I’d like to share with you, as I’ve done in the past, a column by my good friend, Michael Freund. Now that I have a grandson who just began his service in the Israeli army, this latest piece of his is particularly meaningful to me:http://www.michaelfreund.org/12726/soldier-father-prayer
The Person in the Parsha for Parshas Shemos follows.

Shabbat Shalom.

NCSY JUMP (Jewish Unity Mentoring Program) is a 12-member volunteer leadership group. Participating students include captains Jordana Rotenberg and Michelle Shakib, as well as Alix Klein, Hailey Dobin, Ariela Stein, Jackie Olemberg, Danny Bister, Pesach Bixon, Ethan Danial, Tomer Zed, Shoshy Ciment and Madison Emas.

Selected following an application process, JUMP students attended a leadership skills conference in New York in October before coordinating Israel Awareness Day with help from Hebrew Academy co-mentors Rabbi Aryeh Young and Rachel Shakib and financial support from Dr. Shmuel and Evelyn Katz.

Held in the school’s auditorium (2400 Pine Tree Dr.), the program featured Sgt. Benjamin Anthony, founder of Our Soldiers Speak; Rabbi Seth Mandell, co-founder of the Koby Mandell Foundation; and Osher Twito, a child victim of terror from Sderot, Israel.

Osher, 13, was injured by a bomb in 2008 while buying a gift for his dad. His left leg was amputated and he wears a prosthetic. Osher was able to visit Miami Beach for a week with his mother — and address the crowd in English — thanks to assistance from The OneFamily Fund, an Israeli-based charity that helps child victims of terror. As part of the program, Osher also celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, complete with a luncheon, music and dancing.

“We felt very accomplished, and a lot of people appreciated what we did,” said 14-year old JUMP member Alix Klein of Israel Awareness Day.

When The New York Jewish Week published an article about the new phenomena of ‘Half Shabbos,’ a phrase used to describe the idea of religious teens texting and using their smartphones on Shabbat, Southern NCSY mobilized. They knew they needed to do something to spread awareness as well as combat this new phenomenon.

NCSY | Jewish Youth Leadership is the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union.

Southern NCSY, which is based in Boca Raton, covers Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana (New Orleans), Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida and Tennessee.

At Southern NCSY’s Fall Regional Shabbaton held earlier this month in Tampa, 25 teens from public and day schools enjoyed the Shabbat experience while proudly wearing bright orange wristbands that read “TXT ME — after Shabbat!” The idea is to promote awareness that there are teens who do not use their cell phones on Shabbat — and even in this generation, it can still be the cool thing to do.

“We see teens from religious backgrounds, on our programs and off, choosing to abandon the ways of their families and I quite honestly don’t have the answer for that,” said Todd Cohn, Southern NCSY Executive Director. “But I do know one thing: NCSY makes it cool to be Jewish. And if this idea takes off, we’ll make it cool to keep Shabbat as well.”

The bracelets proved so popular that even teens who weren’t on the Shabbaton began to request them. Rabbi Ben Gonsher, Director of Institutional Advancement for Southern NCSY, explained,“Teaching teens not to use their phones on Shabbat is especially difficult given how popular and addicting smartphones are. NCSY doesn’t force kids to keep halacha (Jewish law), but instead empowers and encourages teens who are interested in spiritual growth.”

Rabbi Gonsher continued, “NCSY has always created an environment where it becomes ‘cool’ to wear tzitzit (a fringed undergarment), dress in modest clothes and learn Torah. With the current spirituality crisis and growth of the ‘Half Shabbos’ phenomena, teens are making a statement that it’s okay to refrain from technology for 25 hours.”

Peer pressure is an important factor in the Half Shabbos crisis, noted North Miami Beach Chapter President Yisrael Weiss. “I think my friends keep ‘Half Shabbos’ because they find themselves unable to resist texting for an entire day, rationalizing to themselves that it’s okay because other people are doing it too. So the more we publicize our ability to keep Shabbat, the more the message is broadcast to others that it is possible to resist.”

OU | Enhancing Jewish Life

Unlike the game of dreidel, we can’t leave the Jewish future to chance. Please invest generously.

NUN. The first point of entry for Noah, a disconnected Jewish teenager, was our Jewish Student Union (JSU) Club. The simplicity yet efficacy is extraordinary – we bring kosher pizza to him and his friends in his public school and invite them to “chill with the rabbi”!! Hundreds of teens gather for Jewish camaraderie and discussion, often their only point of Jewish engagement. They come for the pizza, they stay for the Torah and your investment of $72 opens the door to their Jewish future.

GIMMEL. The second rung on the ladder of our engagement for Noah and his peers is our weekly “Latte and Learn.” With multiple “LnL’s” running weekly, teens from all schools find convenient opportunities to ask questions. Your generous investment of $180 provides caffeine for the body and inspiration for the soul, encouraging our teenagers to indulge in an enhanced study of our traditions.

HAY. The third level of engagement correlates to our “signature shabbatons.”  A sponsorship of $360 introduces Noah or one of his friends to the beauty of Shabbat and instills in them the power of Jewish togetherness. Just ask the kids – they literally count down the hours to their next shabbaton and the reunion with their Jewish friends!

SHIN. This letter stands for “shahm” (“there”) and is a reference to the Land of Israel, the fourth tool in our repertoire. Each summer, partners like you enable youth like Noah to experience Israel on a transformational journey. Your investment of $1,800 puts him or others on an airplane to Ben Gurion International – and begins to concretize their dedication to our Land and our Heritage.

Together, let’s impact the lives of hundreds of local Jewish teens. Click Here to start changing lives this Hanukkah Season

Register today – the $25 early bird  price goes up on October 1.

For more information call Rabbi Joe Goldglantz 954-647-0021 or email goldglantzj@ncsy.org

Today, the Rabbinical Council of America, representing more than 1,000 member rabbis, and the Orthodox Union, the largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization in the United States, issued the following statement:

“Today we join with the global Jewish community, political leaders, and leaders of the media and sports communities in formally calling upon the International Olympic Committee to hold a moment of silence during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics in commemoration of the 11 athletes from the State of Israel who were slain by terrorists at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

It is not too late for the IOC to relent from its stubborn and unsympathetic refusal to grant this moment of silence to memorialize the violence perpetrated against innocent individuals and the self-described values of the Olympic movement.

Irrespective of what the IOC may do, we in the Orthodox Jewish community will commemorate these fallen innocents in our congregations. As we are presently in the most mournful time on the Jewish calendar – the nine days leading up to Tisha B’Av, on which we commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem and many other tragedies of our people – we will enter our synagogues this Friday evening, the very evening that the Olympics opening ceremonies will take place, to mark the saddest Sabbath of the year.

The leadership of the RCA and the OU urge our rabbis and congregations to mark a moment, on the eve of Shabbat Chazon and prior to Kabbalat Shabbat, to mourn the tragedy of the slain Israeli athletes – through the recital of Tehilim (Psalms) or thespecial Tefila (prayer) composed by Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of Great Britain – the host nation of the Olympics.

May the families of the fallen Israeli athletes, and all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, know comfort and consolation.

Contacts:
Orthodox Union – Nathan Diament, 202-513-6484
Rabbinical Council of America — Rabbi Leonard Matanky, 212-807-7888

Southern NCSY at Universal Studios in Orlando

I’m Nitzan Levy. I’m a 12^th grader at Spanish River High School and Boca Raton NCSY’s Chapter President. And I’m writing to say “thank you.”

You’re probably busy this time of year. I know I am! Right now, I’m studying for my AP courses, finishing college apps, interviewing for seminaries in Israel AND working two jobs after school. But as busy as I am, when Todd and Rabbi Gonsher asked me to participate in NCSY’s annual Dreidel Campaign, I simply couldn’t say no. And I want to tell you why.

Did you know that donors like you, enable hundreds of kids like me, to grow together at weekly Latte and Learns? My friends come from public school, private academies and Jewish day schools for these programs. They’re written up in Ignite (enclosed), but the point is, without you, so many of us wouldn’t have these safe havens.  And then where would we develop a connection to our Jewish community or ask our life questions? Thank you, for giving Latte and Learn to teens like me.

Thumb thru Ignite, and you’ll see pictures from our Shabbaton. Irrelevant of background of affiliation, these weekends are often our only opportunity to experience Shabbat with passion and excitement. We come together from all over nine states – and advisors volunteer to fly in from across the country – because the experiences you help create are truly our lifelines to our Jewish heritage. And it’s your generosity that makes these shabbatons possible. So again, thank you.

Finally, you’ll read about a role model of mine, Freda Greenbaum, who’s already super-involved in Jewish communal work. When you read her bio, you’ll see that she certainly didn’t need another cause to be passionate about. But Mrs. Greenbaum, like me, can’t say no. She and I both know you’ll see what we see. In a world where so many kids can’t seem to find Judaism meaningful, relevant or fun, NCSY is successfully reaching out. And they’re only successful because of donors like you.

I hope you have a wonderful Chanukkah and that despite how busy we all are, you’ll still make time to participate in our Dreidel Campaign. Please join the many other leaders in our community who are changing lives through their gifts to Southern NCSY.

Thanks again,

Nitzan Levy

Chapter President, Boca NCSY

PS.  Until December 31^st, your donation will be doubled, thanks to a generous matching grant by a local NCSY alumni and a true believer in kids like me. That’s twice the number of teens you can inspire!

PPS. We’ve made it easy for you to give – go online today to ncsy.southern.org and change live!