Summer in the City

*The pictures below are links; clicking on them will take you to a larger version of that picture.

Sunday, July 16th:
On Sunday, the USYers spent time in Downtown Manhattan, including Ground Zero, Greenwich Village, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park, where the USYers viewed a special exhibit about the Holocaust and the role of American Jewry in World War II.  

    

    

    

    

    

Monday, July 17th:
Today, in the afternoon, the USYers attended an important Rally for Israel at the United Nations Building in Midtown. This gave them an opportunity to see how one can be involved Jewishly in New York through politics and Israel advocacy as well, a side they had not seen previously. In the evening, the USYers headed up to the Bronx to see the New York Yankees defeat the Seattle Mariners, 4-2, on a warm, muggy night.  Let me root, root, root for the Yankees, if they don’t win it’s a shame!

    

    

    

    

Tuesday, July 18th:
Tuesday night, the group went to the Great Lawn of Central Park to see a free concert by the world-renowned New York Philharmonic, including Beethoven's 5th Symphony.  A night of outdoor culture was followed by fireworks in the Park!

    

    

Wednesday, July 19th:
Wednesday morning the group went for their final visit to the Jewish Home & Hospital, their final opportunity to bring cheer to the residents that they have gotten to know over the past few weeks.  Although this was their final visit here, hopefully many of the USYers will now be inspired to volunteer in a similar way once they are home.  Wednesday evening was a return engagement to Central Park, this time to Summerstage for a night of stand-up and improv comedy by alums of the famous Upright Citizen's Brigade, which featured faces and personalities familiar to some of the USYers from TV and movies. 

    

    

Thursday, July 20th:
Thursday evening, the group continued their busy week by taking a trip on the Staten Island Ferry, which took them right by the Statue of Liberty for many perfect photo ops.

    

    

    

    

    

Shabbat, July 21-22nd:
The USYers spent a bittersweet Shabbat together, bittersweet because while services were once again beautiful and moving, they were all aware that this was the final Shabbat they would spend together in the unique, special community they have created this summer.   They are each trying to get as much as possible from their last Shabbat together, before focusing on their final week of classes, and finishing up their presentations and/or final projects.