NCSY Alumni

Monday, December 04, 2006

Happy Chanukah

I have just returned from the OU Convention in Jerusalem, I wanted to share with you some of my recent experiences there. The OU Convention was an exciting, whirlwind event with incredible speakers from all areas of religious and political life. The convention also afforded me the opportunity to experience first hand the wonderful programming the OU Israel Center offers. I visited a public school in Tiberias named Nofrim where the OU Israel Center runs wonderful Jewish informal education for the entire school similar to our public school clubs in North America.  When our group walked into the school we were…

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Where Are You Now?

One of my favorite parts of directing NCSY Alumni is the interesting places I run into Alumni and the great things they are doing!  In the past week I ran into Elaine (Witty) Komito and her husband Larry at an event in Lincoln Square; Isaac Galena who started http://www.bangitout.com a really awesome website with his twin brother Seth; Dennis Rimkunis who is quickly rising the corporate lawyer ladder and Yisroel Schulman.  I met with Yisroel because he is known in the NY area as a very involved supporter of Jewish causes (about helping us find support to open more JSU public school clubs).  Then it turned out we knew each other from working on birthright together as he pioneered the Mayanot program and built it into one the top three birthright trips while I brought NCSY to number 6.  He was very interested in helping JSU and eventually I asked my most important question:  Where you ever involved with NCSY?  Well, guess what!?  He was first turned on to Jewish life in the NCSY chapter in Eugene Oregon!

Well, I’m looking forward to hearing many more stories of NCSY alumni as I head off to the OU convention in Israel and attend what is looking to be an awesome NCSY reunion in Jerusalem Motzei Shabbat at 8pm in the Renaissance.  I look forward to seeing many of you there and PLEASE SEND ME YOUR STORIES FROM YOUR NCSY DAYS, I’d love to hear them!

Have an awesome Shabbat,

Rabbi Dave Felsenthal
Director NCSY Alumni

Ps Check out the below article about the upcoming Ben Zakai Reception http://ouradio.org/images/uploads/events/FTJT_BZ_ad_4_875x_6_833.pdf

Monday, October 23, 2006

The Wonder Of It All

This past Simchat Torah my family and I were guests for the NJ Region Simchaton in Cherry Hill, NJ.  I always find the Simchaton to be one of my favorite events for there is nothing like learning Torah with teens accompanied by all out NCSY Ruach!!  This year was my first time attending not as a NJ Region staff member and I had an additional level of pleasure from teaching and learning from the 40 brand new public school participants.  When I was involved in public school outreach day to day I did not realize just how privileged we in NCSY are to be involved with these Jewish youth.  Their questions ran deep, their brains were very active and it was all fresh and exciting through their eyes.  I found myself returning to my days in NCSY when I had the same questions and excitement and reconnected with a part of me that had been buried in the mechanics and hidden the wonder. What am I talking about?

Continued at http://burgncsy.org/index.php/alumni/news/the_wonder_of_it_all/

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Sukkot Message

Every year before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur I get THE PHONE CALL.  It is the call that makes a whole year of hard work with over 250,000 NCSY alumni (8500 personal) all worth it.  An old friend and student calls just to say I was thinking of you.  That’s it.  Not I’m keeping the whole Torah, not I invented the cure to cancer, not I am now a gazillionaire and am donating 100 million to NCSY, not even I’m married and am living happily with my wife and kids in a beautiful Jewish community.  No, what makes it all so sweet is the call just to say you are important to me, I think about you, lets get together, lets stay friends!  Why is this call so meaningful? (continued at http://burgncsy.org/index.php/alumni/news/sukkot_message/ )

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Registration Page and New Alumni Flash Movie are Ready to Use and View

http://www.ncsyalum.org NCSY Alum Page

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Inspiring alumnus story at this year's West Coast Winter Regional Shabbaton

Friday night there were a group of pilots that checked into the hotel for the night as is the common occurrence since we are 3 minutes from the airport.  After they checked in one of the pilots saw many kipot and was curious what was going on that was so special this weekend.  He continued walking into the foyer and heard beautiful singing from all of our students during our oneg shabbos.  The pilot, around 50 years old, stopped Irwin Nachimson and Yudi Hochheisser and asked in hebrew, “Is this a chanuka mesiba?” Irwin shook his head.  The pilot continued in English,"oh, it must be NCSY…

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