Eli Weinstein and Elliot Tanzman, both of New York, will be inducted into the Ben Zakkai Honor Society (BZHS) at its National Scholarship dinner on Sunday evening, January 10, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan.
NCSY is the Orthodox Union’s international youth movement and the Ben Zakkai Honor Society (BZHS) is NCSY’s Alumni Hall of Fame. Proceeds from the scholarship dinner will be used to enable teens to attend NCSY life-changing national initiatives, including summer travel and study programs and the National Yarchei Kallah experience of five days of intense Torah study for public school teens during their winter break.
Following the Family Footsteps
Eli Weinstein grew up in West Hempstead and has been involved with NCSY since the sixth grade, eventually becoming president of West Hempstead NCSY. After attending Yeshivat Shaalvim in Israel prior to Touro’s Lander College for Men, he came back to the U.S. to be an adviser (which he still serves currently). He has worked as a staffer for both New York and NorCal NCSY. While in New York, he ran chapters in his native West Hempstead as well as Oceanside, and Plainview. He was an advisor for NCSY Camp Sports for four summers and Assistant Director for TJJ (now the Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey) one summer.
NCSY also runs in Eli’s family. His father Charles Weinstein and uncle Barry Weinstein were also in NCSY as teenagers; and Eli met his wife Ariella through NCSY. So not only did it help shape who he was but it helped shape his family and his future.
“NCSY is the perfect combination of social life and Jewish life,” explained Eli. “It gives people a safe space to be themselves and at the same time grow and learn about Judaism. It’s a beautiful outlet for many kids and it helps shape Jewish futures.”
Dinner Co-Chairman David Luchins said, “Helping the Jewish future is one of Eli’s dreams and goals in life. To touch and change as many lives as possible.”
Elliot Tanzman of Queens.A Man of NCSY Summer and All Seasons
Growing up in the Queens community of Hillcrest, Elliot Tanzman gained a strong sense of community and internalized the value of being a driving force in the community. Prior to becoming a youth leader and assistant youth director in his local synagogue, he had already seen this focus on the community from his family. His parents and grandparents helped build local schools and synagogues, and Elliot has continued to watch his family support those institutions with many hours of tireless dedication.
While attending Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, Elliot chose to spend the summer 2006 as a participant on NCSY Summer Kollel in Israel. After graduating in 2007 he spent two years learning at Yeshivat Torat Shraga in Israel. During his junior year at Yeshiva University, Elliot met Rabbis Micah Greenland and Moshe Isenberg, who offered him the opportunity to attend a Midwest NCSY Shabbaton in Overland Park, KS, and the rest is history.
In the summer of 2011, Elliot served as an adviser on NCSY Summer’s Euro ICE. As the Director of Recruitment for NCSY Summer, Elliot has spent much of the last four years traveling to almost every NCSY chapter across North America promoting the 14 unique NCSY Summer programs.
“Elliot’s understanding of the national office mixed with his exposure to networking with the regions and their individual chapters make him extremely unique to our National NCSY Staff,” explained Dr. Luchins. “Looking to stay as part of the NCSY family long-term, Elliot is excited to see what the future holds for both himself and for NCSY.”
For further information about the dinner, contact Elaine Grossman at grossmane@ou.org or 212-613-8350 or Rhoda Farbowitz at 212-613-8110.