BUFFALO TO HOST NEW JERSEY NCSY LEADERSHIP MISSION,WEEKEND OF OCTOBER 6-10, AS TEENAGERS BRING A MESSAGE OF WARMTH AND HUMANITY TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE
Back by popular demand, Jewish teenagers from public and yeshiva high schools under the auspices of New Jersey NCSY will be paying a return visit to Buffalo from Wednesday, October 6-Sunday, October 10. Rabbi Ethan Katz, Assistant Regional Director of New Jersey NCSY, and his team of mighty teenage leaders will be volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to serve the general Buffalo community, and visiting the local Jewish community, adding warmth amidst the cooling weather.
NCSY is the international youth program of the Orthodox Union.
A similar group under the leadership of Rabbi Katz came to Buffalo last October. These teenagers come together from across the state to exemplify that acts of kindness can bridge Jews of all backgrounds, while reaching out to help non-Jews as well. This is the fourth year Rabbi Katz has been leading leadership missions in humanitarian aid and Jewish values.
Declared Marc Fein, Regional Director of Upstate New York NCSY, which has a strong Buffalo chapter, “We are very excited to host our NCSY peers from New Jersey. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to be able to appreciate how they are connected by values and tradition to the broader community, and to the Jewish community far from their homes. We are also proud to share the model of teenage leadership and empowerment which we have created here in Buffalo.”
Rabbi Katz and his proactive team of teens will be getting down-and-dirty repairing housing stock in neighborhoods downtown. A festive visit is planned for Weinberg Campus and Kadimah School, both in Amherst. Additionally, they will be creating a special Shabbaton for public school students involved with Jewish Student Union (JSU) clubs and chapters of the Upstate New York NCSY Region in the area.
“NCSY and JSU in Buffalo continue to flourish because of the commitment, effort and leadership of our teens. Their energy and dedication in creating a safe social and educational environment for Jewish teenagers of all backgrounds should serve as model to Jews everywhere,” said Mr. Fein.
According to Rabbi Katz, “We are taking the brightest and most determined teenagers and we are empowering them with the knowledge that as Jews, we have a responsibility to help others in need. While their peers may be on vacation, these students are utilizing their time to their fullest potential.”
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