we as a people desire to overcome it, it is imperative that teens have the means to explore and foster their connections to Israel and Judaism.

I’d like to share a few statistics from a survey of Young Judaea alumni published last year.

• Over 80% of respondents indicated that Young Judaea has had a strong influence on their relationship with Israel, their Jewish identity, and on their view of the world
• 92% of young adult YJ alumni are either very or somewhat emotionally attached to Israel
• 74% of young adult YJ alumni say being Jewish is very important,
• And almost 75% of Young Judaea alumni have sent or plan to send their children to Jewish camp, almost 50% to YJ camps

It is clear that for these alumni, their involvement with Young Judaea and Israel as teens has shaped their lives and kept their Judaism and Zionism alive.

Clearly, being involved in a youth movement is important, but all of you are here. There are over a dozen other Jewish youth groups and movements in the United States, but you chose Young Judaea. What is so special about OUR movement?

Well, we have a deep-rooted history. We are the oldest Zionist youth movement in America, and I’m pleased to share that on June 10th, Young Judaea will celebrate its 110th birthday.

From the start, Young Judaea has been at the forefront of Zionist and Social action. In 1909 we were a collection of Zionist clubs across the country, and many of our chanichim made aliyah to lay the groundwork for the future Jewish state. We had a presence at the March on Washington in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement, were active in the Soviet Jewry Movement, every winter we give our time and energy to help struggling communities, and we even created our own kibbutz.

Today, we still challenge Jewish teens to think critically about Israel and Zionist ideas. By cultivating a pluralistic environment, we’ve developed a strong commitment to openness and diversity of opinion, and have emphasized a tradition of acceptance in our chanichim. It is important that we keep this going and continue to encourage teens to engage with Israel. We focus a lot on the polarization of American politics and our communities here, but as a Zionist organization, Israel is in our roots. One can even argue that the situation in Israel is becoming just as polarized as the U.S. My hope for Young Judaea and all of us is that YJ will be the place for us to struggle with our Zionism; that YJ will be the place for teens to find and use their voice to fight for what is important to them.

I’m sure we can sit here together and talk about what Young Judaea means to us for hours, but instead, I want to turn to what YJ has done just doing this past 5 and a half months.

• Although we don’t have an exact number yet, more kids have already participated in local programs than in recent years.
• New groups of teens have come together in Atlanta, South Florida, Los Angeles, and New England to revive their regions and engage teens year-round.
• Established clubs such as Pittsburgh and Flemington have grown stronger than ever
• The Midwest region had its largest winter convention and look forward to an even larger one in the spring.
• In the Northeast: LINYC, Empire, and New Jersey continue to have regular events, and Northeast Convention has also been larger than ever.
• And As we speak, Puerto Rico Young Judaea is having its annual kibbutz weekend

It is clear that Young Judaea is doing well and is looking at it’s second or even third year in a row of a sustained increase in participation.

I want to end by reminding you that Year-Round Young Judaea is only one part of what YJ’s executive director Simon Klarfeld calls “the Young Judaea ecosystem.” This includes not only Year Round Young Judaea but also the five YJ camps and our Israel programs. Our summer camps are especially important in the development of passionate and confident teens that give life to year-round programming. The two form a cycle, feeding each other and helping the entire ecosystem grow. Participating in year-round programs helps to develop strong leaders who can then walk into camp with confidence in their leadership and a passion for the movement, which in turn inspires others to join, creating a positive feedback loop that fuels the movement that we love.

If we want to continue the upward trend I mentioned earlier; if we want to continue to grow our already active areas and expand Young Judaea to new areas, it has to come from us. Look around; we are the future of Young Judaea: the kids, the leaders, the passionate and inspired teens that want to be connected to each other, Judaism, and Israel.

I hope you keep these things in mind during asepha both tonight and tomorrow night, and throughout the rest of the weekend.

Todah.