December 7, 2005

As Chanukah Approaches, Registration for NCSY Summer Programs is Underway, with Two New Adventures this Year: Eurotrip and Summer at YU

Even as Chanukah approaches, it is not too early to register for the popular and space-limited summer programs of the Orthodox Union’s National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY). The summer of 2006 will feature a full slate of touring, camping, and learning programs in North America, Israel, and Europe.

Two new programs will be featured: Eurotrip, in which participants will visit various countries on the Continent before traveling on to Israel; and Summer at YU, in which eleventh grade boys will spend the summer at Yeshiva University in New York City, preparing for their college experience.

“Once again, NCSY will reach out to every Jewish teen, regardless of background and affiliation, by providing summer programs that cater to a wide variety of interests,” declared Rabbi Steven Burg, NCSY National Director. “NCSY has 51 years experience in the business. We know what teens want, which is to have fun and to be inspired. We offer a unique bridge to their heritage, and we offer programs that aren’t easily found elsewhere; for example, we’re the only address in Ukraine. We also know what parents want, which is for their kids to have a safe summer. Our staff ratio is one of the highest in the nation with an average of four-to-one.”

Rabbi Burg continued, “A large majority of kids stay involved with NCSY after the summer. Those who haven’t been involved prior to going on a program usually get involved afterwards; for example, many of those who have been to Ukraine on JOLT to work with unaffiliated teens now work with unaffiliated teens in the U.S.”

Summer Programs for 2006 include:

• Leadership – Summer at YU; Jewish Overseas Leadership Training (JOLT)

• Boys – Kollel; Camp Sports

• Girls – Michlelet; Girls Israel Volunteer Experience (GIVE); Summer Experience for Girls (SEG)

• Co-Ed – Eurotrip; Yerusha (formerly ILC)

• Public School – The Jerusalem Journey (TJJ)

Affiliated with other OU programs – Yad B'yad Israel; Yad B'Yad East Coast; NCSY Birthright

“NCSY summer programs build on an ancient Jewish heritage that flourishes in the modern world, in which we show teenagers that being Jewish is also cool and fun,” said Ouriel Hazan, Director of NSCY Summer Programs.

Program Details follow:

Europe

• Eurotrip – The trip will visit Spain (including the adjoining British possession of Gibraltar), Italy, France, and Monaco before proceeding on to Israel. Special highlights will include the birthplace of the Rambam (Maimonides) in Cordoba, Spain, and the birthplace of the Ramban (Nachmanides) in Genoa, Italy.

• JOLT – With special focus on serving as counselors and advisors in day or overnight camps run by the OU Joseph K. Miller Torah Center in Kharkov, Ukraine, boys and girls in grades 10-12 holding NCSY leadership positions will travel, in addition to Kharkov, to Poland and Israel.

• Yerusha – A co-ed program in which participants will journey to Poland to see the concentration camps, speak to survivors, and experience the march from Auschwitz to Birkenau; and later view the recovery of the Jewish people by traveling to Israel.

Israel

• TJJ – Public school co-ed students will experience Israel by participating in activities such as archeological digs, hiking up Masada, visiting the Kotel, and swimming in the Kinneret.

• GIVE – A great success the past two years, this program will provide girls with the opportunity to volunteer at Israeli food banks, hospitals, and camps for child victims of terror; collect clothing for the poor; as well as tour Israel and participate in outdoor activities.

• Kollel – Boys will intensify their commitment to Judaism through beginner and advanced learning, while playing sports, engaging in recreational activities and touring Israel.

• Michlelet – Girls will learn Torah on either a beginner or advanced level, while touring Israel and participating in recreational activities.

• NCSY Birthright – NCSY partners with “Taglit-birthright Israel” on a special ten-day tour of Israel for high school boys and girls (usually open only to ages 18-26).

• Yad B'Yad Israel – High school students join with members of the OU Yachad program for the developmentally disabled, on an Israel leadership experience.

United States

• Summer at YU – Boys who have just completed the eleventh grade will spend the summer at Yeshiva University, where they will experience dorm life, learn in a Beit Medrash program, and choose classes from a variety of subjects such as law, international affairs, medicine, scientific research, finance and marketing.

• Camp Sports – Located in Baltimore, boys at all levels of learning will play sports and participate in other camp activities, while studying and growing in Torah.

• SEG – On grounds located at the Golden Acres resort in upstate New York, girls will choose their own activities from a variety of possibilities, including swimming, sports, art, horseback riding, and aerobics. At the same time, they will explore different concepts of Judaism by participating in interactive classes given by rabbis, teachers, and experienced advisors. They will also travel on overnight trips to New York City and Boston.

• Yad B'Yad East Coast Adventure – High schoolers will join Yachad members from across the United States on a bus tour of the East Coast, visiting sites such as Niagara Falls.

For more information on these programs, and to register, visit NCSY’s website at www.ncsy.org or call: 1-888-TOUR-4-YOU or e-mail Ouriel Hazan at summer@ou.org.

* * *

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 409,000 products manufactured in 83 countries around the globe.

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