By Avra Bossov, NFTY Social Action Vice-President

Being immersed into a brand new environment with people you don’t really know beyond name and where they’re from. Not being sure of what is going on around you, but going with the flow, along for the ride. Becoming so enthralled in that experience that the last night brings tears and dreading the reality that comes in the morning and travel. And then going through withdrawal because you are no longer in the place you were with those same people.

Sounds like a NFTY event, right?

This is the situation I have found myself in since coming back from Greensburg, Kansas with a group of ten peers from GW on an alternative spring break.

On May 4, 2007, a tornado left the community of Greensburg, Kansas in its wake. With phone and power lines down, debris everywhere, chaos ensued as loved ones and friends tried to find each other.

Almost five years later, we came to help out doing small projects within the community and to learn about the transformation the town has gone through since.

In rebuilding their community, Greensburg decided to rebuild sustainable. In its rebuilding, the town now has the most LEED buildings per capita in the entire world. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard utilizes a ranking system, where buildings earn points based on having energy-efficient features.

Many buildings in Greensburg are LEED certified, a couple of them even achieving LEED platinum status for scoring in the top category. For example, the town’s media center, courthouse, business incubator and regional school have all met LEED standards.

Another notable LEED building is the local John Deere dealership called BTI, the only dealership in the entire world to earn LEED platinum status. The dealership provides local farmers with combines and other necessary machines to be successful, but it has also provided for much publicity of green awareness, causing “sustainable” to enter the John Deere Company’s vernacular.

As we took tours of all these buildings, we learned about all the green technology. I also had the opportunity to learn about the oil and natural gas industry, since they are two of Kansas’s natural resources. Another one of those abundant resources is wind.

The concept of wind energy is not new to the area, but the way harvest it is. Greensburg has a wind farm that produces enough energy to power all the homes, and various buildings – the hospital and John Deere dealership – also have their own wind turbines to provide natural energy for them.

Beyond tours, we also completed projects in the town that seemed small but made a huge difference. Our three main volunteer sites were GreenTown, the local grassroots sustainability organization, where we helped with gardening and landscaping; the Youth for Christ teen center, where we painted and cleaned; and the newly-built senior center, where we helped transfer items that had been in storage since the tornado and cleaned them before they were arranged in the building. Throughout these projects, we really formed relationships with the people we were helping and got to hear their stories about the tornado and their lives in general.

In looking back, it is comfortable to know that there can be immersive experiences beyond NFTY. Opening yourself up to new opportunities and finding unique ways to help people is something we learn in NFTY that can be applicable to the rest of our lives. I strongly suggest if you ever have the chance to do something so different, yet so familiar…do it.

Just like what happens after your second NFTY event, you will come to love and value what comes of taking that chance.

What suits the theme of Social Action Weekend better than the idea of Pay It Forward? How about over 140 passionate, dedicated teens who love spending their time with each other and helping the community! This past NFTY SW event was filled with fun activities, smiling faces, and of course, music and friendship.

Thursday night began with a little Pay It Forward activity and soon NFTYites were running around singing, dancing, and giving each other compliments. The night continued with an intense game of Coke and Pepsi, a quick friendship circle, and it was off to spend the night at our host homes.

Bright and early Friday morning everyone arrived with their water bottles and sneakers awaiting the buses to bring them to their social action projects. MVP David Siegal led an entertaining “act and react” mixer and finally, it was time to get to work! NFTYites did everything from helping at an elementary school, playing with puppies, painting over graffiti, making blankets, picking citrus fruits for the hungry, working with the elderly, and organizing food at the local food bank. After a hard day of working, everyone headed back home for a few hours of rest. Later, they joined the congregation for Friday night services and enjoyed song session after. PVP Dori Singer lead a touching program. The underclassman did a little meditation and wrote letters to themselves that they will be returned to them their senior year while the upperclassmen made a timeline of their NFTY experience and wrote a letter to a future NFTYite. Head Songleader, Zach Kaplan, closed the night with a friendship circle outside under the stars.

On Saturday, the long awaited Camp Swift Carnival was finally just a few short hours away. RCVP Naomi Movshovich lead services at Palomino with the help of songleaders Zach Kaplan, Shamir Ambrose, and Noah Shinbaum. Torah study about necessity versus want followed. Shortly after, chaos erupted. Hundreds of young children were running about with faces painted and smiles as bright as can be. Participants spent the afternoon bonding with these kids and giving them one of the best experiences of their lives. The carnival included activities like mini golf, football, fishing, bowling, and dancing. There were also games like tic tac toe, ping pong, the penny toss, ring toss, mummy wrap, and even horse races. It was a day to be remembered. The rest of the afternoon was spent learning about the phases of social action based on video clips from the movie “Pay it Forward”. SAVP Lizzie Stein and Dori Singer wrote this program where participants discussed inspiration, personal experience and Judaism while learning how to benefit the community.

Saturday night a we invaded the bowling alley and the competition was on! NFTYites got crazy bowling, dancing, and singing in their crazy white outfits. After, everyone headed back to the temple for a peaceful Havdallah and typical NFTY SW friendship circle. The usual Sunday morning drowsiness came about and participants sang their last songs, said their final goodbyes, and began the countdown until Spring Kallah.

Introduction by Sarah Horn, NFTY-PAR Regional President

When our Board met to plan Fall Kallah around the theme pop culture, I immediately wanted to showcase the regions artistic talent. We rarely see who people are outside regional events and I thought it would be really cool to see what the artists in our region could create. We decided to tie their creations to the Saturday morning service, which was extremely fitting because the Torah portion was Bereshit. When the art was showcased during the service, it was both inspiring and meaningful. The contributors really took our idea to heart and created some truly beautiful pieces. This experience was a great way to add some fun and abstract thinking to our service and really allowed the region to experience prayer in a different way.

Creative Service necklace and writing for Elohai N’Shamah
Created by Max Miller-Golub
The necklace I made was created to represent the prayer Elohai N’Shamah. The prayer is about how G-d gave each of us a pure soul. The main part of the jewelry is a sun, chosen because both G-d and the sun are the source of life. Etched in the middle is an eye. The eye symbolizes how G-d is able to sense when we feel lifeless and renew us with soul.

Creative Service painting and writing for the Sh’ma
Created by Rachel Abramowitz
I chose to depict the Sh’ma as my personal beliefs in G-d. I believe that G-d is the way that everything in our universe works together in harmony. The miracle of life and the way our bodies work, the vastness of the solar system; the connections that are everywhere in the world. In that way, I see the Sh’ma as saying that everything in our world is one. To me, it tells us that G-d is everything working in unison, which is depicted in the mixed-medium collage I created, where many aspects of the world are intertwined with vines, symbolizing life. As you look at it, be sure to look for other symbolism in the colors, objects chosen, and positions, as well as feel free to formulate your own idea of what it means to you, your interpretation is as good as mine.

Creative Service writing and picture, for the V’ahavta
Created by Micah Waldman
The V’ahavta translates to “and you shall love”. It explains how the commandments were given to the Jewish people with love and L’dor V’dor.  When I think of this prayer, I think of family and passing traditions on to children.  To me, this is a perfect representation of my mom-mom.  Even though things have dramatically changed over the years, my family continues to live on though the traditions my mom-mom passed on to us. Little things may change, but the big picture stays the same.

Creative Service scrabble board and writing, for the Mi chamocha
Created by Louis Markowitz
Mi chamocha is not just about reverence for God’s majesty, but also about the struggles we have with understanding God. Who, indeed, could be like God? How are we to put the concept of divinity into words? The symbolism of the game scrabble emphasizes this point in my poem. Though this visual representation, these arranged words, you should think of what you see when you think of God. Think of what words truly come to your heart.

By Amanda Wachstein, Regional Advisor – NFTY-Pennsylvania Area Region

Technically the third event of our calendar year, PARites begin the countdown toward Fall Kallah as soon as they board the buses returning home after Summer Leadership Kallah in August. “See you in 55 days!!,” can be heard on every bus. Excitement builds as soon as event material is distributed, and registration opens. Participants clamor to read the confirmation letter which includes the event theme (“PAR-POP” this year). The NFTY-PAR Board keeps the programming, services and ideas for Fall Kallah fresh, innovative and captivating for both seasoned PARites and new members.

Every program or service created by the PAR Board reaches for something new; have a program without group leaders and see who initiates leadership, ask participants to create artwork about prayers and incorporate that art into Shabbat morning t’filah or offer a completely new option for the female participants during a program. During Torah Study, we offered females the option of participating in an incredibly creative Torah Study or join with me for an opportunity to learn, grow and unite as girls/women together.

When the NFTY-PAR Board and I originally spoke about the Rosh Hodesh, we liked the idea of the girls in our region having an opportunity to bond and grow together. We also anticipated that 35-40 girls would participate in each program and the remaining girls would stay for Torah Study. Were we wrong! Out of 98 female attendees, almost 80 girls joined the Rosh Hodesh program. It was remarkable that so many PARites jumped at the chance to try something new together. With the large number of participants, I realized that I would not be able to lead the activity alone. Several PAR TYG Advisors had led the Rosh Hodesh programs previously and instantly volunteered to help lead smaller discussion groups. That amazing sense of shared community is one of the many reasons why I love NFTY-PAR.

The program began by discussing why we celebrate and share in Rosh Hodesh today, and why it is relevant to females in today’s society. We then separated into 4 groups and shared, Who Am I? We discussed teshuvah, and how it is important to turn our lives around and make a commitment towards higher goals for ourselves. We shared and answered fun, thoughtful questions about ourselves. Each group then made their own sacred cloth which included everyone’s name, the event and anything else they wanted to write/draw whether it was a Jewish symbol, a text or a picture. These cloths will continue to be used at every Rosh Hodesh gathering, and the girls will add to them throughout the year. The program concluded by discussing a quote by Theodor Herzel, “If you will it, it is no dream.” We discussed dreams and goals, and the participants reflected on their personal goals for the year.

Providing this outlet and time for the girls in NFTY-PAR to gather and work together was unique and special. This activity will enable girls to connect and build new relationships with each other, in ways they might not have in our regular event programming. I was elated by their responses and enthusiasm for the program. They brought interesting perspectives to the questions and were very honest.

As the NFTY-PAR Advisor, I rarely have the opportunity to grouplead and work with the participants on the program level. This renewed my passion for youth and my excitement about bringing new programming to our region and sharing it with our extraordinary females.

We are thrilled to share with you the exciting news – President Obama is scheduled to speak at the URJ Biennial! All teen delegates to the NFTY Leaders Assembly at Biennial will be a part of this historic moment.

Make plans to join us! The early-bird deadline has been extended to November 11, 2011. For more information and to register visit www.nfty.org/biennial.