NCSY GIVE WEST: DAY #16

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!