Happenings Around the OU – Summer 2018
Winning JUMP team from DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys with their mentor Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff (far left). Photo: Josh Weinberg
Long Island Yeshivah Wins NCSY’s “Shark Tank”
This past April, the Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys (DRS) on Long Island took first place in NCSY’s annual Jewish Unity Mentoring Program (JUMP) competition. The five finalist schools presented their projects to a panel of distinguished judges in a “Shark Tank”-style boardroom.
The themes for this year’s competition were synagogue engagement, tefillah (prayer) and kiruv (outreach). DRS’s winning programs included the creation of engaging newsletters and videos about prayer and “Chag in a Box,” a kiruv program that provides unaffiliated Jews with supplies to celebrate Jewish holidays.
“JUMP is a unique example of how our youth can be engaged to identify their talents, develop their leadership abilities, and achieve remarkable things for our community,” said OU President Moishe (Mark) Bane.
The OU contingent at the AMA’s Professional Women’s event in March.
Promoting Women’s Professional Growth at the OU
Learning how to communicate with confidence and develop a power presence were just some of the themes addressed at the latest OU Women’s Affinity Group event held this past March. Drawing an enthusiastic response from participants, the event, held at the American Management Association (AMA)’s Women’s Leadership Center in Manhattan, brought together women from various OU departments to help them develop new skills and further their careers. “It was inspiring to learn with my female colleagues and see how talented, thoughtful, and driven the OU women are,” said Jenna Nelson, Assistant Director of Innovation. The OU’s Women’s Affinity Group aims at advancing the hiring, training and promoting of women within the organization.
From left: Avi Sebbag, Racheli Schwartz, David Cutler, Amy Mauskopf, Elliot Tanzman, Shayna Feiger, Michal Azizollahoff, Bayla Bachrach and Tess Blaustein.
OU Staff Volunteer Pre-Pesach
NCSY Summer staff packing Passover food at the JCCRP in Far Rockaway, New York. For the third consecutive year, OU staff members joined forces with the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty in the weeks leading up to Passover to volunteer at different food distribution locations in New York City. Met Council’s kosher food network is the largest in the country, providing 7.4 million meals a year.
New NCSY Siddur Geared for Teens Just Published
Believing it can revolutionize the way teens daven, NCSY recently published a first-of-its-kind siddur that aims at engaging the thoughtful teen. Developed by Debbie Stone, who worked as NCSY Associate Director of Education and Dr. Daniel Rose, Director of Educational Projects at Koren Publishers in Jerusalem, the innovative Koren NCSY Siddur is designed to inspire teenagers across the spectrum of Torah observance. Featuring thought-provoking questions and stories as well as images with a translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the siddur is available now from OU Press.