June 25, 2004

Calling for Unity Among Jewish Youth, Denah Emerson of Memphis is Elected National President of NCSY

By Shayndi Raice

Joining the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY), the official youth movement of the Orthodox Union, wasn’t a tough decision for Denah Emerson. In fact, she says it was a natural choice for her to join NCSY in the fifth grade, particularly considering that her older siblings held leadership positions; her brother Dov, now 27, was Regional President, and her sister Sarah, 23, was National President. In addition, her brother Michael, 19, served on the regional board this past year.

Now, it’s Denah’s turn. Just a few weeks ago, Denah, who just finished her junior year at the Goldie Margolin School for Girls in Memphis, was elected National President of NCSY, and in that position will be leading one of the major Jewish youth movements in the world. As National President, she will have the opportunity to visit NCSY regions across the country. With her travels and various responsibilities as President, Denah, who is now 17, will have a packed schedule next year. But the challenges posed don’t faze her; she just hopes that she’ll have the opportunity to make a difference. “If I can make a difference in one person’s life, that would be amazing,” she said.

Denah is the daughter of Laurie Cooper and Dr. Donald Emerson, longtime supporters of the OU and NCSY, who were honored at a dinner in 2000, with NCSY’s Harold Boxer Memorial Award for their commitment to youth. And like her family, she has already been making a difference with her work for NCSY. This year she served as the National Vice President of Education. She decided that her peers needed an incentive when it came to submitting articles for the NCSY annual journal of Torah commentary, Darchei Daat (Paths to Knowledge). As a result, this year Denah successfully proposed that submissions should be judged in a contest that would ultimately award prizes to participants.

While education is a top priority on Denah’s list, her main goal is to create a feeling of unity among Jewish youth across the country, despite their backgrounds. “If I could go around the country to create a national sense of achdut (unity) then that’s more than I could ever dream,” said Denah.

Bringing Jewish youth together has always been a concern of Denah’s and of NCSY. NCSY runs programs known as “twinning,” in which American and Israeli youth communicate via e-mail. They also run other e-mail pen pal programs that enable NCSY members across the country to create friendships. “I want a teen in Florida to feel some connection to a teen in Portland,” she said.

According to Denah, unity has always been a staple of NCSY. In fact, the movement’s foundation, she explains, is built on bringing Jews from all backgrounds together. So much so that Denah claims, “You never have to feel like an outsider.” From yeshiva students like Denah, to public school students with no Jewish education, NCSY provides a place for teenagers to socialize and to learn about their Jewish heritage from talented educators in an informal setting. “It’s a place where we can all hang out and it makes us proud to be Jewish,” she explained. “I see my friends who wouldn’t necessarily go bowling on a Saturday night like we do at NCSY. It’s a good environment where we can all be together and just be proud to be Jewish.”

In keeping with NCSY tradition and the example set by her family, Denah will encourage her peers to come together. “This is a time when the Jewish people need to band together,” she explained. “If Jewish youth could come together that would make a tremendous difference.”

Denah Emerson was elected National President of NCSY.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.

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