Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Let's get together sometime soon!
I love being reacquainted with old friends! Now that the chagim are over, it is time to plan some alumni reunions. As usual, I have some ideas as to what I’d like to see BUT I really would rather the reunions come from you all out there in alumni land! In the past two years we have had reunion events in Israel (2), New Jersey (3), Kansas City (1), Seaboard (1) that I know of. I’ve had inquiries from Chicago, Toronto and Las Angeles but only one or two. If any of you would love to sink your teeth into planning a reunion or have any great reunion ideas, please let me know - now!!!
Monday, September 17, 2007
New Beginnings
New Beginnings. Its a new year for the world and its a new beginning for NCSY alumni. Our third year marks the first where we finally start following up with our recent High school grads. Welcome to all of you and I hope you make the most of all the OU wants to offer you as alumni! Over 160 12th grade grads who were alumni of OU programs in high school have now volunteered to be OU Ambassadors on campus. This new project has tremendous potential and I’m sure we’ll see this new group accomplish great things in the year to come. Any college age alumni who want to become our Ambassadors on campus and earn great prizes while doing so please email Ambassador Coordinator Josh Einstein at einsteinj@ou.org
Thursday, July 26, 2007
An Example For Us All
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I love hearing about all the great experiences our summer program participants are having and I’d like to share one story related to our summer programs that is a great lesson for us all. I can’t count how many realatives have called me in a panic that their cousin, niece, nephew etc. is off the path of Judaism in one of many different ways and can I help save the day. We do our best and sometimes can help; but, usually it is too late to make an immediate impact and we just pray that Hashem help them find their way eventually.
When I became a Rabbi, Rabbi Noah Weinberg made us each write a family tree and commit to do our best to reach out to them with the beauties of Judaism. This was an eye opening experience because while we are out there trying to save the world we quite often forget to start at home in our backyard.
This summer
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Just Another NCSY Hall Of Fame Story
Just another NCSY Hall of Fame story. Two winters and several months ago we had 200 students on our NCSY birthright trips. One of those participants was Jake Freedman. We heard the first part of this story in a previous edition where I shared how Jake and I first talked at length after a speaker gave a touchy feely class on love and marriage. Jake was very disturbed by the class as it did not connect with his tough and logical “just the facts” personality. That would be no big deal; but, as Jake questioned the Teacher quite loudly, everyone in the class became very aware of Jake’s take!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
One Step At A Time
Once at a Shabbaton in Columbus Ohio I heard an NCSY’er ask Rabbi Efraim Buchwald, “Who is greater someone who has been religious all their life or someone who is relatively new to Jewish involvement in their life?” He answered “It is not on what rung of the ladder you stand but whether you are climbing up or down!” The real question was - How can I ever catch up to where I want to be? The real answer was one step at a time in the right direction!
Well, NCSY Alumni has taken another couple steps in the right direction!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
What can be better
With all the craziness going on with the killings, prisoners, floods etc. this week, what can be better then an old friend reaching out to remind you just how lucky we are!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Alumnus Dvar Torah Tzav Rabbi Seth Nadel
Music has the power to moves us; to make us feel something; something so visceral. Ever since I was young, I was fascinated by the sounds of the Synagogue: The nuschaos, the melodies of the prayers, changing with every occasion; every holiday. Shabbos, Yom Tov, Yamim Noraim, each had their unique sounds. The call of the shofar. The trop, or ta’amei hamikra that the Torah, Haftorah, and Megillos are chanted to. I fell in love with these sounds.
It's Pesach Time Already
In the famous words of the gang from Brooklyn, “It’s Pesach time already and Rebbe (NCSY Alumni) was still here.” Not only are we here; but, new programs and services keep popping up left and right!!! At the same time, NCSY and our alumni make news for saving the world, the Jewish people and Israeli baseball! In the issue you will find articles that will hopefully fill you with pride that you too are an NCSY Alum! Please go to our You’ve Got Friends Page and fill out your free profile if you have not yet and ask all your alumni friends to as well: http://www.ncsyalum.org/services/youve_got_friends
Thursday, March 15, 2007
New_Beginnings
Now that the second reunion Shabbaton has come and gone, it is time to look back at the path we have taken to start NCSY Alumni and where we should go. If we truly want this to work in a big way, the major push needs to come from many of us working together. Several of the reunion participants have sent in great advice for future reunions and offered to work on them. Therefore, I am calling on all of you to volunteer to expand, initiate and improve our alumni efforts. We need committee chairs and members for the NCSY Alumni Commision. I would like to set up the following committees for now and am looking for volunteers for them as well as suggestions for others. They are:
Collegiate, Singles, Reunions, Web Site, Newsletter, Fundraising, Data Base, Mentoring, Classifieds (Jobs, Personals, etc.)
I hope to hear from you all soon and often!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Which Is The Most Impressive NCSY Shabbaton
Last Shabbas there were over 1,000 NCSY’ers in Shabbatons including several winter regionals, JSU trips to New York featuring 500 public school students in a concert Motzei Shabbat and 270 people attending the 2nd Alumni Reunion Shabbaton. I was discussing with Dr. David Luchins (Ben Zakkai Guru and frequent guest for our sponsor Touro College at Shabbatonim) a few weeks ago where he was going to go for Shabbas: Long Island NCSY winter regional or the Alumni Shabbaton. Although his wife Vivian seemed torn, his answer was very quick and clear, although I’d love to be at the Alumni Shabbaton when given the choice,I want to be with the kids.
I’ve been thinking about those words ever since and I want to go on record that I think Dr. Luchins had the right idea, but underestimated a different group of kids.
Read the Rest at http://burgncsy.org/index.php/alumni/news/which_is_the_most_impressive_ncsy_shabbaton/
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
See Who's Coming To The Second Alumni Reunion Shabbaton So Far
Movie Producer Avi Abelow, Author Becca Feldbaum, US War Hero Adam Campbell, Ruach Revival Original Musicians: Howie Kahn, Danny Wildman, Chaim Fruchter and Rabbi Joey Fishoff, National Director Rabbi Steven Burg*, Former National Director Rabbi Pinchas Stolper*, Regional Director Rabbi Yaakov Glasser*, Former Regional Director Rabbi Itchie Lowenbraun*, Former Regional Director Mrs. Debra Kapnick*, Doctor Jerry Luchins*, NCSY Alumni Director Rabbi Dave Felsenthal*, Eve Messing, Mr. and Mrs. David Kessler, Tzivia Arnow, Neima Chasky and many more amazing NCSY Alumni are coming, ARE YOU?
* And More importantly their wives/husbands!
To see who’s coming http://burgncsy.org/index.php/alumni/news/see_whos_coming_to_the_second_alumni_reunion_shabbaton/
Monday, January 08, 2007
The Best Event In Town
In an exciting weekend for New York Sports fans. On a Sunday when both the the Jets and Giants were in playoff games. The most exciting event for me by far was Rhonda Spector Bergmans wedding with her darling husband Nachman last night. It was my favorite type of NCSY Alumni reunion with a smorgasboard of alumni from all the regions Rhonda has touched so deeply (Central East of course but also New Jersey, Long Island and many more). When it all comes out in the end of days,
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/