West Coast NCSY Kicks Off Year with 400 Teens at Family Fun Center

09 Sep 2011

WEST COAST NCSY KICKS OFF THE YEAR WITH 400 TEENS AT MULLIGAN’S FAMILY FUN CENTER

From left: Simcha Nikravesh, West Coast NCSY Assistant City Director, with Sara Badreau of Tarzana, and Eliana Jalali of Los Angeles, in front of the arcade.

While most people are sleeping on a Saturday night at 3 a.m., West Coast NCSY was in the middle of all-night thrills at Mulligan’s Family Fun Center in Torrance. After Shabbat, 400 Jewish teens from Irvine, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Fernando Valley boarded buses for West Coast’s annual kickoff event.

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NCSYers enjoyed arcades, go-karts, mini-golf, bowling, and laser tag throughout the night. Derek Gormin, West Coast NCSY Director of Education, also ran a meaningful kumzits (singing group) for a portion of the night.

Reflecting on the event, Rabbi Effie Goldberg, Executive Director of West Coast NCSY, said, “The energy of the night was so resonant that many teens did not want the event to end. On a personal level, watching hundreds of Jewish teens interacting in a responsible and respectful fashion was a true Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God’s name).”

Solly Hess, Associate Regional Director, left the event feeling inspired. “It was clear that our regional board was ready to take the year by storm as they held their first board meeting during the kickoff event. Their dedication – the fact that they wanted to take time out from the event, demonstrated a glimpse of their passion, team work, and commitment,” he remarked.

With pizza served all night, this was certainly an event not to be missed. Jake Litwin, West Coast Regional President from North Hollywood, was ecstatic with the turnout and said, “It was amazing to see so many new faces come together to start off the year and join the West Coast family.”

To participate in the next NCSY event, contact Solly Hess at SHess@ncsy.org or visit .

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