NCSY: Difference between revisions
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==Criticism== |
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The Organization has been criticized for its aggressive approach. It is especially criticized for its goal of changing kids regardless of the damage it causes to the family dynamic or the alienation of teens from their parents. It also sometimes tends to a charismatic and cult like quality. (Jewish Week) |
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This situation creates an implicit paradigm in which kids see the NCSY and religion in opposition to their parents... even in cases of abuse, vulnerable children might choose to follow a charismatic religious leader and keep their parents in the dark about their lives -- even if their lives were plagued by abuse.(Kress in Salon) |
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*[http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2000/07/19/lanner/index.html Higher calling] By Michael Kress July 19, 2000 |
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*[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5092/is_200008/ai_n18524887 The Dark Side of Outreach: Does NCSY value religious observance over family harmony? Reassessing the culture of charismatic kiruv.] Rosenblatt, Gary The Jewish Week 08-04-2000 |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 17:37, 29 April 2007
National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) is an Orthodox Jewish youth group sponsored by the Orthodox Union. It was founded in the 1954 by the Orthodox Union[1] and grew dramatically after the hiring of Rabbi Pinchas Stolper in 1959. It has thousands of members in the United States, Canada and now Chile. Its slogan is Building a Jewish Tomorrow.
NCSY is the organizational successor to the National Union of Orthodox Jewish Youth, established in 1942[2] as a denominational youth movement[3] similar to a synagogue men's club or sisterhood. Over time, its emphasis moved to outreach and teaching religious behaviors to adolecents.
Outreach to public school youth was started by Chabad in the 1930's. But in 1954 Torah Leadership Seminar was created by DCS of YU under Dr Abraham Stern, they developed the Shabbaton model. A larger discussion is available at Baal teshuva.
Though still sometimes considered a Modern Orthodox organization based on its original purpose, NCSY's executive leadership is under the mainstream Orthodox influence of the OU. NCSY is directly supervised by the Orthodox Union's Youth Commission chaired by Martin Nachimson of California.
Organization
NCSY is divided into geographic regions throughout North America. They are New England, Upper New York, New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Atlantic Seaboard, Central East, Southern, South Florida, Greater Midwest, Southwest, West Coast, Northwest, and Canada. Additionally, NCSY runs programming branches Israel and now, Chile.
These geographic regions are further divided into chapters, usually encompassing major cities or metropolitan areas.
NCSY's programming is divided into two age groups, "Jr" and "Sr"; these generally encompass 5th-8th grades and 9th-12th grades, respectively. Some programs span both age groups, but most programming is unique for each.
- National Director: Rabbi Steven Burg [1]
- National Youth Board (Composed of representatives of the Regional Boards)
- Regional Directors
- Regional Advisors
- Regional Board Members (Members are elected by peers annually. In some regions, they are appointed)
- Chapter Advisors
- Chapter Board Members (Members are usually elected, but there are exceptions)
- NCSY Members
Programming
There are national events that usually occur biyearly, and mainly for leaders. There are regional events that usually occur quarterly, or biquarterly. There are chapter events that usually occur on a monthly basis, in some locations weekly.
One of NCSY's oldest and most effective program modules is the Shabbaton, a weekend-long social and educational Shabbat experience. While on Shabbatons kids are treated to skits and the NCSY circle, where participants sit in a circle around the "circle guy" where they sing songs and do funny routines some of which has been passed down since the beginning of the organization. The Circle guy has been a position that has changed hands many times over the years but varies from Region to Region with such notable names as Nissy Gertz, Daniel Lev, Ari and Gavi Hoffman.
NCSY also runs a dozen summer programs on three continents.
Social Action Through Tradition
During the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, the Orthodox youth of NCSY strove to temper social change through religious tradition.[4] In this period, at least one NCSY chapter took public action on this point, passing a resolution rejecting marijuana and other drugs as a violation of Jewish law.[4] At the 1971 NCSY international convention, delegates passed resolutions in this vein, calling for members to "forge a social revolution with Torah principles."[4]
Affiliates
- NCSY works with Agudath Israel of America in running Camp Nageela Midwest.
- NCSY Summer Kollel Program is hosted by Ohr Yerushalayim
- NCSY has always maintained a relationship with Touro College,which offers NCSY participants scholarships and recruits both students and personnel from NCSY.
References
- ^ NCSY Background, Orthodox Union, 2000
- ^ Marc Lee Raphel, Judaism in America (Columbia University Press, 2003), ISBN 0231120605, p. 92
- ^ Barbara Binder Kadden, Teaching Jewish Lifecycle: Traditions and Activities (Behrman House, Inc, 1997), ISBN 0867050403, p. 26
- ^ a b c Etan Diamond, And I Will Dwell in Their Midst: Orthodox Jews in Suburbia (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), ISBN 0807848891, p. 104
See also
- Orthodox Union, the sponsoring organization of NCSY
- KEDMA, an Orthodox college outreach group
- Aish HaTorah
- Baal teshuva