{"id":13523,"date":"2011-03-16T13:30:53","date_gmt":"2011-03-16T13:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/a_megillah_of_her_own\/"},"modified":"2015-11-02T08:51:19","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T13:51:19","slug":"a_megillah_of_her_own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/news\/a_megillah_of_her_own\/","title":{"rendered":"A Megillah of Her Own"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image\"<\/div>\n

There was no hidden meaning behind the appointment of Amanda Esraelian as the 2010-2011 NCSY International Teen President; NCSY | Jewish Youth Leadership<\/a> is the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The ambitious and approachable 17-year-old Roslyn Public High School senior, with an electric personality and zest for life, could write a megillah of her own rise in the ranks of leadership. Amanda also currently serves as Co-Regional President of New York NCSY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, New York NCSY Regional Director noted, \u201cIt takes someone special to become inspired in this world. It takes someone spectacular to take that inspiration and turn it into practice every day. Amanda is spectacular.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Rabbi Steven Burg, NCSY International Director, \u201cAmanda is a role model and a tremendous leader who is acutely aware of leadership ability. Her dedication to Judaism and heart-felt sincerity for reaching-out to other Jewish teens have played powerful roles in what she has been able to give to this organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Amanda, \u201cI didn\u2019t know that I was being elected — It was a big shock! I had to remind myself that God put me in this position for a reason — I can throw it all away, or do something with it. The choice is mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

And It Was in Those Days:<\/p>\n

Amanda and her older brother, Omid Aaron, grew up in a very traditional Jewish Persian family in the town of Roslyn, on Long Island, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father taught me how to read and write Hebrew. My family would be together for Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch; we would go to shul and do Havdalah (the ceremony ending the Sabbath) \u2013 yet, I still felt that something was missing,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

As a high school freshman, Amanda was invited to attend her first New York NCSY Shabbaton with two seniors from her school, and agreed to come along without knowing anyone else. Instead of letting her inhibitions get the best of her, she decided that \u201cI was going to make the biggest fool of myself because in my head I wasn\u2019t coming back again before the weekend began.\u201d<\/p>\n

But by the end of the Shabbaton, Amanda\u2019s feelings had changed. \u201cI never thought that I would ever experience Shabbat in such an incredible way like that \u2013 having real conversations with others, with myself, and with God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda gradually began immersing herself in the New York NCSY community, attending \u201cLatte & Learning sessions,\u201d<\/a> where teens meet at local Starbucks and similar locales for discussions on Jewish thought while enjoying the company of friends and a free coffee. She registered for other Shabbatons, and participated in GIVE<\/a> (Girls Israel Volunteer Experience): the NCSY Summer Program<\/a> for high school girls, giving them the opportunity to engage in volunteer activities within various areas of Israeli life, e.g. Israeli food banks, hospitals, and camps for child victims of terror. GIVE students also greet new olim (immigrants) arriving on Nefesh B\u2019Nefesh flights and collect clothing for the poor.<\/p>\n

Amanda chose to take what she was gaining from NCSY and apply it to her own life. One of the most visible implementations of her choice to embrace Judaism was her decision to begin dressing tzniut, according to Jewish laws of modesty.<\/p>\n

As a popular and well-liked public school student, this decision did not go unnoticed. \u201cFor me to go against the crowd was weird for some of my friends, and hard for them to accept at the time,\u201d she stated. \u201cDressing modestly was a process, I took things one on step at a time. I think it\u2019s beautiful, and I did it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda shared that one afternoon, she lamented that she could not attend a friend\u2019s party that night due to Shabbat observance. Coming to terms that she no longer was living a life similar to her public school peers, she was stopped in the hall by an acquaintance.<\/p>\n

He said to her, \u201cYou must have so much respect for yourself. So many others, myself included, have so much respect for you — beyond words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walking home from school, Amanda was able to reflect upon his words. \u201cI knew that I was different \u2013 I\u2019m unique, and that\u2019s something I cherish. Going through NCSY, I learned for myself not to underestimate how much I could accomplish, and what I really could do. Challenges can be so rewarding,\u201d she shared. \u201cAlso, don\u2019t be so quick to underestimate the people around you because they do love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everything Has its Season:<\/p>\n

As NCSY Teen President, Amanda has taken advantage of the opportunity to reach out to other teens across America \u2013 sharing her passion for Judaism, increasing inter-regional programs, attending as many Shabbatonim across America as her schedule (and parents) allow in order to inspire and empower other teens to be proud, growing Jews.<\/p>\n

At the National Delegate Shabbaton of the 2011 OU National Convention<\/a>, Amanda spoke in front of OU \u201cmovers and shakers in the Jewish world\u201d to spread the message of NCSY and its impact on Jewish teenagers.<\/p>\n

Honored by New York NCSY earlier this month for her commitment to tzniut with the \u201cNCSY Young Woman Leadership Award,\u201d Amanda visited local Long Island yeshiva day schools and Jewish culture clubs in public high schools to share her story.<\/p>\n

Amanda has also been instrumental in organizing \u201cLearn for Gilad Day,\u201d on Sunday, April 10. NCSYers from each region will be paired up with another teen from a different region and learn together over the phone or via webcast in order to raise awareness and build merit for the release of Gilad Shalit, the captured Israeli soldier missing since 2006.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to form connections with other Jewish teens. I feel like I\u2019m part of something bigger — that\u2019s really what I wanted for this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Should it Be For Us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was no hidden meaning behind the appointment of Amanda Esraelian as the 2010-2011 NCSY International Teen President; NCSY | Jewish Youth Leadership is the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union. The ambitious and approachable 17-year-old Roslyn Public High School senior, with an electric personality and zest for life, could write a megillah of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":326,"featured_media":48066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA Megillah of Her Own - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 17-year-old Roslyn Public High School senior with an electric personality & zest for life could write a megillah of her own rise in the leadership ranks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/news\/a_megillah_of_her_own\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Megillah of Her Own - 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