OU’s NCSY Begins National Three-Part Program to Counteract Drug Abuse in Teenage Community

Orthodox Union

February 9, 2005

OU’s NCSY Begins National Three-Part Program to Counteract Drug Abuse in Teenage Community

As part of a comprehensive Orthodox Union effort to confront substance and other varieties of abuse among Jewish teenagers, the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, the OU’s highly respected youth program, is undertaking an immediate three-part national initiative to attack these problems by educating teenagers and their parents about the dangers of drugs.

Following the death in January from a drug overdose of an American teenager studying in a yeshiva in Israel, and the arrest there of four American yeshiva students charged with selling drugs, NCSY National Director Rabbi Steven Burg wrote to the NCSY community, which includes members, staff and parents: “Despite the fact that, thank God, drugs have not been a major issue in NCSY, as the leader in Orthodox informal education for half a century our organization has the pressing responsibility to speak out and educate our constituents. This tragedy certainly prompts reflection and more importantly, it must prompt action. We cannot hide the fact that drug abuse and addiction exists and endangers our communities.”

According to Rabbi Burg, the first part of the initiative is a new feature on the NCSY website, www.ncsy.org, devoted to drug education. This section, which is now available on the site, includes educational materials about the dangers of narcotics and provides links to other websites explaining the perils of drug abuse.

The second part of the initiative will focus on the incorporation of drug awareness into NCSY programming across North America. The third element will focus on special programming for NCSYers who are high school seniors. According to Rabbi Burg, “These students require particular attention and education before they move on and become college freshmen and yeshiva students in Israel, where they face new worlds and new challenges.”

Rabbi Burg declared that the website will include a sign-up list for NCSYers to pledge not to do drugs or to drink.

Concurrently with the NCSY actions, and following a meeting at the OU late in 2004 of 65 pulpit rabbis and yeshiva principals, the OU is developing three task forces – “Safe Homes, Safe Shuls, Safe Schools,” to confront the abuse problem on all of its levels and to develop solutions. The multi-part program will involve educational materials, special speakers, meetings around the country similar to the one in New York, and use of the OU website to provide resources to combat the abuses.

“NCSY and the OU Department of Community and Synagogue Services are working as one on our approach to the problem of abuse among Jewish young people,” Rabbi Burg declared. “At NCSY, we are in the front lines of dealing with young people, because we see hundreds of them every week. Overwhelmingly they are not part of the problem, but by educating them as to the evils of abuse, it reinforces their own excellent behavior, while encouraging them to serve as role models to their friends. Likewise, in schools, shuls and homes, the message will also get out through the OU task forces.”

OU President Stephen J. Savitsky agreed that NCSY and the task forces will reinforce one another. “One of my objectives as President is to increase coordination between the OU departments,” Mr. Savitsky said. “NCSY brings special skills and special audiences to the table; Community and Synagogue services does likewise. It is entirely possible that while an NCSY meeting is going on in one part of an OU synagogue, in another room the shul’s Board will be meeting on recommendations of the task forces. The result can only benefit that community through the efforts of the OU.”

In his letter to the NCSY family, Rabbi Burg, the NCSY Director, declared: “NCSY and the Orthodox Union are committed to being a source of help, support, and education to our NCSYers and their families during this trying time and we look to our staff to help NCSY succeed in this endeavor. We also look to our NCSYers to continue to be outstanding role models who strive to grow personally and religiously. We are placing our hopes and trust in you and your decisions so that we can continue to see NCSYers develop into future Jewish leaders and Torah luminaries.”