Bruchim Ha’baim! Welcome to the USY Religion/Education Page!

My name is Andy Weissfeld and I am honored and excited to serve as you 2013 International Religion/Education Vice President. I can hardly wait to see what we can accomplish this year. USY provides so many learning and growing opportunities. The Jew Crew (AKA the Rel/Ed IGB) is here to help you out and will provide some new and exciting programs for the upcoming year. Here are just a few:

• Andrew Gerson, Far West, is working on a transliterated siddur with commentary from USYers from all around North America.
• Daniel Mackler, CRUSY, will be running Torah Bytes, bi-weekley video conferences in which USYers from all across North America will be able to discuss controversial and relevant Jewish    topics in a safe and fun environment.
• Gila Fridkis, Seaboard, will create a series of videos, called the AhMEdah project, to help USYers establish a deeper connection with this meaningful tefillah.
• Monica Sass, CRUSY, is in the process of creating a welcome guide for all newly elected Rel/Ed VPs (chapter and regional).

In addition to the Jew Crew’s projects, the USY website already has a lot to offer. I strongly encourage everyone to check out the following resources.

If you are a Rel/Ed VP, you may find the following resources helpful:

• Tefillah script for weekday Services ^[1](page numbers, instructions for sitting and standing), Courtesy of Pinwheel USY
• S’fatai Tiftach: Guide to Religious Services ^[2]
• Tefillah Assignment Sheet ^[3]- Use this to fill in your convention Tefillah assignments

(If you are a Regional Rel/Ed Vice President, please do not go to convention without these two things!! Everything you need to know about running tefillot is in here.) 

• *NEW* That Thing Called Judaism ^[4]- a Guidebook for handling the challenges we face living Jewishly in a non-Jewish world. Created by Liora Zhrebker, SWUSY Religion/Education/Culture VP 2012-13

To be part of an ongoing dialogue via blog, discussing these “real-life” challenges, email Liora at Swusyrecvp@gmail.com

• USY Self Study program ^[5]- Is there a topic you’d like to study on your own? Email Amy Dorsch (dorsch@uscj.org) to choose your own “self study” topic. You will receive a one-page document with texts and questions and be able to ask your own questions and comments in response. For a sample (Ethical Kashrut), click here ^[6] or click on sidebar link or link above.
• *NEW*  ^[7]kavanot for candle lighting ^[7]- Courtesy of Koach, the Conservative Movement on Campus
• *NEW* Oh, 5773 ^[8]! A Shana Tova song and video created by Sarah Gans, Hanfesh rel/ed vp 2012-13
• *NEW* Want to check the trope and words for your upcoming Torah reading? Download Pocket Torah ^[9], the app for Torah Layning!
• List of Websites for learning your Torah Reading ^[10]- compiled by Nomi Small, Rel/ed IGB 2012
• *New* See a sample Video D’var Torah of Parshat Tetzaveh ^[11], courtesy of 2011-12 Hanefesh Rel/ed VP, Micah Fiedler!
• Tools for Regional Rel/ed VPs such as a service outlines, a suggested app for learning your Torah reading and Guide for Gabba’im, can be found on the “Holiday and Rituals How To” Page on the left side-bar.
• Do you find yourself lost during Tefillot and wish you had a better handle on some of the traditional tunes? Here’s one quick resource, helpful to both rel/ed VPs and every USYer. Learn how to daven online with SiddurAudio ^[12]! Siddur Audio provides MP3 files of traditional Nusach. 
• The Heschel Honor Society ^[13] page: click on the link to the right recertify your membership or join the club!
• A number of “creative” Tefillah ^[14] outlines: if you have any you’d like to add, please send them to Amy Dorsch ^[15].
• A fantastic D’var Torah bank ^[16]: please submit your own Divrei Torah to Amy Dorsch ^[15] and she will post them!
• Guidebooks to making standard Tefillah services more creative, interactive and meaningful through activities, discussion pieces and explanations.
• Previous issues of Bo’er Ba’esh: the Heschel Honor Society Newsletter
• A Guide for Gabba’im ^[17] - learn the choreography of the Torah Service with this guide written by 2011 Rel/ed IGB member and 2011-12 Seaboard Regional President, Jordan Brandt.
• IGB projects from previous years such as a guide for keeping Shabbat in a non-Shomer Shabbat community, “JewTube ^[18]“, a video series on how to do certain Jewish rituals (both for weekday and holidays!) and iDaven ^[19], a series of audio clips of USY “Ruach” songs and Shabbat Zemirot … and more!
• A sample Rel/Ed VP officer packet ^[20]courtesy of Hanegev Regional Board 2011-12
• Another Rel/ed VP handbook ^[21] - Courtesy of Pinwheel USY
• Explanations of various Tefillot ^[22]

B’ahava,

Andy Weissfeld
2013 USY International Religion/Education Vice President
reled@usy.org ^[23]