By Erica Cohen, Director of Teen Education

“We have to take back Zionism…don’t let anyone else tell you what Zionism means to you.”

“It was so meaningful to put my feelings about Israel into words.”

As the Director of Teen Education for Young Judaea, I was lucky enough to witness many vulnerable moments like these between teens at the inaugural NJ iTeen Summit that happened this past Sunday, at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades. Over 75 teens, parents, and educators came together to learn, dialogue, and be in community for one day.

This teen-centered conference provided a deep-dive into the complex Israel dialogue that Jewish American teens are finding themselves surrounded by in the post-October 7 world. They grappled with the question of where their relationship to Israel and their values intersect, utilizing maps and historical facts to support their evolving assertions with brand new programming. In other rooms, teens studied about power, vulnerability and responsibility after October 7, and how to manage increased tensions with family and friends in this hot sociopolitical climate. Throughout the day, they had opportunities to learn from and with the many accomplished Israel educators.

The last six months have been a complicated time to be a Jewish American teen.

Often faced with competing messages that challenge the synergy of their values, sometimes receiving one set of messages at school, one at home, and another on the vast internet universe, teens rarely have a place where they can dialogue without defense, or access the opportunity for nuance.

This moment has never been more ripe for Young Judaea to provide high quality, immersive access to Israel education – to those teens already in the YJ ecosystem, and beyond. The NJ iTeen Summit, hopefully an annual and replicable event, was an example of this goal in action.

It seems that Young Judaea is a legacy movement at a grassroots moment, and we, alongside the teens, have big plans.

By Akiva Weinkle

My name is Akiva Weinkle and I am in 12th grade. I attended CYJ Midwest for seven years as a camper as well as Tel Yehudah for two. This past summer I worked as an MIT at Midwest and plan to work there again this summer as a madrich.

I am heavily involved with the Pittsburgh YJ club as a Bogrim member where I help to plan and run day events in addition to our annual Shabbaton. It was actually at this Shabbaton in 2012 that I first experienced YJ, ever since then it has been at the center of my life. I have served on Midwest Mazkirut for the last 3 years and am currently the Midwest Mazkir. 

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to gather with 50 other Judaeans from around the Midwest and all over the country to spend a weekend together at Midwest convention. Getting the opportunity to escape from the routine of the school year and step into the YJ world for just one weekend is a magical experience. Whether it be the peulot, shira, or just silly moments with friends I look forward to it everything all year and cherish it for the short time I get to live it. 

This convention was special for a number of reasons, the first being that it was the most attended Midwest convention in a long time. Bringing all these teens together meant old friends could reconnect and new friendships could be formed. It also meant that more people got to have their voices heard when electing the Midwest Mazkirut for the 2024-25 year. This was also my last convention, and having a chance to lead it as the Mazkir was truly special. I got to make sure that as many people as possible felt the incredible joy YJ can provide. While I will not be at convention next year what I saw this year gives me incredible hope for the upcoming years of the Midwest region. I saw so many 8th and 9th graders creating friendships and memories that will last them for years and keep them coming back to YJ for years. 

Seeing those chanichim enjoy convention is the exact reason why I love being on Midwest Mazkirut; getting to see the next generation of Judaeans appreciate all that it can offer as a pluralistic Jewish space is, for me, the most rewarding aspect of Maz. Over my 12 years in YJ, I have taken all that has been offered in terms of Jewish experiences and connecting with Israel and to have the opportunity to give back to the movement that gave me so much means the world to me. This desire to share the incredible things YJ has to offer stems from being a second-generation Judaean. My father was heavily involved with YJ in high school and worked at CYJ Midwest for many summers, and his decision to share this incredible movement with my brothers and me is what has made me so passionate about sharing it with the next generation of Judaeans.

By Jonny Jentis, National Mazkir 2023-2024Z

10 years. For 10 years, I spent my Havdalah circled around a singular candle, arms resting on the shoulders of my closest friends. For 10 years, I have learned and grown, discovering my Jewish identity and the world I live in. For 10 years, I have lived and breathed Young Judaea. As I stood at the center of Havdalah this year at National Convention, I began to realize my time as a teen in Young Judaea is coming to an end. Ever since 7-year-old Jonny sat on the basketball courts at Camp Sprout Lake, I have known Young Judaea to be my second home. As I continue to work at TY and watch the movement grow, I cannot help but feel grateful for all that I’ve been given.

National Convention wrapped up a few weeks ago and I cherished every second. As teens from across the country flew in for the weekend, hugs and exclamations filled the air. Teens from Washington, Texas, Chicago, Georgia, Pittsburgh, Israel, and many other places joined us in eastern Pennsylvania with nearly 100 teens in attendance, the largest National Convention in countless years. The YJ atmosphere fell into place immediately, with teens meeting and laughing through the night. A peaceful Kabbalat Shabbat was followed by hilarious Oneg to end the evening.

Throughout the weekend, peulot planned by the National Mazkirut created riveting discussions amongst the teens on what it means to be a Jew in the diaspora, how to examine the Israel-Palestine conflict without bias, and the effect of social media on global conflict. The broad perspectives brought by our teens never failed to blow me away as I led my discussion group. Conversations that should have taken 20 minutes continued into chofesh and beyond as teens beautifully expressed their unique perspectives. Getting to watch and participate in these discussions has always been a highlight of my YJ experience and I was thrilled to see how invested everyone became. 

Further cementing our commitment to the National Initiative of Israel, our wonderful CEO Adina Frydman ran a touching activity discussing the current conflict, the hostage situation, the “Hostages on the Heart” campaign, and what we could do. All the teens at Convention wrote touching cards to the brave IDF soldiers serving in the conflict.

Convention could not have been complete without electing the next National Mazkirut during Asepha. Almost every election had highly contested runnings and candidates won by only a few votes. As the current National Mazkirut begins working on making the transition as smooth as possible, I am sure that the incoming group is going to be wonderful. I wait with anticipation to see the accomplishments they are able to boast throughout their terms.

As people left convention, there seemed to be a singular thought amongst participants: When’s the next one? Teens across the country have taken it upon themselves to work with us to create active groups in their communities. With events being planned in Georgia, Texas and LA, it seems that Young Judaea is only going to continue to grow. I, myself, am extremely excited for Midwest Convention to see all the hard work that they have been putting in over the past few months. 

Before I end, I want to thank all of the people who made Convention possible. Firstly, everyone who came; Convention could not have possibly been as amazing as it was without everyone in attendance. The willingness to try new things, participate, and be happy created the atmosphere of YJ that I have come to know and love. Next I would like to thank Sara, Erica, Allegra, Amit, and all the other people who staffed convention and who worked so hard to make the weekend possible and who made sure the weekend ran smoothly. We wouldn’t have had a location, much less anything else that needed to happen without you all. Even though you may have given me the reins during the weekend, I couldn’t have done any of it without you. A special thanks to Allegra for giving me a Walkie-talkie; even though I didn’t use it much, it made me feel important. Lastly, I want to thank my National Mazkirut: Sari Goodman, Ilan Greenberg, Dora Stodolsky, Leo Wilchfort, and Noah Volkman. These teens ran convention with confidence and ruach that were one hundred times greater than I ever could have dreamed of. Their masterful planning, superb peulot, and boundless creativity and dedication are truly admirable and I could not be prouder of them.

Convention lived up to my dreams of what it would be. It was fun. It was thought-provoking. It was my home. It was YJ. When I looked out at everyone during shira shketa and Havdalah, the young faces of smiling eighth and ninth graders stared back with the same joy and enthusiasm I have had for 10 years. Though my YJ Teens journey is coming to a close after camp this summer, I know YJ is going to keep being YJ for generations to come. I am glad that I was able to experience this with everyone and I can’t wait for what the rest of this year, and years to come hold in store.

By Jonny Jentis, National Mazkir 2023-2024
Spoken at the YJ Community-Wide Havdalah on October 14, 2023

Shalom everyone,

My name is Jonathan Jentis and I am the national Mazkir this year. I am a senior in high school living in New Jersey. Having been in Young Judaea, Zionism and Israel have been major parts of my life. Even this summer I was able to journey to Israel on Gesher where I saw a perfectly peaceful Gazan border and experienced the joys and wonders of Israel. With that in mind, I would like to speak, not about the shocking and disturbing events that we have all heard and seen over the past few days, but about my experience and the whirlwind of contradictions I have faced.

Saturday morning started like any other; I woke up about 2 hours after my alarm, rolled out of bed, and meandered downstairs to my kitchen. There I was greeted by a snapchat message from one of my friends in Israel from the Gesher trip; The message read “I am in a bomb shelter right now. My parents are in the south where Hamas attacked. I haven’t heard from them in 3 hours.” This is how I found out about the attack; not a news article, not an Instagram post, not some random Tiktok. A desperate cry of fear and anxiety from someone I had lived with for almost an entire month over the summer. A cry for help from someone I had no way of helping. I sent thoughts and prayers and tried to help them stay positive, but from what I knew, I was almost certain their parents were dead. That’s how I spent Saturday with contradiction #1; trying to convince her that her parents might still be alive while being almost certain they weren’t.

By some miracle, the IDF did manage to save her parents. This gave me time to process my other emotions and see other reactions. Expecting unilateral Israel support, I found a friend from school posting a Palestinian flag with the caption “Takeover is near”. This led me to another contradiction: What’s the difference between Pro-palestine and Pro-hamas? At the end of the day I advocate for peace, and as I tried to explain how problematic the post was, my classmate seemed to indirectly justify the actions Hamas took. “War is war” and “Israel does it too” were her responses to me. The line between wanting peace in the Middle East and terrorism should not be close; the ideas should not even be considered as alternatives to each other yet Hamas’s heinous actions have pushed the limits so that supporting one has become synonymous with the other. We as Young Judaeans have to be able to call people out when they cross the line; for the safety of ourselves, the Jewish people, and the state of Israel.

It seems that everyday, a new email comes in marking the passing of yet another alum from our Young Judaea community. Friends, counselors, family; everybody knows somebody. It is more important than ever that we stay connected even while separated across the country. We have lived together, we have laughed together, and now we mourn together as a YJ community. But there will come a day when we will celebrate together again.

That brings me to one of my final contradictions: supporting Israel’s right to defend itself from this horrendous act but also a cry for peace in the Middle East. Israel needs to defend itself from this attack but more death will not bring back what we all lost. In support of peace, my Maz (teen board) and I are looking for ways to contribute. Keep on the lookout for more Israel initiatives by following the @yjteens Instagram. Hopefully any teens on this call will join us tomorrow for a community Israel event to learn and digest what is going on right now. Please look out for a link to donate to help fund many of the actions YJ is taking in Israel. Our Year Course teens are already working to do what they can in Israel, and we hope to raise money so YJ can support refugees, package supplies, and give relief and aid to all who need it.

Lastly, we must address Israel. I know in the past I have been critical of Israel’s government and its decisions; just like America, or the UK, or any other country in the world, Israel makes good and bad decisions. But being critical does not mean we have to denounce Israel. Everyone here I’m sure has a variety of opinions on how Israel should handle the coming days and weeks; but the important thing is that the people of Israel need our support. Something one of my Rabbis said to me this past Thursday at a vigil has stuck with me: “In the first 12 hours of Hamas’s attack, we saw what it would be like if Israel didn’t exist”.  Israel is a safe haven for us and needs the support so as to not be destroyed by the many enemies it has. I know for certain, I and many others may still criticize the decisions of the Israeli government, but, no matter what you or I believe, my support (and hopefully yours) will never waver. Israel doesn’t just deserve to exist; its existence is a necessity for the Jewish people and the generations to come.

Shavua tov and good night.

The following statement was released from the 2023-2024 National Mazkirut on October 9, 2023 following the horrific attacks in Israel.

Learn more about what it means to be on the National Maz here!

Shalom Chaverim,

My name is Jonathan Jentis and I am the new National Mazkir for 2023-2024. I am a High School Senior in New Jersey. Growing up, I went to Camp Sprout Lake for six years and then continued my YJ journey to Camp Tel Yehudah. Unfortunately my first year of TY was ripped away by COVID, leaving me longing for more Young Judaea. While TY-fi (virtual TY) was a fun substitute, it was not nearly enough, until I discovered the wonders of year-round YJ (now known as YJ Teens).

Instantly in love with YJ Teens, I decided to see how I could get involved in my regional chapter, but I found that, after COVID, New Jersey didn’t have a Maz (teen board). Jumping into action I contacted the LINYC (Long Island/New York City) mazkirut to find out how to create my own. I gathered a group of camp friends to set out and create something; the only problem was that none of us had ever done any year-round events and were completely lost. Bumbling around, we planned some great events including our very own Purim Party. The next year at the Northeast convention we were able to elect a full New Jersey Maz! I felt as though I had done my job but I wanted to do more to bring the YJ experience to even more people. After two years as New Jersey Mazkir, I have now made my way up to National!

Young Judaea is a place for teens to grow and discover themselves. In an ever-changing world where Judaism and all religions are fading in newer generations, Young Judaea allows young teens like myself to keep that connection.

The National Maz and I are working to create easier entry points for people into Young Judaea events. Often teens are hesitant to risk entire afternoons or weekends if they don’t know if they will enjoy it. One entry point we want to create is through fundraising for the kitchen that caught fire at Tel Yehudah this past summer by creating merchandise and donating the proceeds; this will be an easy way for teens to link together their camp and YJ experiences. Another opportunity we want to explore is Zoom events like Challah baking; this could be a calm and easy activity for everyone to join.

A goal of mine is to expand to reach teens outside of Young Judaea. Establishing a stronger YJ teens presence in places like the Southwest and Southeast would allow for more participation across the country. I am excited to continue building our already established regions like the Midwest and Northeast, and strengthen all of the regions’ connections to one another. On a more regional level, attempting to work with organizations outside of Young Judaea like JCCs and synagogues could create a steady and easy way to reach a new base of teens we would never have been able to reach before. All this is to say, throughout this year I am looking forward to working with the rest of National Maz to bring the Young Judaea experience we all know and love to more and more teens across the country!

As the song of YJ says ‘ani v’ata neshaneh et ha’olam’, you and I will change the world. I look forward to working with everyone in and out of YJ to build an even stronger and wider community!

Jonny Jentis
National Mazkir, 2023-2024

June 2023

EMPIRE:
So far Empire has had a fantastic year. We started 2023 with the BEST event EVER for Empire Cupcakes for a Change. We had a cupcake designing context as well as an educational program about women leaders. That event and all events to come will further create new friendships as well as make bonds between people stronger. For now, the next event is Northeast convention! We hope to see you there! Make sure to follow us on Instagram @empireyoungjudaea to be updated on events and DM us if you have any questions!

JERSEY:
Hi Young Judaea! New Jersey has had a splendid year! We started it off with the annual Northeast Kickoff in NYC’s Central Park! We had an amazing NJ turnout, and we had fun playing icebreakers and different games to really get people involved and excited. Next up for Jersey was the Pins for Presents at the North Brunswick Bowlero, where friends came to bowl and learn more about the spirit of Hanukkah. The very next day was the Shine A Light Rally, where we stood up against antisemitism and showed that we are proud of who we are. Since then, we have been hard at work, brainstorming new events and activities for Young Judaeans to participate in and have fun with, all while learning a thing or two about their faith and culture.

LINYC:
LINYC has had a fantastic year! We have been able to bring the YJ community together three times starting off with a bang with Northeast Kickoff. We hung out in Central Park, playing games and bonding. To celebrate Hanukah we had Latke Paloozah on Long Island. We had so much fun playing Chanukah themed games and attempting to make latkes. Finally, we recently had an ice skating event where old and new Young Judaeans had the opportunity to connect. Currently, the LINYC Maz is working on programming for Northeast Convention. LINYC is so excited for the future and can’t wait to continue this year’s journey.

MIDWEST:
Midwest has had a busy and exciting beginning of 2023! The Midwest Mazkirut worked diligently for months to plan an impactful Midwest Convention. During the weekend, over 40 participants came and took part in educational and engaging peulot led by their peers. The peulot focused on themes such as consent, building community, and learning from our mistakes. Also during the weekend, we had our annual Asepha in which we elected our new Mazkirut members for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. We have so many fun ideas for the new year and can’t wait to share them with everybody!

By Mia Finestone

I had an amazing time at National Convention last weekend! It was an incredible opportunity for me to reconnect with friends from Young Judaea that live far away and learn about important topics of today.

We participated in activities that focused on this year’s National Initiative, Women’s Rights, including discussions about reproductive rights, consent, the wage gap, powerful women leaders, and a service project where we packaged hygiene products for those in need. This was especially meaningful to me because this summer I was a part of the Women’s Rights Tikkun Group at Tel Yehudah that proposed this year’s initiative.

Along with activities on the initiative, we also learned about how Shabbat is celebrated around the world, by creating dishes from various Jewish cultures and comparing them to the ways we celebrate personally. In discussion groups, I was able to learn from my peers’ perspectives and share my own when we talked about topics such as Israel, Anti Semitism, and the roles they play in our lives today.

Throughout the whole weekend, I felt welcomed by my Young Judaea community and was never afraid to voice my opinions or share my own experiences. At our asepha (election), it was amazing to be a part of the election process for our future National Mazkirut, and it reminded me of the larger Young Judaea movement I am a part of. It was so cool to see my friends and peers be elected into positions of leadership for the movement I love so much. I had so much fun participating in our camp rituals of Shabbat, Havdalah, and rikkud. The moments I shared with my friends who I don’t often get to see, were so special to me, and reminded me of why I love going to camp.