USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year Top Programs
Note: Only chapters that submitted an application for International Chapter of the year are featured.
Israel Programs
CRUSY-Beth Shalom, Pittsburgh, PA
Kibbutz USY:This past June, BSUSY and USYers from the two other Conservative synagogues in Pittsburgh traveled to Pearlstone Retreat Center in Baltimore, MD for three days “on the kibbutz”, planned together by a committee with one USYer from each shul. During the trip, we played team games together, ate fresh food from the farm, participated in a pickle-making workshop, and utilized the center’s ropes course for chapter-bonding and leadership development programming. Pittsburgh’s Community Scholar Rabbi Scott Aaron and Congregation Beth Shalom’s Rabbi Michael Werbow led shiurim during our trip about the history of kibbutzim, and about environmentalism. This program educated our chapter about kibbutz life, farming, Israel, teamwork and the great outdoors, while giving 3 chapters a chance to develop their leadership skills and work together. We only charged $50.00 a person for this adventure, thanks to an Agency for Jewish Learning grant.
EMTZA-BJUSY, Mendota Heights, MN
We held a program called “Lilah Haganah” in which we learned about the Israeli military and talked about what it is like in Israel for a soldier, we discussed the situation with Gilad Shalit, we talked with our friends about the petition that soldiers were signing that asked the country to not , under any circumstances release countless terrorists if they were captured.
EPA-Harrisburg USY, Harrisburg, PA
Ice Skating, Ice cream, and Israel Trivia
Hagalil-MetUSY, Metuchen, NJ
Metuchen Chapter hosted an Israel Candyland night. We associatedeveryone’s love for candy with Israel and indulged in comfort food and Israeli chocolate.
Table one featured Neveh Shalom, a community where Arabs and Israeli’s live together. We discussed the Palestinian bid for statehood and received Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. Like peanut butter and chocolate, Arabs and Israeli’s can join to make something delicious. This connected members to the conflict. Table two featured Jerusalem and the Israel Time Elevator. A board member gave a summary of Israel’s history. Participants were then challenged toorganize a pile of index cards with historical events on them in chronological order. Everyone enjoyed a crunch bar, representing Israel’s bumpy history. This connected members to the history. Table three featured the Dead Sea. The designated board member talked about how it’s receding and how to prevent it. Participants enjoyed chocolate face masks to represent the Dead Sea mud. Taffy was given to represent the saltwater. We connected members to the land. Table four was the Galilee. A board member and chapter member who went on Pilgrimage discussed their trips, Hagalil, and summer program trivia. Hershey kisses were rewarded to answered questions. Here we connected the chapter to the region.
Hagesher-Adath Israel USY, Lawrenceville, NJ
Our chapter held an awesome Israeli Fair last November. We ran different stations for the guests, including a wedding booth, Israeli dancing, and note writing for the Western Wall. All this Israeli fun was accompanied by Israeli food – falafel, pita and Israeli salad. We also wrote letters to Israeli soldiers, as Social Action component to our program. At the wedding booth, guests paired up and a “rabbi” performed a wedding ceremony under a chuppah. A member of our chapter who is an artist made a large model of the Western Wall, and participants wrote prayers on note paper and folded them into small pieces, and then stuck them into the model of the Western Wall, simulating what visitors from around the world do in Jerusalem. Another member of our chapter was planning a trip to Israel shortly after the event, and he took the notes with him and stuck them inside the real wall, a tradition Jews have participated in throughout history in order to feel a connection with Israel. Guests also passed through the Israeli dancing station, where we learned different Israeli dance moves to lively Israeli music. During the entire evening, the Israeli music was playing for both dance and listening entertainment, which really added to the spirit of the event.
Hanefesh-Emanuel USY, West Hartford, CT
Our best Israel Program of 2011-2012 was definitely our “Shabbat Woks” dinner. This was a huge, state-wide Shabbos dinner involving multiple youth groups, hosted by our USY chapter. After dinner, a Palestinian guest speaker got up and talked to us about the current issues in Israel from a Palestinian standpoint. While he started off with very reasonable, even pro- Israeli points, his stances quickly became more and more aggressive and anti-Israeli. Most of the 150 or so people sat there in shock; at the end, the speaker took questions from the audience, which all invariably turned into debates that had to be shut down before they spiraled out of control.
After the questions session was over, the speaker did the most shocking thing of the night so far – he stopped speaking in an accent, put on a kippah, and introduced himself as a Jewish educator from New York. He then taught us many of the usual arguments that people will use against Israel, and how they are all unfounded and not based on facts – he then dissected the arguments he made when acting as a Palestinian, and commended the people who argued well against him.
Hanegev-B’nai Aviv, Weston, FL
Commercial Night:All the usyers were taken into a room and put into teams based on whom they didn’t really know. The groups consisted of five to six people. Then the fun began, each team had to come up with an Israeli object and they couldn’t use it in the way it was meant to be used. One group picked an Israeli cellphone; they had to do everything with it except using it as a cell phone. The group used it as a kippah, a hairbrush, water bottle, and so on and came up with a skit to advertise these items. One of the staff members then came around and filmed each group and their amazing commercials. It wasn’t only one take but tons and tons. There were so many moments when some messed up their lines and everyone started laughing. At the end of the program, all the videos were uploaded and saved onto a usyers computer, so later she could edit them and burn them onto a cd disc. Eventually at another program we would watch these hilarious videos.
METNY-Orangetown Jewish Center, Orangeburg, NY
Israel- Hers, Theirs, and Ours was created and led by our homegrown teen leadership, StephanieNelson, former OJC IA VP and METNY IA VP. She designed this program with the guidance andsupport of OJC Youth Director and Rabbi to introduce USYers to Israel through the eyes of a USYerwho made the choice to make Aliyah and join the IDF.
Stephanie began with an ice breaker and then effectively guided the 30 plus attendees in stages utilizing a presentation emphasizing provocative discussion questions created to highlight the differences of opinion that exist within our Jewish community. The PowerPoint’s series of statements made the teens really think hard and question their own beliefs and values. Statements included: Laws in Israel should be based on halacha and Israel always makes the right choices. Each slide’s discussion culminated in tooling the teens in ways to advocate for Israel.
Perhaps one of the most potent after effects of this program was that it immediately preceded our home-hosted Koach Spring Kinnus whose theme was Politics in the United States Affecting Jewish Issues. Israel- Hers, Theirs, and Ours was a wonderful platform to present: Support Israel in some way, no matter what!
NERUSY-Sharon USY, Sharon, MA
Our chapter did a strong job at promoting connections to the land of Israel during the 2011-2012 year. Most importantly, we ran a chapter lounge devoted to Israel in February. We sampled falafel and other Israeli food, then had a debate over an Israeli political issue: we debated the merits and drawbacks of an Israeli settlement freeze. I, as the Israel Affairs VP, wrote up a memo on the different positions (see attached) expressed over the issue. A strong debate that night showed everyone how complex the issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are. During this event, we also had the opportunity to continue to promote trips to Israel both in high school and as gap year programs, and to promote Israel activism outside of USY. Many of our recently graduated seniors are enrolled on Nativ during the 2012-2013 school year, and many high schoolers are interested in study abroad programs, including Alexander Muss High School in Israel. Our Israeli activism was strong too. Many of our board members joined our local high school pro-Israel club, and many USYers went to AIPAC’s policy conference in March.
Pinwheel-Seattle Achim, Seattle, WA
Our best Israel program was our Israel themed event. We had a “Shouk” where people bartered for certain things such as candies, toys, and little Israeli flags. After this we had dinner which consisted of Israeli food and we decorated Israel shaped brownies for desert. We then had a discussion about Israel. We started by talking about Israeli culture and then got into a deeper discussion about the crucial effect Israel has on the world and Jews and why it is so important. To wrap up the night we played a lively game of gaga.
Seaboard-B’nai Israel, Rockville, MD
One extremely awesome Israel program was our Israeli dance party, which was led by our chapters USYers. This was a great time for USYers to get down and funky and dance to classic Israeli songs. We all got to learn some really cool dance moves and we also got to eat some AMAZING Israeli foods. Which included falafel, and Shwarma, this was definitely an event to remember.
SWUSY-Rashi USY, Richardson, TX
This year’s best Israel program was an amazing, personal coffee session with an actual IDF sergeant. We went to a local starbucks and got to hear numerous stories about a lone solider. Everybody who stopped by learned a lot and most had never heard from an actual IDF solider before. One person left planning on himself joining the IDF. (He was only a junior, so we will seehow it turns out) Everybody enjoyed coffee and a new perspective on Israel. At the end, people got to ask questions and heard some funny answers tosome of the more light hearted questions. In the end, people left with a lot of new info, and it was a great way to educate USYers.