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I think we spend a lot of time in USY talking about how to make USY better. Which, obviously, makes sense. I’m the International President. A pretty large part of my job is quite literally talking about how to make USY better. More programs, more people, better conventions, better communication, more engagement, more whatever other
By Rabbi Ilan Schwartz Last weekend, over 80 USY leaders from all over North America gathered at Camp Ramah in New England in Palmer, MA for USY’s annual Leadership Training Institute (LTI). The goal of the weekend was to build community among USY’s leaders and send them home with practical skills they can use in
By: Sylvie Neff As I ran to the buses with people I had just met moments ago, all I could think was, “Yes. This is where I’m supposed to be.” Someone grabbed my hands, pushed our arms up to make an arch, and all of a sudden, there was a tunnel that led from the
Over the past several years, USY has been investing in a simple but powerful idea: what happens when a community has a dedicated professional whose job is to engage teens, build relationships, and strengthen connections between synagogues and young people? The answer is clear: the USY Community Director and Community Advisor model is working. Today,
As I reflect on the summer of 2026, I am filled with pride and gratitude for what we created through USY Summer Programs. This summer, teens participated in three distinct immersive experiences: Wheels, Impact DR, and Yuval Yisrael, including a meaningful week in Poland before the Israel experience. While each program offered something different, they
By: Benjy Behrman Planning Yuval Yisrael 2026 was not easy! The war with Iran at the beginning of the year made it virtually impossible to plan for the summer. Most of the country was shut down, and it was unclear whether we would be able to fly our teens into Israel. However, with the ceasefire
By: Julie Marder וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ “And this is what sustained our ancestors and us.” This past week, I had the privilege of getting a firsthand glimpse of the profound impact our USY on Wheels program has on both our teens and the broader Jewish community. Joining the group at its midpoint in Los
Editorial Note: USY on Wheels has already hit the road. Follow the adventure here By: Jen Fisher Summer is officially underway, and USY teens from across North America are embarking on journeys filled with adventure, personal growth, leadership development, and meaningful Jewish connection. Leading the way is USY on Wheels, which hits the road this
There is something deeply Jewish about struggling to say goodbye. Judaism has never really believed in endings. Even our moments of mourning are filled with rituals that gently push us back toward life. We tear clothing, but then we sew. We sit shiva, but then we stand up. We watch the sun set, and still
One of the earliest stories in the Torah about human ambition is the Tower of Babel. The people gather in one place, speaking one language, united around one project. They say, “Come, let us build a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves.” At
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