United Synagogue Youth

United Synagogue Youth (USY) is the youth movement of USCJ (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism).[3]

United Synagogue Youth

The USY logo
Abbreviation	USY
Formation	1951[1]
Type	Youth Organization
Headquarters	New York, NY 10027
Location	120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
Region served	North America[2]
Membership	15,000[2]
Senior Director of Teen Engagement	Rabbi Joshua Rabin
President	Austin Kaufman
Main organ	International Executive Board, International General Board, International Youth Commission,
Parent organization	United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ)
Affiliations	Conservative Judaism
Website	http://www.usy.org/

The organization was founded in 1951, under the auspices of the Youth Commission of what was then the United Synagogue of America.[1]

USY operates in the United States and Canada, with 350 chapters across 15 regions. Kadima (Hebrew for "Forward") is USY's program for pre-teens grades 5-8 (varies by region).

History

The First USY Chapter

Under the leadership of both Rabbi David Aronson and Rabbi Kassel Abelson, the first USY chapter was founded at Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis in 1948 to provide for the social and spiritual needs of its teens. Soon, other synagogues began following suit.

Founding the National Organization

“The Youth Commission unanimously agrees that the teenage groups come under the general supervision of the Youth Commission. Teenage groups should include boys and girls of high school level, 13 to 17 years inclusive…The Youth Commission shall concern itself with non-scholastic group work for teenagers.”

With these words, on March 19, 1951, USY was formed nationally at its first convention, bringing together delegates from synagogues and other youth groups across the country, along with lay and professional youth workers of USCJ.

All told, more than 500 people, representing 65 communities from 14 states and Canada attended the first official meeting of USY.

At that convening, under the leadership of the newly elected national president, Paul Freedman, the two basic documents of the organization, Aims and Objectives and the USY Constitution, were adopted.

USY's Tzedakah Program

In 1956, the Two-o-Nine tzedakah (charity) project began (later revamped to become Tikun Olam (Repairing the World), the social action/charity project that all contemporary USYers recognize).

Summer Travel for Teens

That same summer, twelve USYers went on the first organization sponsored trip to Israel. Known as the USY Israel Summer Pilgrimage, it became the first of the USY summer programs.

Two years later, Pilgrimage enrollment had already increased to 100 teens. In 1961, USY further expanded its summer programs when two staff members took four USYers on their “Schlep and Pray Across the USA,” the first USY on Wheels trip.

PreTeen Programming

In 1969, the Youth Commission created Kadima, the youth group for middle school and junior high students.

USY Today

Today USY has 350 local chapters in 15 regions across North America.

Structure

USY has three main levels of entry into the organization, the chapter level, the regional level, and the international level. The HaNegev and METNY regions are also split into sub-regions and divisions, respectively.

Chapter

Chapters, typically run out of local USCJ congregations, provide programming on the local level. This includes social, religious, educational, and community service-based programming. Social programming ranges from lounge and movie nights to pool parties and paintballing. Religious, educational, and community service-based programming include mock-seders, Israel education, and volunteering.

All programming is planned by the Chapter Board with the assistance of a professional advisor. Typically, a given chapter's name is an acronym of the synagogue or city in which the chapter is based followed by the letters "USY". For example, the "Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove is shortened to BJUSY". Chapters are associated with a USCJ-affiliated synagogue.

Regional

Regions consist of chapters in the same geographical area. Regions gather for bi-monthly, quarterly, and annual regional events, such as weekend-long kinnusim (conventions) and week-long encampments. There are 15 USY regions.

Sub-Regional/Divisional

Larger USY regions are occasionally split into sub-regions or divisions. The sub-regions and divisions act much like regions, overseeing their respective chapters, and holding their own conventions and elections. Currently, there are two regions, HaNegev and METNY, with sub-regions or divisions. HaNegev's sub-regions are each led by a three-person executive board, and METNY's divisions are each led by a six-person executive board. HaNegev's three sub-regions are Arvot (South Florida), Mercaz (North and Central Florida), and Ein Gedi (Florida Panhandle, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina). METNY's three (previously four) divisions are Emek (Hudson Valley), Sababa (Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn), and Ruach (Long Island).

Branches

In the spring of 2019, USY combine regions into Branches. There are six branches. Each region maintains it's individual regional identity but the leadership has shifted to one team running two to three regions.

International

On the international level, USY holds an International Convention (IC), the largest gathering of Conservative Jewish teens in North America, and runs summer trips across the United States, Canada, Israel, and Europe.

The International Board is composed of the six-person International Executive Board (IEB), comprising the President and five Vice-Presidents and the committees of the International General Board (IGB), overseen by the IEB. The IEB is elected at the International Convention, which takes place every December, and the members serve for one calendar year, unlike chapter and regional boards, which are elected at regional Spring Conventions in mid- to late spring.

Programs

International USY provides the following programming:

USY Summer Experience[4]

USY runs simultaneous four-to-seven-week summer programs across North America and Europe. The trips through Europe culminate in Israel.

USY on Wheels is a six-week bus tour throughout the continental United States, Canada, and Alaska. Participants spend the summer visiting America's greatest landmarks, including the Grand Canyon and Pier 39, as well as the country's more obscure destinations including the Corn Palace and Wall Drug. The program's goal is giving teens the opportunity to understand what it means to live Jewishly no matter where you go. Participants stay in both hotels and home hospitality. Participants keep Kosher and pause to celebrate Shabbat throughout the summer. In addition to the "Classic" Wheels trip, other travel options include:

• Wheels East, a four-week east coast trip exclusively for 7th and 8th grades
• Wheels West, a four-week west coast trip exclusively for 7th and 8th graders
• Pacific Northwest, a three-week trip that includes two-weeks on the West Coast and a one-week Alaskan cruise

USY's trips to Israel, USY Israel Pilgrimage, consist of an optional week in Poland or Eastern Europe followed by a month in Israel, learning about Jewish communities and the Shoah (Holocaust). Pilgrimage trips visit every major city and region, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tiberias, Beersheba, and Eilat. In addition to city life, the program incorporates many hiking opportunities and outdoor experiences, in areas including the Golan Heights, the Jordan River, the Galilee the Mediterranean Sea, Masada, the Dead Sea, the Negev, the Red Sea, and archaeological digs of ancient Jewish civilization, all led by professional tour guides. Another option for Israel Pilgrimage is L'Takayn Olam, a program that blends social action and volunteering with sightseeing.

USY also partners with the DREAM Project for DREAM USY, a two-week social action trip in the Dominican Republic.

International Convention

Hatikvah 6 frontman Omri Glickman performing during USY's 65th annual International Convention in Baltimore.

USY's International Convention, commonly referred to as IC, is the largest gathering of Conservative Jewish teens.

Held annually the last full week in December, the convention moves to a different North American city each year and convenes hundreds of Jewish teens for five days of celebration, friendship, Jewish learning, and giving back to the local community.

The location changes from year to year, covering several USY regions over a period of a few years.

2015 International Convention Co-Chairs Aaron Albuck and Samara Wyant during their Opening Session skit.

The 2016 International Convention was held in Dallas, Texas (SWUSY Region) on December 25–29, 2016. During the week of the Convention, USYers participated in community service, leadership, religious, educational, cultural, and social programming. The 2017 International Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois.

Past International Conventions _{please note that prior to 1963, International Convention was a faction of EMTZA Region USY. It was not until the creation of other monetary regions in 1963 that International Convention took the form it holds today. For purposes of this table, International Convention's location and chairpeople will start from 1963 although the first convention was held in 1950.}

Year	Site of Convention	Chairpeople
1963	Chicago	Sharon Perlman and Ed Schechter
1964	Chicago	Lewis Ginsberg and Mindy Abramowitz
1965	Washington, D.C.	Mark Braverman & Judy Lasker
1966	St. Louis	Mark Braverman & Barbra Cutler
1967	New York City	Barbra Cutler & Jonathan Fenster
1968	Chicago	Scott Jacobson & Arthur Magin
1969	Buffalo	Steve Rockoff & Billy Tilles
1970	Atlanta	Myron Edelman & Steve Salinger
1971	Washington, D.C.	Stuart Blumenthal & Billy Klein
1972	Boston	Michael Klayman & Amy Ripps
1973	Los Angeles	Lisa Isaacman & Arnie Sherrin
1974	Washington, D.C.	Joel Ticatch & Beth Levenson
1975	Chicago	Bob Bagoff & Marcia Tatz
1976	Orlando	Debbie Katz & Cheryl Kelman
1977	Toronto	Heidi Aronin & David Lowenstein
1978	Cherry Hill	Judy Kunoff & Marc Shandler
1979	Rye	Judy Kunuff & Eric Sherby
1980	Los Angeles	Norman Katzoff & Sharyn Salamankolopololis
1981	Arlington	Lori Schrecter & Ira Snyder
1982	Chicago	Sammy Karliner & Marty Kunoff
1983	Cherry Hill	Bennett Kaplan & Sheri Wexler
1984	Tampa	Jonathan Draluck & Debbie Hite
1985	Toronto	Adina Ben-Seez & Ivan Wolnecj
1986	San Jose	Hope Tanhoff & Roger Woodman
1987	Baltimore	Bobbi Berenbaum & Adena Cohen
1988	Chicago	Josh Kulp & Jeff Meyers
1989	Philadelphia	Brian Cohen & Billy Padnos
1990	Tampa	Kenny Baer & Jeremy Wlederhorn
1991	Boston	Joshua Gruenberg & Amy Nedow
1992	Baltimore	David Linder & Beth Tritter
1993	Irvine	Debbie Cohen & Josh Einhorn
1994	East Brunswick	Jeff Fox & Anne Levenson
1995	Toronto	Jeremy Gordon & Paul Tritter
1996	Orlando	Jennifer Baerman & Yehuda Gruenberg
1997	Philadelphia	Ari Greenfield & Blayne Ross
1998	Chicago	Bobby Hanson & Ilana Segal Rothberg
1999	San Jose	Dani Greenspan & Seth Wax
2000	Boston	Gabi Gershowitz & Matt Rossoff
2001	Washington, D.C.	Miriam Osadchey & Elana Kieffer
2002	Orlando	Sarah Kay & Hillel Gruenberg
2003	Toronto	Ariella Gutin & Gabe Berkowitz
2004	Chicago	Shayna Hirsch & Jeremy Rietman
2005	Philadelphia	Tova Fishman & Zach Berkowitz
2006	Boston	Ross Broms & Josh Goldberg
2007	Anaheim	Jordan Soffer & Davey French
2008	Washington, D.C.	Jake Stoehr & Ezra Moses
2009	Chicago	David Chaim Wallach & Chelsea Wagner
2010	Orlando	Sarah Tudzin & Max Beede
2011	Philadelphia	Ellie Carr & Shira Goldstein
2012	Boston	Adam Rosen & Danielle Levine
2013	New Orleans	Jake Wassermann & Gabby Roth
2014	Atlanta	Ori Brian & Shayna Plotnik
2015	Baltimore	Aaron Albuck & Samara Wyant
2016	Dallas	Noa Rose & Harrison Steier
2017	Chicago	Jeffrey Gold & Samantha Ronik
2018	Orlando	Jacob Ezra Deane & Hannah Wandersman
2019	Southern California	Joshua Crowley & Sophia Sloves
2020	Virtual due to pandemic	Sam Bloch, Reena Bromberg Gaber & Jacob Ellenbogen

Interest Clubs

USY offers three interest clubs for USY members the Abraham Joshua Heschel Honor Society, Chalutzim, and the 613 Mitzvah Corps.

Abraham Joshua Heschel Honor Society

The Abraham Joshua Heschel Honor Society is a club for USY members of secular and religious academic excellence. The club is named after prominent theologian and activist Abraham Joshua Heschel. Members meet during regional conventions to discuss topics that Heschel wrote about. The Heschel Honor society holds an annual three-day, text-focused convention every March.

The Heschel Honor Society recognizes USYers committed to the study of Torah, prayer, and performance of G’milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness).

Chalutzim

Chalutzim is our Israel advocacy club, helping you build and develop your relationship with the Jewish homeland through programming, workshops, and fun activities.

In Hebrew, Chalutzim means “pioneers,” referring to the original settlers in modern-day Israel.

613 Mitzvah Corps

613 Mitzvah Corps (commonly referred to as 613) is USY's Social Action/Tikun Olam (Repairing the World) or SA/TO club.

The club was designed for USYers who wish to be more involved in social action and learn more about social activism within the context of Judaism.

There is an annual fee of $6.13 to be a member of 613 Mitzvah Corps. You can also donate a generous $61.30 to become a lifetime member.

List of Regions

Name of region	Details of name	Areas covered	President
CHUSY	Chicago USY	Northern Illinois, Milwaukee, and Madison	Geoffrey Gitles
CRUSY	Central Region USY	Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia	Benji Himmel
ECRUSY	Eastern Canadian Region USY	Toronto, The GTA, Hamilton, London, Montreal and Ottawa	Nava Wolfish
EMTZA USY	Hebrew: אמצע, "Middle"	Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Western Wisconsin, and Manitoba	Gabe Kaplan
Far West USY		Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Utah	Spencer Sacks
Hagalil USY	Hebrew: הגליל, "The Galilee"	Northern and Central New Jersey and Staten Island	Abi Cohen
HaNer USY	Hebrew: הנר, "The candle"	Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine	Sam Zuckerman
HaNegev USY (Sub-Regions: Arvot, Mercaz, Ein Gedi)	Hebrew: הנגב, "The Negev"	Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Barbados, and Puerto Rico.	Sara Beer (Sub-Regional Presidents: Jordyn Figur, Arin Nathans, Chelsea Horwitz)
METNY USY (Divisions: Emek, Ruach, Sababa)	Metropolitan New York USY	Greater New York City and Long Island	Eli Makaron (Divisional Presidents: Myles Resnick, Yehudah Browne,Jason Fromowitz)
Mizrach USY	Hebrew: מזרח, "East" (formerly known as EPA/Hagesher USY)	Philadelphia, Main Line, Bryn Mawr, Bucks County and Southern New Jersey Eastern and Northern Pennsylvania from Harrisburg to Scranton	Harris Albuck
New Frontier USY		Northern California, and Reno	Karin Amir
Pinwheel USY	Pacific Northwest USY	Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, and Alaska	Risa Wagner
Seaboard USY	On the Eastern Seaboard	Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia	Sarah Hasson
SWUSY	Southwest USY	Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana	Morgan Beadling
Tzafon USY	Hebrew: צפון, "North"	Upstate New York, and Southwestern Vermont	Rachel Schmidt

Leadership

Regional Executive Board

Each region has a Regional Executive Board (REB), which serves as the region's cabinet, tending to its needs across the year. An REB typically consists of a President, and five Vice Presidents: Israel Affairs VP (IA), Religion/Education VP (Rel/Ed), Social Action/Tikun Olam VP (SA/TO), Membership/Kadima VP (Mem/Kad), and Communications VP (Comm). Some regions incorporate an Executive Vice President and/or Parliamentarian position. In regions that have Divisions or Sub-Regions, Divisional or Sub-Regional Presidents are automatically granted REB member status.

International Executive Board

On December 23, 2019, International USY Voting Delegates at the 69th USY International Convention voted the following 6 members into the offices of the 2020 IEB:

• President: Austin Kaufman (Far West)
• Israel Affairs Vice President: Becca Raush (Mizrach)
• Religion/Education Vice President: Ethan Rogers (METNY)
• Social Action/Tikun Olam Vice President: Michael Pincus (HaNegev)
• Membership/Kadima Vice President: Jacob E. Kline (CHUSY)
• Communications Vice President: Evan Siegel (HaNer)

International General Board

The International General Board (IGB) is a group of committee members selected and appointed by the International Executive Board in the first month of the new year. To be considered for a position on the International General Board, an applicant must agree to keep standards and fill out an application.[5] The 2020 IGB is determined.

Notable alumni

USY has produced over 250,000 alumni, and remains the greatest proving ground for leadership in the Jewish world. Some alumni include:

• Rabbi Elka Abrahamson, President of the Wexner Foundation
• Dr. Tobin Belzer, sociologist of American Jewry at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California
• Rabbi Mark Borovitz, Senior Rabbi of Beit T'shuvah in Los Angeles, California
• Dr. Arnold M. Eisen, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary
• Dr. Shulamith Elster, the "Dean" of Jewish Education in North America
• Eric Fingerhurt, CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America
• Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp
• Peter Geffen, founder of the Heschel School and Kivunim
• Dr. Rela Mintz Geffen, past president of Baltimore Hebrew University
• Rabbi David Israel, Executive Director- Religious Zionists of America
• Meredith Levin Jacobs, CEO of Jewish Women International
• Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, founder of the Hadar Institute
• Michael Levin, fallen Israeli soldier in the second Lebanon War
• Dr. Hal Lewis, Chancellor of the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership
• Rabbi Leonard Matanky, Dean of the Ida Crown Jewish Community
• Deborah Meyer, Founder and CEO of Moving Traditions
• Dr. Steven B. Nasatir, President Emeritus of the Jewish United Fund (JUF) of Chicago
• Michael Oren, Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States
• Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief of The Forward
• Dr. John Ruskay, CEO Emeritus of the UJA-Federation of New York
• Rabbi Sid Schwarz, founder of Panim-el-Panim
• Danny Siegel, founder of the Ziv Tzedakah Fund
• Lenny Silberman, former CEO of the JCC Maccabi Games and founder of Lost Tribe eSports
• Rabbi Moshe Shur, founder of the Diaspora Yeshiva Band
• Bari Weiss, Op-Ed Editor at The New York Times
• Dr. Ron Wolfson, professor at American Jewish University and creator of "relational Judaism"

Other significant USY alumni who made a difference outside of the Jewish world include:

• Alan Solomont, former United States Ambassador to Spain
• Jessica Abo, television journalist, anchor, and actress
• Jan Berris, Vice-President of the National Committee on U.S. China Relations
• Robert L. Freedman, four-time Tony Award winning screenwriter and dramatist
• Alexander Gould, actor and voice artist on The Weeds and Finding Nemo
• Bryan Greenberg, television actor on One Tree Hill, Law and Order, and The Sopranos
• Yossi Katz, former Israeli National Boxing Champion
• Howie Mandel, comedian and host of Deal or No Deal
• Eva Price, Tony-Award Winning Producer of Oklahoma!
• Mike Tannenbaum, Vice-President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins
• Dani Rose, founder of Honey Country
• General Norton A. Schwartz, former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
• Rob Spiro, founder of Aardvark.com, Good Eggs, and the Imagination Machine
• Bruce Vilanch, comedy writer and six-time Emmy Award winner

See also

• Kadima - the pre-high-school program of USY
• Camp Ramah - a network of Conservative Jewish summer camps across North America and Israel
• Nativ - the post-high-school gap year program operated by USCJ
• United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism - the organization of Conservative Jewish synagogues in North America
• Koach - a now-defunct, college campus organization affiliated with Conservative Judaism
• Conservative Judaism - a leading modern denomination of Judaism
• Judaism - the religion of the Jewish people

References

1. "Far West USY". Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
2. J Weekly (1)
3. United Synagogue Youth
4. "Jewish Summer Teen Travel Programs | USY". usy.org. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
5. USY Leadership

External links

United Synagogue Youth Official website