TURNAWAY GATHERING OF 140 TEENS KICKS OFF NEW YORK NCSY SCHOOL YEAR WITH SATURDAY NIGHT ‘COMEDY CRUISE’
The Queens-based New York Region of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) kicked off the school year last Saturday night with its immensely popular “Comedy Cruise” program. A large gathering of 140Jewish teens from the Five Boroughs and Westchester were treated to a dinner cruise around the island of Manhattan, and a private performance by the improv group Comedy Sportz. Upon the completion of the cruise, a special Selichos service of penitential prayers preceding the High Holy Days was held for both staff and teens.
Attendance to the opening event surpassed New York NCSY staff’s initial projection of sixty to eighty teens. In fact, there was a waiting list of approximately sixty teens for the event, which was sold out a week before the cruise. In addition, dozens of young people showed up at both the Queens and Brooklyn bus stops in hopes of claiming a spot for the much anticipated event.
“Obviously, we far and away exceeded our expectations,” said Rabbi Nahum Zak, Regional Director of New York NCSY. “The cruise was not only a tremendous success in beginning the year on a high note, but also signifies the buzz and energy that have been building around the Region.”
NCSY, a program of the Orthodox Union, is a multi-faceted Jewish youth group. Offering social and educational programming in hundreds of communities across the U.S. and Canada, NCSY is a leader in bringing unaffiliated youth an awareness of what Judaism is all about. For Jewish teenagers, NCSY is a relaxed, fun environment to learn about their own heritage.
For more information, contact the New York NCSY office at 718-461-1200 or NYregion@ncsy.org.