By: Charlotte Friedland, editor of Reunion What started out as a passing curiosity in a great social program morphed into a lifelong commitment to an organization that changed Nina Butler’s life. In short, Nina (née Novetsky) joined the Southfield Michigan chapter of NCSY when she was thirteen years old, and never left. Part of the reason she actively fundraises for NCSY and still sometimes attends a Regional Convention is that she
In 1999, while the rest of the world was stressing about the Y2K bug, Sarah Blitzstein found herself forever changed by NCSY’s Israel Summer Experience. It was her first visit to Israel, as well as the first NCSY program she had been on. That trip was the beginning of a lifestyle of continuous giving of
At least that’s what “Shake N’ Donate Israel” is trying to achieve. This past Purim, Josh Rosenbaum, a recent graduate of NCSY from Providence, RI currently spending his gap year in Israel’s Yeshivat Lev HaTorah, teamed up with Leket Israel, the National Food Bank, to spearhead this Purim initiative to benefit the needy. The idea started from realizing how people worldwide could shake less traditional noisemakers when Haman’s name is read during megila.
“Jewish life in Denver is very rich and textured. It began in 1859, with the city’s founding. This year, its 150th anniversary will be celebrated both by the Jewish community and the Denver community at the same time. It is quite unusual that Jewish community is so directly a part of evolving city from its very beginning.”
“I’m one of those NCSY havdalah stories,” Saks humbly explains. “I was a public school kid from the Linden, New Jersey chapter. I became shomer shabbat with the help of NCSY and Rabbi Steven Dworkin, of blessed memory. But I still went to public school until I graduated high school, acting on regional board at the same time. Then, I headed off to Yeshiva University, definitely because of NCSY’s influence.”
This Rabbi may not be on Twitter, but he's still got a following.
Avi Frier may not live in the mystical land of Narnia, or the wizardry world of Harry Potter, but he still has some magic up his sleeve.
The story of Chuckie Epstein, a pilot, drummer, dad of four, Baltimore Resident, NCSY Alumnus and Orthodox Jew.
A young man's journey through life, religion, and how he plans to revamp the Jewish identity.
The experience of a journalist sometimes ranges from mingling with business leaders to pulling all-nighters to get the story told. Fran Kritz, an Orthodox freelance journalist, has had a remarkable journey to get where she is today. After graduating from schools in New York and London and writing stints at The New York Times, Forbes, and beyond, Kritz chose to become a freelancer while she was pregnant with her daughter, shifting some focus from her journalism to her family.