https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mONKmgBz8I

YOM NCSY SAMEACH FROM NCSY GIVE WEST! Even though we are one of the domestic NCSY Summer programs (shout out to our brother, NCSY Camp Sports), we stand united with the NCSY Summer family gathered in Israel and, OF COURSE, matched the Yom NCSY spirit all day long here on the West Coast. Decked out in our new apple green and highlighter yellow NCSY GIVE WEST t-shirts, we cheered and kept the ruach alive all day, occasionally checking in on the Yom NCSY Live Stream to spot our friends and feel the energy. In the meantime, we had a full day of fun planned in Seattle. We toured the city by land and sea on a “Ride the Ducks” tour. We saw the famous Space Needle and many other Seattle attractions. Our guide was quite entertaining, busting out dance moves and cracking jokes all of the way. Next, we went to the hopping Pike’s Place market. We bounced from one vendor to another, until we excitedly made our way to the first Starbucks ever established. Our coffee-driven girls (and staff!) could not be happier. Then, we packed onto the bus for the last long road trip of the summer and headed to Portland! We arrived at the Kollel and NCSY center of Portland and had chabura and dinner. Joining us for dinner was the spectacular Meira Spivak of Portland NCSY. She delivered an inspiring lecture about self esteem and inner beauty. Before heading to our post at Portland State University, it was time for a night activity that had long been awaited . . . the GIVE WEST Summer ’15 Talent Show! We have a lot of talent for one bus! We really got to see the girls come alive, create, act, sing, impersonate, and make us laugh. The Talent Show led straight into a surprise Chagigah with crazy dancing and music. Yom NCSY had long been over miles away in our homeland, but the GIVE WEST party never stops! With only a few days left, we are ready to make the most of every moment and live it up here on GIVE WEST!

On Friday, we finished the drive to Seattle, grabbed some lunch at the kosher pizza shop, and headed to our host homes for the last Shabbos together on GIVE WEST. We thank the Seattle community and BCMH Congregation for hosting us and making our Shabbos and Tisha B’Av experience so memorable. Shabbos felt very surreal, as no one wanted to accept it was the last one together this summer! We made the most of it with crazy ruach at the Friday night oneg, amazing Torah learning after Kiddush and throughout the afternoon, beautiful Divrei Torah from the girls, and powerful singing at ebbing. We enjoyed having all of our meals and programming all together at the shul this week. We heard fantastic and inspiring words of Torah and chizuk from GIVE WESTers Jaclyn Kholodenko, Shani Sukol, Hayley Tanzman, and Sofia Leos. Director Leah Moskovich delivered an optional shiur during menucha about exile and redemption. Seattle NCSY director Ari Hoffman and Leah spoke at ebbing along similar lines, preparing us and helping us relate to the day we so much had hoped we would not have to face, the day of Tisha B’Av. After joining together in tremendous unity, sharing words of admiration about every single girl in the GIVE WEST ebbing circle, and singing with the greatest kavanah, we found ourselves in the shul listening to the reading of Eichah and kinnot. A most beautiful Shabbos had ended, but the geulah had not yet arrived. The girls moved from the shul into a dark room lit only by the tea lights forming the shape of a giant Star of David. The GIVE WEST staff sat in the middle around the star to lead an unbelievable kumsitz of tears, of mourning, of hope, and of connection. Advisors shared their own feelings about what Tisha B’Av means to them and we all mourned over the suffering in the world, the struggles we face on a national level and in each of our own lives. The following morning after Shacharis, we gathered in a small room to learn about and read the Tisha B’Av Kinnot together. With each lamentation came a personal explanation from a staff member and a hint as to how we can relate each one to our own lives. When midday hit, we had finished Kinnot and were ready to step into our #GIVEing mode. Our girls graciously receive the youth of Seattle for an educational program they had designed this past week about Ahavas Yisrael and rebuilding our holy Beis HaMikdash. It felt great to take all of our tears and turn them into something positive, productive, and meaningful not only to us, but uplifting to others. After the program had finished and Mincha was recited, we had the opportunity to stay at the shul to watch videos with themes relating to Tisha B’Av or to go home to rest for some time. An optional shiur about the power, potential, and leadership of women in Tanach and modern times was given by program “mommy” and logistics coordinator Talia Borenstein as sunset approached. With an hour of the fast left to go, we walked together down to the park for the final kumsitz and closing of Tisha B’Av. We really made that hour count, songs, stories, and prayers lifted up to the heavens. We were blown away by a beautiful and moving piece of poetry shared by GIVE WESTer Tova Rosen (shared below) about striving to remember and long for a temple and connection we personally never experienced and truly cannot remember at all. In between songs, other GIVE WESTers took the floor and shared their own thoughts having reached the end of Tisha B’Av on GIVE WEST. On Friday, when asked what was this upcoming day of Tisha B’Av, the girls had responded it was “a fast day”. After 24+ hours really feeling the loss and reaching for the redemption together, the answers we heard of “What Tisha B’Av Means to Me” were deeper and more awe-inspiring than we could ever have imagined. We walked back to the shul for Havdalah, Maariv, and break-fast, arms around each other, singing “Uvenei Yerushalayim Ircha BeRachamim Tashuv”… and smiling through our tears, faithful in G-d’s master plan, still yearning together for the ultimate redemption.

Tisha B’Av Reflections by NCSY GIVE WESTer Tova Rosen (Cedarhurst, NY)

I don’t remember.

My home,
Hashems home
Burning into flames.

Captured,
Conquered,
destroyed

We were exiled
The longest exile
The final exile

I don’t remember
The continuous disasters and destructions

that occurred on this day

families torn apart
Children murdered
cities collapsed
Terror,
trauma,
starvation
and sufferings

Infinite sufferings

The loss of Jewish unity

The ultimate misery for Bnei Yisreal

I don’t have the ability to remember

Our fathers sacrificing their lives
So that we can live ours

To harmonize
To connect
For the sake of G-d

I don’t remember

Yet, I take a few steps back

I mourn
and reflect

Taking pride in the fact that I am a part of a nation
That is still standing

Despite the numerous
wars,
Slavery,
Inquisitions,
Murders

While the other great empires
are now demolished

But we still stand
Hand in hand
Not great in numbers
But great in contribution

I still don’t remember

Any of the victories
or losses

I have zero recollection of all the affliction
torment
Pain
that occurred
on this day

I don’t have the capacity to remember
This day that lives in infamy in our history

Or

How my home looked
But that will never stop me from trying to take a part in rebuilding it
To return to Jerusalem

I do not remember
But I pause for a moment of clarity

I do not remember
But I remember by never forgetting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-DJY4US5CQ

One does not visit San Francisco without journeying across the famous Golden Gate Bridge, a wonder of the engineering world! Yesterday, we walked the bridge together from one end to the other, heads hooded and arms linked to resist the windy weather. We gazed out over the water and took in the stunning views. Once we made it across, we boarded the bus to head to our tour at the Jelly Belly Factory! After doing chabura just outside, we entered the top-secret factory where no pictures or videos are allowed. Our guide handed each of us a Jelly Belly factory worker hat, mandatory to wear in order to enter the official Jelly Belly halls. We learned about the history of the jelly bean and the Jelly Belly company, peered down from above to watch the employees hard at work, and received free packets of Jelly Belly jelly beans at the end. The walls were filled with framed professional artwork made entirely of Jelly Belly jelly beans! We returned to the hotel to a pleasant surprise- fleishigs for dinner during the Nine Days thanks to our NCSY GIVE WEST program “father” Yaakov Borenstein who made a siyum on Masechet Shabbos! We sang and celebrated the completion of a portion of his Torah learning and began the next Masechta all together. After a heavenly dinner, we jumped right back onto the bus for a fun night out at the bowling alley! We had an awesome time bowling and cheering each other on. This morning we let the girls sleep in a little bit to recuperate from many days and nights in a row of jam-packed touring, chessed, learning, and fun to recuperate and make sure everyone was well-rested for today’s huge road trip! We spent the day on a long drive from Vacaville over to Grants Pass, Oregon. The drive may have been long, but it took us all across the coast with the most stunning of views. We felt humbled by the tremendous trees surrounding us as we drove through the Redwood Forest. We could barely see the tops of the trees and sat in awe of Hashem’s creation. We pulled over and stepped out onto the beach as the sun began to set and the Pacific Ocean glimmered before us for a beautiful mincha in nature. Our journey continues early tomorrow morning until we arrive in Seattle, Washington, where we have planned to spend an uplifting Shabbos and Tisha B’Av together this weekend.

Day #16 was a blast as NCSY GIVE WEST made it’s mark in the city of San Francisco. We braved the wind and chilly weather for a packed day, beginning with a tour of the “Googleplex” or official Google Headquarters. We were led on a special tour by Long Island, New York NCSY alumnus Barry Berkowitz who now works in the finance department at Google. (Read about Barry’s NCSY experience here: https://ncsy.org/searching-for-faith/). We quickly learned about and saw right before our eyes the unique culture at Google. The huge complex is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Workers ride around the on colorful bicycles. Employees are offered free access to on-site spas, bowling alleys, doctors offices, gyms complete with personal-training sessions for all, and much more. One interior we saw had a giant slide, arcade games, and bright, fun artwork on the walls for employees to enjoy. Tons of free, yummy, healthy food is served throughout the day, including plenty of Kosher options. Health, wellness, and happiness are encouraged at Google to set employees up for success and maximum opportunity to contribute to the company. One highlight of our tour was the Google Earth display, where we zoomed in and “visited” the Kotel, the holy Western Wall in Jerusalem. We are thinking always of our home and our brothers and sisters in the East, even all of the way over here in the West! Before leaving Google, we spread out outside for chaburah learning. Next we rode to Union Square plaza for some shopping and free time. From there, we boarded the trolley together over the hills to Ghiradelli Square, home and headquarters to the Ghiradelli Chocolate Company. As excited as we were for the chocolate and ice cream at Ghiradelli, the amazing sushi dinner by the water arranged by Yaakov and Talia took the night to a whole new level! The sushi perfectly led us into our final stop of the night, Fisherman’s Wharf at Pier 39. Another amazing day on NCSY GIVE WEST!

Today was a big travel day from Fresno over to Vacaville, but our journey centered around an incredible visit to Yosemite National Park. The park is set within California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. The huge trees surround and tower over all who pass through. We stepped off of the bus and felt humbled by the canopy of giant sequoias above our heads, the tremendous rock and mountains before our eyes. We started with a more relaxed nature walk after lunch heading from the Visitor Center to the Lower Yosemite Falls. We crossed over a big bridge to find the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to climb up the rocks and past the water, higher and higher, until we could see the stunning, powerful waterfall rushing down from above! From such a high point, we could also look out and appreciate the view at Yosemite in a whole new way. We truly felt like we were standing on the front of a postcard with the amazing scenery all around. The views were inspiring and reminded us of the glory of Hashem and the beauty of His world. We finished the hike just in time, before the rain began to fall. We hopped onto the bus and drove to the hotel in Vacaville where Talia and Yaakov greeted us with a yummy dinner.

Day #14 marked our last day in LA. Bags packed, the bus loaded, and ready to go, we could not leave without a visit to Warner Brothers Studios! Upon arrival, we first split up into chaburas outside for some awesome Torah learning. The girls gave it their all, even with WB right in front of them and waiting – on NCSY GIVE WEST Torah comes first and we approach it besimcha, with joy and enthusiasm! When it was time for our scheduled tour, we split into smaller groups and boarded the trams with our guides. We rode around viewing movie sets that have been used and reused for classic movies with which our parents and grandparents grew up, as well as those just being released now. We stepped inside the sets of the latest popular television shows and learned about what it takes to seamlessly pull the productions together. The final stop of the tour, the interactive Stage 48, was definitely a highlight for many of our girls. After WB Studios, we went to Griffith Park for a picnic lunch and hopped on the road to Fresno! After a long bus ride, it was so nice to arrive for dinner at the home of Fresno’s incredible Chabad shluchim, a warm family who invited us in like family. We got the chance to hear from two of their daughters, who have grown up in a family completely dedicated to the Jewish community and Jewish outreach. They shared their passion and what they have learned along their journey living in a place with only up to about 500 Jews, all spread out across the city, and reaching out to spread Torah where it may not exist otherwise. We ended the night with a fun night activity of “Fee Fi Fo Fum”, drove to our hotel, and collapsed for the night in preparation for the big day to come!

We cannot wait to share with you the highlights of our second full weekend on GIVE WEST ’15! On Friday morning, we headed over to LA’s Camp Etta Israel for individuals with special needs. The campers range from ages 14 to 65 and we had fun meeting and spending time with all of them! The camp welcomed our program in and introduced us at the end of davening where we joined Etta campers and counselors for singing and dancing. We then headed to the gym where our girls ran an awesome carnival. Booths included coloring stations, hula hoop contests, marshmallow fluff/chocolate chip mystery challenges, water gun spraying, and so much more. Everyone had such a great time, our GIVE WESTers did not want to leave when our time was up, but we had to leave to go get ready for Shabbos! Before traveling from the city of LA over to Valley Village where we would be spending Shabbos, we made sure to stop for some time at the Hollywood Walk of Fame where we saw the famous celebrity stars set in the ground and had fun walking around. After a slurpee run, we dropped everyone off at their host homes where they would be sleeping and eating the Friday night meal. We all met at shul for a stunning Kabbalas Shabbos of achdus and harmonies, definitely a highlight of Shabbos on GIVE WEST. Everyone headed back to spend time with their host families and enjoy the first meal of Shabbos. The next day we davened together with the Shaarei Zedek Congregation community. After kiddush, we broke up into groups for a beautiful Torah learning session all about tefilah. Shabbos lunch we spent all together at the Mintz residence. We had the honor of hearing an inspiring Dvar Torah from GIVE WESTer Dina Farkas. Many of us stayed at the Mintz’s to hang out during menucha, avoiding the crazy rain that had surprised us outside! Some GIVE WESTers gathered for an optional shiur by Leora Balk. We played board games, snacked, and shmoozed away until it was time to head to the shul for mincha and shalosh seudos. As the end of Shabbos neared, we formed a big circle of chairs for a powerful ebbing that really set the tone for the week ahead leading up to Tisha B’Av. First we heard a fantastic Dvar Torah from Ellie Rubin. Next, Leah shared inspiring stories emphasizing the importance of searching for G-d’s messages to us, large and small, in our lives. Girls began sharing stories and examples around the circle from their own lives where they saw the hand of Hashem personally. We ended Shabbos on a high note, inspired by each other, even more united than before. With a leibadik havdalah, followed by a yummy pizza Melaveh Malkah, we wrapped up a most beautiful Shabbos in the Valley . . . and got quickly to sleep in preparation for another AMAZING, uplifting, jam-packed week on NCSY GIVE WEST!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D185Br735HU