{"id":35021,"date":"2014-02-20T17:39:17","date_gmt":"2014-02-20T17:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=35021"},"modified":"2014-02-21T18:32:00","modified_gmt":"2014-02-21T18:32:00","slug":"one-ncsyers-tragedy-reverberates-around-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/one-ncsyers-tragedy-reverberates-around-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Smiling: One NCSYer’s Tragedy Reverberates Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"orly300_\"<\/a>
Orly with her mother, a’h<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When tragedy struck Orly Ohayon, a member of Southern NCSY\u2019s Jacksonville Chapter (JAX), teens around the world reacted.<\/p>\n

Her story resonated because of its horrible particulars: as Orly and her mother crossed the street to shul on Yom Kippur evening for the Kol Nidrei<\/i> service, a car careened into them. Esther, Orly\u2019s mother, was declared dead at the scene, while Orly was rushed to the hospital. A police officer who witnessed Orly being treated told her friends inside the synagogue that she had died in the accident, as well. Ten minutes later, the officer returned to report that she had been revived.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe teenagers inside shul were white as sheets,\u201d explained Rabbi Shaya Hauptman, director of Jacksonville NCSY, who was in the Etz Chaim Synagogue where the family davens.<\/p>\n

The next day, as Orly underwent emergency surgery, her friends prayed on her behalf. Rabbi Hauptman brought in a social worker to talk with the teens about the situation. When word was received that she was out of critical condition, \u201cEveryone took a deep breath,\u201d said Rabbi Hauptman, \u201ceveryone was taking kaballahs<\/i> [extra observances] on themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the day after the news spread, teens around the world began doing mitzvot and recording their accomplishments on a shared Google document and at Facebook group called \u201cNothing Can Stop You.\u201d Nothing Can Stop You is the acronym that Orly derived from the acronym NCSY. The next event at the Kotel, 150 teens prayed for Orly\u2019s life. Karen Steinberg, COO of Southern NCSY, only heard about the tragedy as the fast finished. Within a few days she and Todd Cohen, director of Southern NCSY, flew up to Jacksonville to visit the hospital.<\/p>\n

\"Orly,<\/a>
Orly, with her trademark smile, bringing joy to the children of Sderot with Michlelet NCSY last summer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Steinberg said she was \u201cshocked\u201d by Orly\u2019s serenity in the ICU. When Steinberg told Orly about what other teens were doing for her, Orly asked her to pass along a message.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell everybody I said thank you and tell them I really appreciate it. Keep davening and keep smiling,\u201d Orly told her.<\/p>\n

In total, more than 330 teens from across the world signed up to do mitzvot in Orly\u2019s honor: from saying Al Hamichya<\/i> from a bencher,<\/i> to reading Tehillim,<\/i> to spending days working with children for special needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrly, there is so much that is special about you and so much that I admire. But what has always stood out to me the most about you is how you are so proud to be Jewish,\u201d wrote one teen who chose to adopt a more modest wardrobe in Orly\u2019s merit.<\/p>\n

NCSY alumni in Israel ran a fundraising concert to help pay for Orly\u2019s rehabilitation and NCSYers played a role in a concentrated effort that raised more than $60,000 for her. Friends stayed with her over Sukkot and Shabbat.<\/p>\n

The next few months were difficult for Orly, filled with what seemed like endless physical therapy. She said that the efforts of her fellow teens helped her tremendously.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see how people \u2014 friends and people I didn\u2019t know \u2014 came together and did things in the merit of my refuah [recovery].\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Micah Greenland, international director of NCSY, said that Orly\u2019s story represents NCSY\u2019s mission at large.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
A group of Las Vegas NCSYers met immediately following the news of Orly’s accident to send cards of comfort and to raise money for her medical expenses. The teens made bracelets that read #nothingcanstopyou and #orlyinspires. Months later, NCSYers are still wearing their bracelets with pride.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cOrly\u2019s story emphasizes what makes NCSY so important,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom this awful tragedy, teens across the world were able to bring a small amount of light into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Hauptman said that he believes the effort was a response to Orly\u2019s outsized personality. She is known throughout NCSY for her effervescent demeanor and her motto of \u201cKeep Smiling.\u201d A regular in NCSY JAX, Orly attended TJJ (The Jerusalem Journey) in her freshman year and spent last summer on NCSY\u2019s Michlelet program.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrly is a part of every single [NCSY] program that exists,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople see the ideal in Orly and they took the inspiration when it presented itself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Or, as her friend Jackie Farber wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery word she speaks is holy. We can all learn from the way she treats others. She is a tzadeket and a true kiddush Hashem.”<\/p>\n

In January, Orly updated the Facebook group with an important status: She stood up for the first time since the accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think nowadays people take smiling for granted,\u201d Orly explained. \u201cThere is a time for mourning and a time for reflection. Smiling is a feeling that something did happen but you still need to be happy: Ivdu et Hashem b\u2019simcha<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When tragedy struck Orly Ohayon, a member of Southern NCSY\u2019s Jacksonville Chapter (JAX), teens around the world reacted. Her story resonated because of its horrible particulars: as Orly and her mother crossed the street to shul on Yom Kippur evening for the Kol Nidrei service, a car careened into them. Esther, Orly\u2019s mother, was declared<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":730,"featured_media":35072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nKeep Smiling: One NCSYer's Tragedy Reverberates Around the World - OU Life<\/title>\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\/inspiration\/one-ncsyers-tragedy-reverberates-around-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Keep Smiling: One NCSYer's Tragedy Reverberates Around the World - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When tragedy struck Orly Ohayon, a member of Southern NCSY\u2019s Jacksonville Chapter (JAX), teens around the world reacted. 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