October 2017 seaboardusy.org
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Welcome to the October
Seaboarder!
~Summer Programs~
Keep An Eye Out For...
Around the Country in Six Weeks
By Anna Armoza
Israel and Poland and USY, Oh My
By Julian Gruber
DREAMing in Latin America
By Molly Goldberg
Wheels After Wheels
By Jimmy Stluka
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Favorites...
Ask a Summer Program Staff
מילים עם סיבורד: Words with Seaboard
Torah Aura - Little Known Facts about the Parshaot!
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UPCOMING REGIONAL EVENTS
Grades 9-12
November 17-19, 2017
Capital Retreat Center in Waynesboro, PA
Grades 9-12
December 24-28, 2017
(Pre-Convention: December 21-24)
International Convention 2015
Chicago, IL
Grades 6-12
Sundays in January-March 2018
Frost Middle School, Rockville, MD
Fall Convention 2016
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Around the Country in Six Weeks
By Anna Armoza, Seaboard USY Class of 2019, USY on Wheels Bus A 2017
At the beginning of last summer, I met up with 30 other Jewish teens at a random hotel in New Jersey where we prepared to drive across the United States and back together. Little did I know that these six and a half weeks would be so incredible! I got to explore places I had always dreamed of seeing while I observed and learned more about my Judaism. I made friends who made my trip and will always be there for me. I also learned Shacharit and now enjoy praying, which I never expected.
From the seeing the Corn Palace in South Dakota to walking around Pike's Place in Seattle to jumping into the water at the Santa Monica Pier and visiting all the ice cream places our country has to offer, there was never a dull moment. We started each day with Shacharit. Then, we hopped on the bus and traveled to an awesome new place to explore! When evening came, we ate dinner at a synagogue and went to a hotel.
Many might ask, "How do you spend all that time on the bus and not get bored?
"
Surprisingly, you just don't. Even when you're on the bus, you're still having fun. USY on Wheels is a once in a lifetime experience that everyone should take part in!!
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Ask a Summer Program Staff - Micah Cowan!
By Micah Cowan, Seaboard USY Class of 2015
We asked Micah about his experience staffing USY Poland Seminar/Israel Pilgrimage. Here is what he said:
The consta
ntly repeated questions of "How long until we get to...uh...where are we going?"
were an iconic part of my summer staffing USY Poland Seminar/Israel Pilgrimage (G3 woot-woot) this summer. However, on a bus among almost all strangers, after a mere nine-hour flight, you've already sparked what will become some of the best friendships of your life. While collaborating with my co-staff to ensure the best summer possible for our USYers, it would be an understatement to say that the USYers on our trip made the summer as successful as it was (regardless of those ever-returning questions). I had the amazing opportunity to watch my USYers grow and mature while they traveled through the emotionally complex sites of Poland, explored the land of Israel, and further develop their Jewish identities over the course of the five weeks.
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Israel and Poland and USY, Oh My
By Julian Gruber, Seaboard USY Class of 2019, Israel Pilgrimage Group 3 2017
This past summer, I went on USY Pilgrimage: Poland Seminar, visiting places around Poland and Israel. The 26 of us on the trip became extremely close in the short amount of time due to where we went, who we met, the funny things that happened, and our growing connection with Israel.
By far my favorite memory is when I met my two friends, Ayelet and Katriella. We were staying in a town called Poriya, After a long day of eating mediocre food, lots of bus naps, and fun, we saw a group of boys from another youth group on their balcony. Our boys started talking to them and we quickly became friends! Next thing I knew, my friends and I started talking with the girls in their group, people I had never met before. While the staff told us to not use the balcony and go to bed, that didn't stop us from talking to Kat and Nelly every night after. We have become such good friends from this random meeting and talk all the time!
Overall, my trip was special because of the people. I was lucky that the people I was with were so amazing and there was no drama. I could not have asked for a better group. I am so grateful I was on G3, and now, when I think of Israel, I think of the amazing places that I saw, the incredible experiences I had, and my 26 best friends and how much I miss them.
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מילים עם סיבורד
(Meleem Eem Seaboard)
WORDS WITH SEABOARD
Hebrew Phrase: היה ממש כף איתך (ha-yah mamash caif e-tach)
Meaning:
"It was really great being with you."
Example:
"Kadima kallah was so much fun!
!היה ממש כף איתך"
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DREAMing in Latin America
By Molly Goldberg, Seaboard USY Class of 2019, DREAM USY 2016
Two summers ago, I had the incredible opportunity to go on DREAM USY, a service trip to the Dominican Republic, which partnered with a Dominican organization called DREAM (Dominican Republic Education And Mentoring). Instead of visiting tourist sites, we stayed in Puerto Plata, a city where most foreigners go to kite surf. Our goal, however, was to volunteer and learn about the history of the Jewish community there. We volunteered at the DREAM center, but we also left time for horseback riding, hiking, boat tours, and museums.
My favorite memory from the trip was the horseback ride to a farm. It rained just as we were getting on the horses, and the experience brought us closer together as a group.
From a service standpoint, we completed some impressive projects like painting trash cans, working with local kids, and building a volleyball court. The Dominican Republic has the lowest performing education system in Latin America, so these projects brought an extra level of meaning to the trip.
DREAM had a huge impact on me, more than any other trip, and it allowed me to discover my love for traveling. Experiencing the authenticity of a foreign place and culture is what makes travel special, not staying in a cushy resort. DREAM gave me a chance to see the Dominican Republic, while working to make it a better place. It helped me perfect my Spanish, connect with people despite a language barrier, and develop my Jewish identity in a community that offered a safe haven for Jews during the Holocaust. DREAM was an amazing opportunity that I'm so grateful to have had, and I hope to have similar opportunities in the future.
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Fall Convention 2015 USY Basketball 2017
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Wheels After Wheels
By Jimmy Stluka, Seaboard USY Class of 2020, USY on Wheels Bus A 2017
On USY on Wheels this past summer, there were plenty of opportunities for us to further our religious education. Every once in awhile, we would either teach or learn a service, and we were strongly encouraged to try to lead a new service by ourselves or with a friend. I learned to lead Mincha, Ma'ariv, Shacharit, and Kabbalat Shabbat, but the service that struck me the most was Havdallah. When other services ended, we would move on to our next activity or start talking with our friends, but when Havdallah was over, everyone would come together in a big hug. Now that Wheels is over, I've been inspired to attend services more often and to participate in more t'fillah at conventions. Every time I attend a service, I am reminded of all of my wonderful memories at them during my summer on USY on Wheels.
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LAST MONTH'S COMMTEST WINNERS!
"I've learned that sometimes you just have to roll with things and see what happens, and that everything is better with snacks!
#hsusy #commtest"
-Sarah Eisenberg (11th Grade)
"Seaboard taught me to just always be open and approach new people, because who knows? They might become your best friends.
#okusy #commtest"
-Talia Armoza (10th Grade)
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Torah Aura -
Little Known Facts About the Parshaot!
By Ben Topol, Seaboard Leading Learning Co-Chair
On October 14th, we read from Parashat Bereishit. Near the end of the parsha, there is a complete list of the generations between Abraham and Noah. In this reading, we also learn that Noah's grandfather, Metushelach, the oldest person mentioned in the Torah, lived to be 969 years old. Nowadays, being 100 seems old, but that number is miniscule compared to 969.
On October 28, we read from Parshat Lech-Lecha. In this parsha, Abraham circumcised himself at the age of 99 years old. G-d addresses Abraham, saying every child of his offspring and of his offspring's slaves' offspring must be circumcised when they are eight years old. The punishment for not receiving circumcision is to be cut off from one's nation. That's basically the biggest punishment in the whole Torah.
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THE NEXT USY COMMTEST!
Thanks so much for submitting your responses! Here's this month's #commtest question: If you could create a USY Summer Program, where would it go?
Post your response in the Seaboard USY Facebook Group with the hashtag
comm
test for the chance to have your post featured in the first edition of the 2017-2018
Seaboarder
!
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THANKS FOR READING!!
Special shout out to this year's
Seaboarder
editors, Eliana Davis and Maddy Pollack, for working extremely hard to make the
Seaboarder
as phenomenal as ever!!
If you have any suggestions for future editions, please email the Seaboard Communications VP, Julia Feldman, at
comm@seaboardusy.org
:)
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