Summer 2014

HI! My name is Shana Adler and I am 16 years old from Teaneck, NJ.  Today, we had elective day, and I chose to do an extra day of chessed! It was an absolutely awesome day! We started the day off at Ohr Meir U’Vracha, an amazing organization that helps victims of terrorist attacks throughout Israel.  The concept and impact that this organization has is beyond words. Not only do they distribute food to these victims of terror, but they deliver toys and organize programs for the children that have been affected by these attacks.  We spent time at this organization packaging food that will be distributed to the victims in need.  After that, we went to a home that helps people with Alzheimer’s disease, called Melabev. This organization not only provides care and numerous therapies for people struggling from Alzheimer’s disease, but it does the best that it can to help their families as well.  The GIVE girls spent time at Melabev dancing and singing with the patients, and brining so many smiles to their faces. These people were so happy to see us, and it was an amazing to see the genuine happiness on their faces. Afterwards, we headed to Zichron Menachem, an inspiring organization that helps kids with cancer, in addition to their families.  This organization spends an immense amount of effort trying to take the children’s’ minds off their illnesses and lift their spirits. The Zichron Menachem center has classrooms, playgrounds, music studios, and so much more, in order to bring happiness to the lives of kids with cancer, along with the other children in their families. The GIVE girls created a carnival for these kids today.  We did everything from face painting, to sand art, and basketball games. It was an amazing sight to see huge smiles appear on the faces of these children, as we hung out with them.  Finally, we headed to the Malcha mall for dinner and shopping. I headed to the amazing Pizza Hut with some of my friends, and then spent a little time roaming the mall. As usual, it was an absolutely, positively, amazing day on NCSY GIVE!!!

My name is Chaya Robinson, from Manhattan, NY. Today for elective day, I chose the hiking elective. We got on the bus in the morning and headed to Nachal Arugot, in Midbar Yehuda. We got off the bus with our hats, sunscreen, and 3 liters of water, and began the hike. The scenery was gorgeous. We were surrounded by the huge mountains of the desert, with trees growing out of the sides and mountain goats jumping up the cliffs. At some points of the hike, we were walking through a stream, which was really cool considering it was in the middle of a desert. We stopped for lunch at a waterfall, and took a break to cool off in the water. Then, when we finished the hike, we got back on the bus and headed to the Dead Sea! We ran down the beach to the water, which in contrast to the cold waterfalls in the desert, was warm and salty. When we went into the water, we found it almost impossible to stand, because the salt water was pulling our feet up to the surface of the water! After the Dead Sea, we got back on the bus to join the rest of GIVE for an awesome time at the Malcha mall. it was another amazing day at NCSY GIVE!

Today the GIVE girls had three simultaneous chesseds going on at once in the morning. The first small group went to an organization called Zichron Menachem. There they had the opportunity to create and celebrate a bat mitzvah for a girl with cancer. The girl’s bat mitzvah was canceled, so the GIVE girls had the privilege of making and being a part of her simcha. At the same time, another group of girls went to food package  in Yad Ezra for the poor. Lastly, at the same time another group went to Susanart, an art studio where they teach kids on the street a trade in art. The girls toured, learned, and had the opportunity to shop around as well. Afterwards, we all came back together for a delicious lunch in Gan Sacher. Together, we all made our way to Yad Vashem, which is a memorial commemorating the Holocaust. After the tour of Yad Vashem, we made our back to Mevaseret and had a program called “Ask the Rabbi.” Rabbi Katz from MMY came to have a question and answer session, where the girls were able to ask the anything on their minds. Lastly, the end of the day we had a chagiga hosted by Shlock Rock! The girls had a full and accomplished day with a ‘Rockin’ ending!

Hello everyone! I’m Aviva Reichman from Silver Spring, Maryland! As I’m sure you all know, last night and today was Tisha B’av. Personally, the mourning of Tisha B’av has always been a distant  pain. But this year, that has changed. We began the fast with a Seudat Hamafseket,, during which we were told to sit alone and put ourselves in the right state of mind. After the symbolic meal, we went to the Beit Midrash to hear from our madricha, Miriam Borenstien. She spoke passionately about how dearly she hoped this would be Am Yisrael’s last Tisha B’av in mourning- the perfect words to precede Rabbi Felberman’s reading of Megilat Eicha. We proceeded downstairs to our first program of the night. An NCSY alumnus,  Nicole Grubner, took on the role of a “Jewish History Museum Tour Guide”, and showed us a few videos about all of the hardships of our nation’s past. Following the videos, she revealed to us that she, a young woman in the year 2070 was the last standing Jew. As many of her ancestors began to loosen up on their observance of Mitzvot, their continuation of the Jewish legacy and tradition withered away. Her solitude was the result of the lack of devotion of the Jews before her. This was a true eye-opener. After this program, she told us about her personal NCSY story. From her years of disregarding Judaism, to her present observance, she has always kept NCSY dear to her heart. We then went to our next program. This consisted of a room full of tables with art supplies and pictures of various terrorist attacks and Jewish persecutions. We used the supplies on the tables to depict the emotions we had felt during a tragic time in our lives.It was interesting to look around and see the variety of pictures drawn by the girls. The last part of the night was a kumzitz. Between songs, girls would stand up and read the biography of one of the 64 fallen soldiers. This was the emotional high of the night, as we all prayed through the language of song. After wake up and davening, we recited some Kinot. Before each one, an advisor would stand in the middle of our circle and inform us about their kinah. Sometimes they would include a personal story, or a reason as to why they chose that specific kinah. This was followed by three hours of free time. This included an optional shiur and Holocaust movie. We then boarded the buses to the Kotel. Although, it was hard not to engage in conversation with all the other programs present, it remained a truly spiritual experience. Seeing the throngs of various types of people at the holy place was already beautiful enough, but when NCSY Kollel started a kumzitz, it brought things to a new level. Strangers joined from all over and showed the potential Am Yisrael has when it joins together. To break our fast, we went along with various other programs to a beautiful restaurant in Jerusalem.  We had a delicious meal to put an end to our busy day.

As beautiful as it was to truly feel the loss of the Temple, we truly hope that next year Tisha B’av will be a source of celebration for the rebuilding of the Third Temple 🙂
Thank you for reading!

Hi I’m Jillian Sperber! I’m 17 and from the ghetto West Orange, NJ.  I am about to recap today, just one day of the BEST. SUMMER. EVER.  It was a really chill day, but full of growth and experience.  We started off our morning waking up bright and early at the five star Mevaseret.  Right after davening and breakfast, we went straight onto the buses and headed to Retorno, a rehab center for teens and adults in Israel.  We were spoken to by two staff members and one patient about the program, and we were educated on various topics.  Following, we had a delicious lunch filled of falafal, and we loaded back onto the buses.  We made a stop at an army base and handed out snacks we prepared last night.  We always love visiting he chayalim, so it was a great experience for all of us.  Then, we went to Kever Rachel and davened mincha.  We headed back home to prepare for Tish Ba’av and I’m hoping for everyone to have a meaningful fast.

Shalom!
Chani Boczko and Mercedes Essebag here from Woodmere, NY and Toronto, Canada. This morning NCSY GIVE came back from our off weekend in Israel. All of us got a chance to visit relatives or friends whom we’ve been waiting to see. When we got back from our off weekend we joined together and headed off to independence park to eat a delicious lunch from Holy Bagel (yum.) Then we went to “Time Elevator,” which is a 4d movie that displays Jerusalem’s history. We then hopped on the buses and traveled to sunny Beit Shemesh. We were split into two groups and made carnivals for Ethiopian kids from under privileged homes. We played sports, danced, arts and crafts, relay raced, and so much more! Through bonding with these kids, we developed relationships and grew a lot through the experience. We then drove back to Mevaseret and heard from Rabbi Nissel about mashiach (oy oy oy oy oy.) We then had a delicious dinner and are ready for our exciting night activity!
WE LOVE GIVE WOOHOOO

The night activity was a beautiful tribute to our soldiers that defend our country. We learned about gratitude of the things and people we should be thankful for in our lives. Tomorrow we have the exciting opportunity to go to a rest stop in Gush Etzion and give out baked goods to soldiers on the way home or too their bases. The girls made desserts for the soldiers tomorrow, and looking forward to the exciting opportunity to help Am Yisroel.

The last day before our free weekend was jam packed! We started our day by splitting the buses that went to two different chesseds. One bus went to a nursing home to get to know, sing, and dance with the residents of the home. They sang pre-shabbos songs to help them bring a smile to their faces while prepping them for Shabbos Kodesh. The second bus went to a very special place called Susanart. This is a place that takes children off the street and teaches them how to craft. They tell them if they continue making the crafts they can make some money. This is an organization that helps the young teens of Israel, which the girls related to a lot. Afterwards we went to The Temple Mount Archeological Dig. The girls had an opportunity to learn about the Jewish history of Temple Mount, and even search for coins, pots, mosaics, and more. Then we had a delicious lunch and made our way to Maalah, which is a film school for religious and secular students of Israel. the GIVE girls had the privilege of watching two short films, one being an award winning film. They had a discussion about the plot lines with the editor of these films and learned a little about the industry in Israel. Then after our wonderful and exciting day we sadly said goodbye for the weekend. The girls were dropped off by the OU center, and were picked up by their hosts. We hope everyone has a wonderful Shabbos and can’t wait to catch up after the weekend! Shabbat Shalom!

Hi my name is Tova Asher and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. This is my first time in Israel so, today was a very special day for me. After three long weeks of yearning for the day we would be able to enter Jerusalem, we were finally able to! Before we were able to go, we stopped to pay a shiva call to a family who lost their son in the war. Although, we had no relation to this soldier, I could tell we made all the difference to the mourning parents. As a group of girls from all over, we came together to show our support as Klal Yisorael often does for each other. After this, we made our way to the long-awaited Jerusalem. The beauty of the city was jaw dropping. Soon after arriving, all of the first timers were blindfolded and escorted through the city as we made our way to the Kotel. Once we arrived, one by one we removed our bandanas and  took in the beautiful site. Although, I have been learning about Israel my whole life, no amount of preparation could have  prepared  me  for what I saw. For the first time, everything I have learned about for the past 11 years became real. I was able to feel the holiness of this site, and finally understood what everyone meant by “…you’ll see when you go to the Kotel.” After experiencing such a spiritual high, we then went to Chezkiyahu’s tunnels. It was mind-blowing  to know that I was walking through the same tunnels that my own nation had used many years ago. I also enjoyed learning about the City of David while touring the ruins of the city. While walking around, all I could think about was the fact that this was the same place the Jewish people lived during the time of King David, yet we continue to carry out this legacy for generations to come. We then made our way to Meveseret, our base, and had dinner there. This was definitely a memorable day and I’ll always attribute spiritual growth when looking back in years to come.