Social Action was my first love in life. From the beginning, I always felt the yearn for change and the call to action. It picks me up when I’m down and I am more passionate about Social Action than anything else in my life. In spite of this however, over the last year, I have really neglected to try as hard as I could to make change because school, friends and sports took priority. But, I have two experiences that happened recently that reignited the spark of social justice in my heart.

Over Winter Break, I had the opportunity to participate in a four day social justice seminar led by the amazing Rebecca Katz, a Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) employee. We did almost a hundred things, but one stuck out to me. We worked at a former convent that is now being turned into a home for the families of detained immigrants. At this House of Hospitality, somewhere between scrubbing counters and counting dishes, I developed a desire to help these immigrants who I had never met. From that point on, my view on my own life changed. It seemed strange to me that I wasn’t working to help these people before. This place was in my region, not over half an hour from my house, yet, immigration issues had never even crossed my mind. For days afterward, I was thinking that there were so many people out there who need help. This leads me to my second experience, only a few weeks later.

My mom and her four siblings have been trying to get my grandparents to clean their kitchen out for decades, but finally succeeded recently. All of the family in the area got together to clean and put together tons of stuff to throw away, give away and keep. My grandmother would have preferred to throw away some of the stuff that ended up in the give away pile, but, remembering my experiences with the House of Hospitality and other organizations, I knew that someone, somewhere, would want to use those dishes, blankets and silverware. As soon as I thought of that, I put out an alert, asking if anybody had any ideas about where to donate the piles and piles of stuff that were accumulating in the give away pile. Only an hour later, someone replied saying that an organization was pairing with Connections For the Homeless to help women coming out of group homes to get back on their feet. In my mind, this was perfect. We would be getting rid of all of the stuff, and we could furnish at least two apartments with only half of it. With a feeling of accomplishment in my mind, I organized the logistics and our family friend came and filled her car with all of the rejects from grandma’s kitchen cabinets.

From these experiences, I have learned how amazing it truly feels to help people, and because I’m much better at expressing things through poetry than I am through prose, here is a poem that I wrote as a reflection on these experiences:

A Call To Action
A Summons to Work
A Yearn For Change
A Hope for Love
A Voice and a heart.
That can alter the mind

You’ve got the skills
That’s all it takes
Every little bit helps

Running for an office
Or handing out flyers.
Everyone should have
The rights we do
But shouldn’t take them for granted

The people on our streets
Or in our jails
Are helpless for themselves
But we CAN help to
Make a Difference

In our cities
In our countries
In our worlds

With summer quickly approaching, I have many asking me what I will be doing for the next 2 months. Summer is often associated with relaxing on the beach, spending quality time with family, and kicking back with old friends. However, my answer is different. My answer to that question for the past 10 years of my life has been, “going to camp!” Following that statement, the person usually gives me a weird look and says, “Oh is it some kind of Jew camp or something? Why do you go?”

“Yep” I answer with confidence. “And I don’t know why I go….It’s just what I do.”

I started my journey at Jewish sleep away camp at the young age of 9. Forcefully shoved in a minivan packed to the brim, my parents drove me to the rambunctious town of Oconomowoc and said goodbye. As I stood on a patch of grass, unable to see because of the tears clouding my vision, my parents drove off and left me with bags that were bigger than myself and staff members singing, debatable-ly shouting, loudly in my face.

Little did I know that those strangers standing around me, whether they were staff members, campers, Rabbis or educators, were going to be my support system and my best friends for the next 10 years of my life.

With the recent passing of Janet Goldberg, Heather Kornick and Elissa Froman, the Jewish community, in specific the community of OSRUI and NFTY, has truly come together in a support system that is unbreakable. As a long time camper and member of NFTY, my life has been touched by all three of these tremendous women. Whether they baked delicious sweets for us, lead a thought provoking program or simply were just there to listen, they were a part of my Jewish community, and cancer has unfairly taken them away from us.

So back to my original statement of not knowing why I go to Jewish sleep away camp.

I go to camp so that for my most anticipated 9 weeks of the year, I get the privilege of being surrounded by fantastic people that have truly changed my life for the better.

I go to camp so that I have the support system, and get to be a part of the support system, that is impenetrable.

I go to camp so that I get to be part of a community.

The people in this community are ones who look past every materialistic detail of your life and truly love you for who you are, and will forever love you.

May the memory of these women who have recently passed be a blessing, and never be forgotten.

“If we have faith – and not just faith in G-d, but faith in family, faith in each other, faith in ourselves – if we have that, we can live. No matter what has already come.” -Unknown

לברכה זכרונה

Why children? Why a school? Why 26? Why first graders? Why don’t people pay more attention to mental health? What about the families? Why do I know the shooter’s name and not a single victim’s name? How could his past be so damaged that he feels the only way he can recover is to take away the innocent’s future? Could I have done something? Could anyone have done anything? Am I truly safe at school? Why do mass murders keep happening? How are the survivors and their families as well as the community ever going to recover from this tragedy? Why during the most joyful season of the year? How can anyone comprehend burying 20 children and 7 adults in one week? Why?

At 9:30am on Friday, December 14, 20 children and 7 adults had their innocent lives tragically taken from them at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Tonight, we gather together as Jews to offer prayers of healing, comfort, love, and peace for every single being affected by this heinous massacre. Even in the darkest of times when we cannot imagine having enough to go on, our tradition offers us reason to trust that there will be light and joy again in our lives. Rather than centralizing on the darkness of this massacre, we focus our attention on the light that beamed in each of the 27 innocent victims.

Charlotte Bacon – 6 years old – She loved dresses and school and her beautiful curly red hair.

Daniel Barden – 7 years old – A soccer player and swimmer who embodied everything that is wholesome and innocent in the world.

Olivia Engel – 6 years old – An amazing big sister who was always active and appreciative.

Josephine Gay – 7 years old – She loved riding her bike and having lemonade stands, her seventh birthday was just last Tuesday.

Catherine Hubbard – 6 years old

Madeleine Hsu – 6 years old – She was a sweet girl who always wore bright flowery dresses.

Chase Kowalski – 7 years old – The perfect little brother of two sisters and the apple of his parents’ eye, he never failed to say hello to the neighbors while playing baseball outside with his dad, all he wanted for Christmas this year was his two front teeth back.

Jesse Lewis – 6 years old – Brave and curious he was killed running into the hall to help, he loved to play with the animals and think of far-fetched “what if’s….”, he was learning to horseback ride before his passing.

Ana Marquez-Greene – 6 years old – New to the neighborhood she was the most vivacious and spunky girl in the first grade.

James Mattioli – 6 years old – The swimmer with the 1,000 watt smile.

Grace Audrey McDonnell – 6 years old – Looking like the most beautiful barbie she would wait at the end of the street everyday for the school bus.

Emilie Parker – 6 years old – A sunny-natured gorgeous girl who was a best friend to her two younger sisters.

Noah Pozner – 6 years old – The youngest and only Jewish victim he loved his family and his twin sister who survived the shooting.

Caroline Previdi – 6 years old – She earned the nickname “silly caroline” for her caring smile, everyday on the bus she sat with a kindergartener so he wouldn’t be scared.

Jessica Rekos – 6 years old – The first born who was called the “CEO” of the family for her want to plan every detail, she was a cowgirl at heart.

Allison N. Wyatt – 6 years old – Quiet and shy yet so extremely loving, she enjoyed gardening with her mom.

Benjamin Wheeler – 6 years old – Loving older brother, son of two musicians, his nickname was “crash” for his clumsiness.

Avielle Richman – 6 years old – She would wear her pink cowboy boots while riding her horse, she asked for an easy bake oven for Christmas so she would be able to bake her mom cookies.

Jack Pinto – 6 years old – He idolized Victor Cruz (NY Giants wide receiver) who honored him after word of the news, he was in the wrestling organization in Newtown.

Dylan Hockley – 6 years old – his family made the move from the UK to Newtown just two years ago and he was loving school, to know him was to love him.

Rachel Marie D’Avino – 29 years old – Her true passion was her occupation, as a behavioral therapist, she died a hero protecting the children she loved, her boyfriend was going to propose to her this upcoming Christmas eve.

Dawn Hochsprung – 47 years old – As the principal as the school she gave everything she had to the families of Sandy Hook including at the end her life, she was a wife mother and grandmother, she cared very much about her students so much that she immediately lunged at the shooter when he entered the school.

Anne Marie Murphy – 52 years old – She was an aide at the elementary school who did everything she could to protect her students, she was a mother of four and a loving wife.

Lauren Rousseau – 30 years old – She was on cloud nine when Sandy Hook offered her a full time substitute-teaching job, she passed doing what she truly loved, teaching was her passion.

Mary Sherlach – 56 years old – She was the school psychologist, she was a mother of two great girls who she loved dearly, she didn’t think twice when danger entered the school and lost her life protecting the students of Sandy Hook.

Nancy Lanza – 52 years old – Along with 26 other innocent victims, the shooter may have been her son, but she should be remembered for her love of jazz music and outgoing personality.

Vicki Leigh Soto – 27 years old – When she heard gunshots in the school she hid her students in the closet and told the gunman they were in gym before he took her life, she was the oldest of four children, family and friends filled her life along with her passion for teaching, she died a true hero.

As we watch each victim’s light shine, we pause for a moment of silence

May the survivors of the Sandy Hook school be blessed with the knowledge that God watched over them and may they dedicate their lives to living and being happy. May the wounded, of body and soul, be granted a full and speedy recovery. May the families of those who died find comfort somehow in the knowledge that God will care for their loved ones in a better place than this world could ever be, that many are grateful to the teachers and principal who tried to protect the children.

לברכה זכרונם
May their memories be for a blessing.

By Sari Lipsett and Ari Lorge

Today is The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It is day one of the international campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. All around the world individuals and organizations are spending twenty four hours working to end one of the most pervasive evils in our world: violence against women. Each of us can afford to spend a bit of time today taking action. We at Reyut are making it easy!

There are many ways to join in the movement:

• You can share this blog post on your Facebook profile and with friends and family in order to spread the word and help others get involved!
• Visit the website of the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence. Read about the new organization and join people from all around the world who have signed the pledge to take action.
• You can check out Rutger’s Center for Women’s Global Leadership’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 
• You can check out Jewish Women International’s (JWI) efforts for a Jewish lens to the campaign
• You can post about the issue in social media sites – there are great sample posts here if you scroll down to “Sample Social Media Posts”
• You can educate yourself and others – Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is an incredible book, that turned into a movement, and has now been turned into a PBS documentary
• We are also very happy to share Chief Rabbi (of England) Jonathan Sack’s post about The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
• You can also read and share information, stories, and videos from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women’s efforts

This is an incomplete list, but it is a starting place. Let’s all do our part to educate, inform, and take action!

Sari Lipsett and Ari Lorge are the founders of Reyut: The Jewish Campaign for Healthy Relationships, which is an organization dedicated to fostering healthy relationships in the Jewish community. Originally posted on Reyut.

Sunday began an international campaign called 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.  NFTY-CAR Alumni Ari Lorge and Sari Lipsett have taken on this issue in an important and active way.  As the founders of Reyut: A Jewish Campaign for Healthy Relationships, their work in both the blog that they keep as well as the programmatic resources they have created for congregations are an active response to a problem that is real in both the Jewish community as well as in North America in general.  “As committed Jews devoted to ensuring our communities are sacred spaces, [Ari and Sari] are launching a campaign to educate, raise awareness, and foster action that will ensure the next generation of young Jews have the resources they require to meet the growing plague of gender violence in America.”

Ari and Sari will be joining us at NFTY Convention in Los Angeles and teaching in multiple workshops.  In the meantime, please get connected to the great work they are doing.  Below is one of the blog posts highlight these 16 days of activism.  You can follow their work on their blog which includes international updates, suggestions for taking action, and Jewish resources relevant to this subject.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

originally published on the Reyut blog Sunday, November 25th

Today is The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It is day one of the international campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. All around the world individuals and organizations are spending twenty four hours working to end one of the most pervasive evils in our world: violence against women. Each of us can afford to spend a bit of time today taking action. We at Reyut are making it easy!

There are many ways to join in the movement:

• You can share this blog post on your Facebook profile and with friends and family in order to spread the word and help others get involved!
• Visit the website of the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence. Read about the new organization and join people from all around the world who have signed the pledge to take action.
• You can check out Rutger’s Center for Women’s Global Leadership’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 
• You can check out Jewish Women International’s (JWI) efforts for a Jewish lens to the campaign
• You can post about the issue in social media sites – there are great sample posts here if you scroll down to “Sample Social Media Posts”
• You can educate yourself and others – Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is an incredible book, that turned into a movement, and has now been turned into a PBS documentary
• We are also very happy to share Chief Rabbi (of England) Jonathan Sack’s post about The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
• You can also read and share information, stories, and videos from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women’s efforts

This is an incomplete list, but it is a starting place. Let’s all do our part to educate, inform, and take action!

Ari and Sari

When planning started for JYG Kallah, I was pumped to be able to contribute my ideas to THE event that introduces 7^th and 8^th graders to NFTY, the same event that got me excited to be a NFTYite back when I was in 8^th grade.  The theme for this year’s kallah:  “Your NFTY Journey Starts Here.”  As a NFTY Leader for the event, I expected to spend a lot of time prior to the event planning and programming with other NFTY Leaders, the co-chairs, Regional board members, and advisors to make the event as exciting as possible.  But, honestly, nothing could have prepared me for how much each one of us got into the “sharing our passion for NFTY” aspect.  We high-school NFTYites led unique programs, belted out songs, rallied our color war teams to victory (go green!), and even got into character as Mr. Mint, Plumpy, and Queen Frostine of Candyland.  I think it’s safe to say for every NFTYite there when I say how awesome it was to get to know everyone while joking around at the water park, meeting new friends, and staying up late bonding with our respective cabins.

While those things were all fun, I’d argue that the best part of JYG weekend was seeing the connections that all of the 7^th and 8^th graders built.  It’s hard to believe that, as I’m already a junior, I really only have one year of NFTY left.  Watching participants get involved in discussions, get the spirit of competition for color wars, sit on the lap of the person they had met two days previously, and scream out the NFTY cheer at the top of their lungs enforced my feelings that NFTY CANOe’s future is bright.  Not only are they the future of NFTY, but these 7^th and 8^th graders are the present of NFTY.  The JYG Kallah was an experience that brought them into the same group that helped me, like my fellow high school NFTYites, build confidence in my Jewish identity and allowed me to make amazing friendships with other Jewish teens.  Their “NFTY Journey” really did start at this event.  Nothing was more exciting, more rewarding, or more promising than seeing them come home and tell their friends all about their weekend, post on Facebook, “best weekend ever! I can’t wait for the next event!” and then rush to be the first to register for their regions’ spring events and kick off their time as NFTYites.

NFTY can’t just be an extracurricular activity. Even if that’s all you want it to be, it won’t remain just that.

Since my freshman year, I have been infatuated with NFTY. To outsiders, it comes off very cult-like — we gather in circles with a twisted candle ablaze in the center; we chant prayers in unison; we cry while leaving each other, separated for many weeks at a time. Sometimes, people just don’t understand it — no matter how well we explain it. To us, it’s not just an organization, not just a Reform Jewish Teen Movement, and it’s not an afterschool activity to keep occupied before Mommy or Daddy can come pick me up. To me, and all of its 7,000 members across North America, it’s a second home. It’s a people, it’s a feeling that you get, no matter the setting.

NFTY isn’t some climb to the top of Everest, but it is a climb. Some people climb out of a dark place in their life and up into NFTY. Some climb from TYG to the North American level. I’ve climbed towards regional board of the Chicago Area Region. Here’s something for sure: no one walks out of our holy community the way he or she walked in. NFTY shapes each of us and exposes our true character through intense programming, spiritual services, and lasting friendships. If 17-year-old Brett was in the same room as 14-year-old Brett, I know they wouldn’t recognize each other: our appearances barely affected, but our attitudes, life goals, world views, relationship skills, life management, and self-expression completely re-modeled for the best.

The faces of this youth group will often change, and the leadership will be passed down. But, the trusting, caring, and open nature of NFTY will be everlasting.

Gonna live & die N-F-T-Y

-Brett

38 Kutz alumni attended the Midwest Mash-Up.

NFTY leaders from the Chicago Area, Michigan, Missouri Valley, Northeast Lakes, Northern, and Ohio Valley regions collaborated at Goldman Union Camp Institute in Zionsville, IN, for the inaugural Midwest Mash-up Leadership Boot Camp event. Melissa Frey, director of Kutz Camp and associate director of NFTY, delivered the d’var torah based on parasha Shoftim.

Just a week ago, I was at a place many of us have called home, the URJ’s Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. I was working with our staff preparing camp for impending Hurricane Irene, when I received a call that the EIE Fall semester departure flight had been cancelled because of the storm. That was Saturday. Their flight would not be rebooked until Wednesday. Late Monday afternoon, once the storm had passed and the roads were clear, we bused close to twenty of the thrity-five teens to Kutz to await their departure.

We saw this as a remarkable opportunity to create camp for 30 hours, before their journey to the Holy Land. So we pulled together programming and tefilah, and had some terrific discussions, some even rooted in this week’s parasha, Shoftim. While studying this particular text, the iconic phrase, “Justice, Justice, Shall You Pursue,” caught one teen’s eye. And half joking she quipped, “Where’s the justice in our trip being postponed?” I couldn’t help but empathize and even agree.

In Shoftim, we learn that there are actually five different kinds of justice. And while each is defined in its biblical interpretation, each can also be applied to our NFTY community, and our role as leaders within this community.

The first kind of justice – Rules of Worship – biblically interpreted as a series of rules regarding how, where, and when one can worship, how one can offer sacrifices, and implications of the physical spaces where those things happen. Applied to our work in NFTY, these are the rules and ideals we live by. Our Brit Kehilah, Covenant of the Community, is a document created by youth leaders for youth leaders. Just like the Ten Commandments, our brit kehilah tells us things we should do, and things we must not do. These rules were created to protect the sanctity of this community. NFTY’s Thirteen Principles is comprised of the values on which NFTY stands. Torah, The Jewish People, The State of Israel, Hebrew, History, To Learn and To Do, Pluralism, Self, Justice, Community, Repairing the World, Partnership, and Fun and Spirit, are the foundation of who we are and what we do. And the concept of Generational Leadership, the ability to make the most of any leadership opportunity by finding a balance in the present moment by having a simultaneous respect for the past and a vision for the future. The Brit Kehilah, NFTY’s Thirteen Principles, and Generational Leadership are the rules that NFTY leaders live and lead by.

The second kind of justice was the appointing of Kings. Our equivalent to this is electing officers. This week’s portion says that a Jewish king is commanded to write their own Torah scroll and carry it with them at all times. This was to remind the king of who they were obligated to in their leadership role, and the rules to live and lead by during their tenure. Having a title is great however it’s the actions of any leader that will define how that title is perceived. In Jewish thinking, arrogance is considered one of the worst traits, while humility is seen as the greatest. When the Torah looks to praise Moses he is called the “most humble of all men.” Moses, who had a stutter. Moses, who hit the rock, twice. Moses, who was human and made mistakes, and did not make it to the land of Israel. Moses, who even with his challenges and flaws, never put his own self-worth above anyone else in the community. Moses, the Sages say, is the greatest and most genuine human being that ever lived. A humble person serves those who they lead, not themselves.

The third type of justice is called Cities of Refuge. Biblically, places where those responsible for crimes could go and seek safe harbor while making teshuva, or repenting for their sins. In NFTY, we understand that there are rules and policies in place, and we sign our name stating that we will follow those rules. And we know, Jewishly, that our name has real meaning. Sometimes, people we really care about make a poor choice and break one of these rules. In NFTY we offer the opportunity for members of our community to meaningfully engage in a teshuva process, an opportunity to reflect and learn on that choice, and why they would not make that same choice again. What is equally if not more important than someone engaging in meaningful teshuva is our obligation, as leaders of our communities, to welcome someone who has done teshuva back into our community. We need to own the authentic and meaningful reintegration of our peers back into the communities that we love, and that they love, because we all make mistakes, and every one of us has infinite value and remarkable gifts to share. And those who have had more of a chance to learn tend to be the ones who are even more compelled to lead.

The fourth kind of justice is Witness and Testimony. This is essentially about pursuing the truth of justice, about being honest, straightforward, not triangulating, and not gossiping. And one of my favorite concepts – assumption of good will. The basic premise that we all want the best for the things we care about, so why would any of us take the time to go out of our way to make someone else’s program, or project, or life, more difficult? If you see something or hear something that resonates as challenging, ask for clarification, don’t jump to conclusions. My favorite Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber, once wrote, “The origin of all conflict between people is that we do not say what we mean, and we don’t do what we say.” We each have an obligation to be honest and say what we need to say in a way that is constructive and can be heard, and, we have to follow those words with actions that will come to fruition.

And the fifth kinds of justice are the Rules of Warfare. While your work in NFTY is not sending you into a war zone, often in leadership roles, it can feel as though we are navigating mine fields of personalities, ideas, politics, and differences of custom, style, or opinion. So we have to be thoughtful about how we engage in shared leadership models so that we leave no collateral damage behind. The Rules of Warfare even go so far as to state that a soldier who has a bad attitude should be removed from the line of duty because their behavior can affect the soldiers around them. Each of us has a sphere of influence beyond ourselves. As leaders, our actions take place in a fishbowl, we are always being noticed by others, and consequently we must constantly be aware of the possible effect we can have on others without even directly communicating with them. And we should strive to behave in a way that our peers want to emulate, rather than being the example of what not to do.

After thinking about the original question of where was the justice in the EIE trip being postponed, the EIE teens and I could find parallels to all five of these types of justice and the situation they found themselves in. Perhaps the greatest debate of all was about the text, tzedek, tzedek tirdof – justice, justice shall you pursue. Why is justice repeated twice? Maybe because justice is an ongoing effort that each of us is commanded to do, and therefore the word is repeated for emphasis? Or even more interesting, that there must be righteousness in how we pursue justice – that even the means to reach justice must be fair, and kind, and decent, and intentionally good. In Torah, and in life, the ends do not justify the means. We can’t ever fully enjoy the end product if the process of getting there leaves people or places or things damaged in some way.

Perhaps in its simplest form, Shoftim is really about Law and Order. The law is established by the judges, and the order is upheld by the guards. You are those judges and guards, working in tandem to ensure this holy community and to hold one another accountable to standards of excellence, compassion, and order. As the EIE teens boarded their bus from Kutz to JFK airport at 2 am Wednesday morning, there was a heightened understanding of happenstance, of things running a different course that may have, in some way, seemed like an unfortunate challenge, that may have actually been a coincidence of divine intervention. Those teens had each very clearly chosen a path to Israel that did not include 46 Bowen Road. They each very clearly left for Israel changed in some meaningful way because of this unusual experience.

And each of you has chosen your own path, your personal leadership adventure. There will be things you are so planful about, and then sometimes, all the planning in the world can’t hold up to those happenstances along the way. Is there justice in that? I think in the case of EIE, the remarkable leaders of our Israel semester this Fall, they would all agree that there was justice in this change of plans because of the process we went through, together, to make it meaningful for each of them.

You have a remarkable opportunity this year to leave your indelible imprint on your respective regions. I implore each of you to believe in yourself, because you are here for a reason. You matter. Your work matters. And each of you is the most important person in the world to someone, whether you know it, or not. NFTY lasts four years, and the lessons you learn will live with you for your lifetime. So I ask you, as leaders in your communities, will you rise to the occasion when things become their most challenging and seek justice, with justice? I leave it to you to be the Shoftim, the judges.