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Young Judaea

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Young Judaea is the peer-led Zionist youth movement of Hadassah. It runs programs throughout the United States for Jewish youth in grades 2-12.

Contents

[edit] Basics and History

Founded in 1909, Young Judaea is the youth movement of Hadassah. Its programs include youth clubs, conventions, camps and Israel programs with an emphasis on social action and Jewish identity. A typical event is 2-3 hours and includes socializing, icebreakers, a peulah (educational or social activity) and sikkum (discussion), and Israel Update.

Young Judaea has 15 regions in the United States and is affiliated with the Federation of Zionist Youth (United Kingdom) and Tsofim (Israel). The age levels are Ofarim (Hebrew for “fawns”; grades 2-5), Tsofim ( “scouts”, grades 6-8), and Bogrim (“elders”, grades 8-12). Young Judaea's university arm is known as Hamagshimim(external link).

[edit] Principles

All Young Judaea programs are centered around the movement’s Five Pillars: Zionism, social action, pluralism, peer leadership, and Jewish identity.

  • Zionism – Judaeans believe that Israel is central to Jewish life. Each region has a shaliach (adult ambassador from Israel), and YJ encourages travel to Israel. Young Judaea believes that aliya (immigration to Israel) is the primary aim of the movement.
  • Social action – Judaeans embrace Jewish values of tikkun olam (healing the world) and try to incorporate social action and awareness into as many as possible.
  • Pluralism – People of all Jewish denominations and political affiliations are welcome, with the hope that members will have the ability and opportunity to make educated choices about their .
  • Peer leadership – With the guidance of advisors, peer-elected mazkirut (board) members plan, organize, and implement all events. All members are encouraged to grow as leaders and influence the direction of the movement.
  • Jewish identity – The primary aim of all Young Judaea activities is to educate about Jewish heritage, history, and current affairs, and to instill a sense of pride in being Jewish.

[edit] Leadership

Young Judaea is run by mazkiriyot (boards) of peer leaders on local, regional, and national levels. The national level has one person, generally a senior in high school, for each position listed. The National Mazkirut is elected at Young Judaea's National Mid-Winter Convention by the a convention body consisting of Bogrim (9th-12th grade members of the movement). The regional level varies throughout the country- most regions contain at least 5 of the following. Some regional mazkiryot also have a club coordinator, who is responsible for communication between clubs in that region. The local, or club level also works differently throughout the country as there are many different clubs of different sizes, and often club mazkirut members fill multiple positions. It is the responsibility of all mazkirut members to welcome new Judaeans, create a friendly atmosphere, advertise by word of mouth, and “be a doogma”, or lead by example.

[edit] Mazkir

The mazkir/a (president, literally secretary) leads meetings, addresses issues, oversees the calendar, and coordinates the efforts of other maz members.

The current national mazkir is Seth Finkelstein.

Past National Mazkirim include:
1972-1973 Michael Billig
1973-1974 Naomi Leitner
1974-1975 Betsy Diamant
1975-1976 Paul Offman
1976-1977 Marilyn Feit
1982-1983 Jon Weiler
1984-1985 Ben Dworkin
1985-1986 Kenneth Kirschner
1986-1987 James Licht
1987-1988 Brian Sokol
1988-1989 Gidon Isaacs
1989-1990 Eitan Mendelowitz
1990-1991 Alison Halprin
1991-1992 Evan Shereck
1992-1993 Aaron Dworkin
1993-1994 Paulina Froymovich
1994-1995 Andrew Ashkenase
1995-1996 Abbe Schindler
1996-1997 Oran Ebel
1997-1998 Etan Ofrane
1998-1999 Leora Frankel
1999-2000 Harris Kaplansky
2000-2001 Joshua Scharff
2001-2002 Adam Deutsch
2002-2003 Andrew Fretwell
2003-2004 Joshua Sklarsky
2004-2005 Hilary Neher
2005-2006 Sandy Fox

[edit] AVP

The merakez/et irgun v’guis chanichim/ot (administrative vice president, or AVP) oversees finances, membership, transportation, and attendance, as well as keeping minutes and records.

The current national AVP is Alex Zaremba.

Past national AVPs include:
1974-1975 Ilene Rosenthal
1982-1983 Barbara Fox
1984-1985 Laura Sokol
1985-1986 Rachel Spack
1986-1987 Jeff Ashkenase
1987-1988 Sharon Reiss
1988-1989 Jason Glass
1989-1990 Ravi Nessman
1990-1991 Oren "Spek" Kaye
1991-1992 Sharon "Schnootzie" Litwin
1993-1994 Joel Greenberg
1994-1995 Dan Deutsch
1995-1996 Ilanit Cohen
1996-1997 Michael Plostock
1996-1997 Ayelet Lax
1998-1999 Benjamin Farber
1999-2000 Gilad Muth
2000-2001 Jonathan "Tissue" Teitcher
2001-2002 Wally Farber
2002-2003 Mara Posner
2003-2004 Desiree Schwartz
2004-2005 Ari Zolin
2005-2006 Ariel Scheer

[edit] Arzit

The artzit is responsible for communication with all the nation's mazkirim through what is known as the "va'ad arzit" or national committee. The Artzit position was created in 2001. Prior to this time, communication with regions throughout the nation was kept via elected members of the national Mazkirut known as Merkhav Representatives. The nation was split into geographic regions and regions were assigned to respective Merkhavim. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were 6 such representatives on the national Mazkirut representing these distinct geographic areas of the United States - Northeast, Metro NYC, Kelp (eastern Pennsylvania to North Carolina), South, Midwest, and West. Furthermore, each of these representatives, in addition to serving on the national mazkirut, simultaneously was a member of their respective regional mazkirut. In this fashion, communication with the regions was maintained.

The current national Arzit is Judith Tankel.

Past National Artzit's include:
2002-2003 Tali Gourarie
2003-2004 Aviva Berman
2004-2005 Hadas DeGroot
2005-2006 Rachel Gilmer

[edit] Bogrim Programmer

The merakez/et chinuch l’bogrim (Bogrim programmer) writes schedules and peulot (activities) for the Bogrim (High School-age chanichim), delegates duties to other mazkirut members, encourages participation in summer and Israel programs, and pays attention to logistics such as price, food, and supplies.

The current national Bogrim Programmer is Ben Freed.

Past National BPs include:
1974-1975 Ellen Ezratz
1981-1982 Scott Copeland
1982-1983 Kathy Marshall and Sharón Benheim
1986-1987 Richard Primus and Danny Birnbaum
1987-1988 Marilyn Cooper and Mitch Klein
1988-1989 Debbie Bing
1989-1990 Adi Flesher and Mason Voit
1993-1994 Rachel Ruskin
1994-1995 Paul Edelstein
1995-1996 Toby Appel
1996-1997 Suzie Patt
1997-1998 Donna Trabin
1998-1999 Tali Paransky
1999-2000 Yaeli Maizel
2000-2001 Jeremy Sklarsky
2001-2002 Rebecca Hathaway
2002-2003 Ethan Pack
2003-2004 Teddy Fischer
2004-2005 Judah Levenson
2005-2006 Igor "Iggy" Moliver

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the aforementioned Programmers were not only responsible for Bogrim programming but also programming for Ofarim and Tsofim.

[edit] Ofarim/Tsofim Programmer

The mekasher l’ofarim v’tsofim (Ofarim and Tsofim programmer, or OTP) is in charge of Ofarim and Tsofim membership (Lower and Middle School age chanichim), communicates with the O/T advisors, encourages members to attend summer camps, and may speak to recent Bar and Bat Mitzvahs about becoming Bogrim.

The current national OTP is Shula Appel.

Past national OTPs include:
1974-1975 Bonnie Sharfman and Carol Bergman
1992-1993 Eric Bloom
1993-1994 Tiffany Lacker
1994-1995 Jared Friedmann
1995-1996 Judy Musnikow
1996-1997 Brooke Lerman
1997-1998 Ilana Scharff
1998-1999 Clara Hess
1999-2000 Hal Ungar
2000-2001 Niv Elis
2001-2002 Katie Kauss
2002-2003 Edana Appel
2003-2004 Stephen Miller
2004-2005 Becky Stolow
2005-2006 Rachel Goldstein

[edit] Social Action Programmer

The merakez/et tikkun olam (social action programmer, or SAP) develops social action events and ensures that tikkun olam values are built into all programs.

The current national SAP is Danielle Lubin.

Past national SAPs include:
1995-1996 Eshai Crane
1996-1997 Ari Levine
1998-1999 Miriam Greenberg
1999-2000 Molly Sonenklar
2000-2001 Masha Katz
2002-2003 Daniella Rempe
2003-2004 Hila Levy
2004-2005 Shaked Hoter
2005-2006 Sonja Assouline

From 1974-1975, a similar position existed, called "Merakezet Hafatza" and was filled by Brenda Bodenheimer.

[edit] Pirsum

The merakez/et pirsumim (newsletter/publication editor) is responsible for publishing newsletters and other informational documents for the region. The newsletter should be distributed to regional members and should include a calendar of upcoming events, reporting on events that have taken place and alert Young Judaeans about topics and stories pertinent to the Movement (i.e. Israeli current events, etc). The Pirsum is also responsible for creating flyers, web pages, and press releases.

The current national pirsum is Ben Gourarie.

Past national pirsum include:
1974-1975 Jonathan Levine
1985-1986 Seth Appel
1986-1987 Heather Parkoff
1987-1988 Einav Shochat
1988-1989 Lisa Primus
1989-1990 Daniel A. Miller
1991-1992 David Dashevsky
1993-1994 Andy Harris
1994-1995 Melissa Kujowski
1995-1996 Zach Pousman
1996-1997 Daniel J. Gottesman
1997-1998 Josh Ofrane
1998-1999 David Kogan
1999-2000 Dov Wilker
2002-2003 Jessie Carroll
2003-2004 Alex "Shmalex" Frolkis
2004-2005 Adam Friedland
2005-2006 Sandy Fox <ref>Since the delegations at the 2005 Mid-Winter National Convention failed to agree on a candidate for 2005-2006 National Pirsum, Sandy Fox filled the position de facto. She was therefore National Mazkira and also filled the postion of Pirsum. Fox delegated many Pirsum responsibilities to other National Mazkirut members so that she was not overburdened by the two jobs.</ref>

[edit] Programs

[edit] Club Programs

Club programs and events are a strong part of Young Judaea as a youth movement. They are divided into two main categories- Ofarim/Tsofim and Bogrim. The former are events for 3rd-8th graders and are generally geared towards that age group. Common activities include making a map of Israel out of ice cream, or a Chocolate Seder. These activities are often led by the bogrim of the club or the club mazkirut. The bogrim activities are for 9th-12th graders and are geared towards the older age group. Activities are often social action oriented or Jewish in nature. Most club activities include at least a 5 minute activity about current events in Israel.

[edit] Conventions

Conventions are central to the Young Judaea experience. Organized by the regional or national mazkirut, they are held in fall and spring; some regions have a social action convention as well. Typical convention programming features educational workshops called sadnaot, educational activities called peulot, prayers, and plenty of chofesh (free time) for socializing. Spring conventions also include an asepha (assembly), where mazkirut are elected and the chukah (constitution) is amended.

[edit] Summer Camps

Like many other youth movements, YJ operates summer camps for its members. Ofarim and Tsofim can attend one of five regional camps:

Bogrim attend Camp Tel Yehudah, the National Leadership Camp in Barryville, NY (http://www.camptelyehudah.org). Programs there include Alumim (Jewish/Israeli history for entering 9th graders), Yachad (community building and social action for entering 10th graders), and Hadracha (leadership and activism for entering 11th graders). All camp sessions are three and a half weeks long. There is a Camp Young Judaea in New Hampshire, but it is not affliated with Young Judaea anymore.

[edit] Israel Programs

As a Zionist movement, Israel trips are a crucial part of the Young Judaea experience. Youth entering 10-12th grade can spend six weeks in Israel through Machon or Israel Discovery. Both programs include a Special Interest Week – for example, a desert trek, a stay on a kibbutz or training with the Israeli army – and the option of spending an additional week exploring Jewish history in Spain or Prague. The Prague option, for example, is part of the Shorashim (He:שורשים, roots), journey.

Recent high school graduates can also apply to spend 10 months in Israel on the Year Course program. Young Judaeans participating in Young Judaea Year Course may be able to transfer their year in Israel for college credits. The basic Year Course program is broken up into time sections spent in Jerusalem, on kibbutz, on Moshav, in Marva (Israeli army Basic Training), doing Sar-El (volunteering for the Israeli army), and spending a portion of time volunteering. Young Judaea Year Course differentiates itself from most other movement freshman year abroad programs by immersing participants in Israeli life. Participants are encouraged to become part of Israeli society for their year in Israel.

Young Judaea members founded Kibbutz Ketura together with members of the Israeli scouts in 1973. Visit the web site to learn more about this kibbutz: www.ketura.org.il

[edit] Songs

Singing is a large part of Young Judea camps around America. Following are examples of songs from the 1970s.

Yehudah, Yehudah, Yehudah Hatzair. / We don't smoke cigarettes, and we don't drink no beer. / We like ice cream, and we like ice cream cones. / We like bananas, 'cause they don't have no bones.
Young Judaea / Never Fear / Struggling minority / Always straining and complaining / Onward, to victory! / Our project is redeeming / YJ's corrupted youth / Scraping the cities gutters / Nothing is too uncouth!
Forward together, we're building Young Judaea / Hand in hand we'll proudly sing our cheer. / Ruach shall lead us, surging forever forward / Love of Zion lives throughout the years. / We stand ready to serve, each in his own way. / Eretz Yisrael, and the USA. / Shout out our voices, long let our voices ring / Young Judaea, now we cast our lots / Ever our spirit serves as an inspiration, / Young Judaea, Chazak, v'Amatz, Judaea is the tops!

[edit] Notes

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[edit] See also

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