Summer 2015

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!

Today we had a fantastic time at Six Flags Magic Mountain! After davening and chaburas, we headed to the park ready to go and had an amazing time on all of the crazy roller coasters and rides. We also had access to the water park. After a full day of riding high and walking around in the sun, we gathered our strength to continue on for an evening of even more fun! We spent dinner at Pizza World and headed over to Comedy Sportz for a hilarious show of improv comedy. When the show was over and we had had our laughs, we returned to AJU to pack up for the weekend and load the bus. We are excited to move on to the next leg of the trip in Fresno after Shabbos! Before heading to sleep, we prepared booths and signs for our carnival tomorrow at Camp Etta Israel for our fellow Jews with special needs. Stay tuned to hear all about it!

COLOR WAR WAS HERE! What an unbelievable day with Teams Torah/Red, Avodah/White, and Gemillas Chassadim/Blue! The competition was full of great athletic activites including competitive basketball, wacky water races in the pool, and the Great Apache Relay race. The teams shared words of Torah relating to their colors and themes. They also elected team members to be part of the grand Chidon HaTanach, putting their Torah knowledge and memory truly to the test! Each full team crafted and performed an original cheer. We had a lot of fun working hard together, sharing our work, and enjoying each other’s! An Instagram competition was held throughout Color War, as well. Each team created its own account and posted pictures and videos of its members preparing, performing, and cheering, as well as anything and everything related to the colors red, white, and blue! Most memorable to all were the final presentations as Color War neared it’s end. Beautifully choreographed dances, heartfelt alma mater theme songs, and powerful banners wowed the judges and the audience. We were completely blown away by how much work and dedication went into this Color War and, most importantly, the sense of unity amongst our entire program it fostered. Congratulations to Team Gemillas Chassadim/Blue on their victory for having won the most points by the end of the competition! The girls on all three teams did an incredible job today and for that we surprised them with a trip to the beach for mincha, dinner, and an all-around-the-campfire kumsitz. Before getting off the bus, we committed as an entire bus to a mission we like to call “Disconnect to Connect”. Each and every girl left her phone on the bus and spent the night fully connected to the NCSY GIVE WEST family surrounding her. The view at the beach was stunning and we had arrived perfectly on time to watch the sunset. Director Leah Moskovich spoke of the dialectical nature of fire, capable of tremendous destruction as we feel in the Three Weeks and, at the same time, something that can warm up and build up in the most amazing ways. In between songs, the GIVE WEST advisors and staff arose to share pieces of their own lives, their own stories and reflections. The divrei chizuk centered round the topic of Ahavat Yisrael, love for fellow Jews, and how concerned we must be to care for and respect one another. Each person left the beach with the name of another member of the program to whom she will express greater Ahavas Yisrael this week before the Nine Days and hopefully throughout her whole life!

We started the day off with Torah learning before heading to one of the most powerful chessed trips of the summer. As we drove to our chessed activity, we noticed a drastic change in scenery out the window. We had arrived at the infamous Skid Row of downtown LA. We saw hundreds of homeless people out on the street. We saw tents set up on the sidewalks as makeshift homes. Carlos, our fantastic and beloved bus driver, surprised us by sharing that he had actually grown up on Skid Row. He carefully accompanied us into the Union Rescue Mission and Midnight Mission buildings and reassured us what a special and important role we were about to play. These two organizations serve as both rehabilitation centers and soup kitchens for the homeless and needy of the area. We got the incredible opportunity to not only prepare and serve lunch to a collective 1,200 people, but to interact with them firsthand and truly brighten their day. The experience was definitely outside of our comfort zones at first, but really opened up our eyes and allowed us to give in a whole new way. After chessed, we ate lunch and headed to Rodeo Drive. Next we joined the Friendship Circle of LA to learn about their work for the special needs Jewish community. We saw a special video presentation, heard from director Rabbi Michy Rav-Noy and helped redecorate the hallway and classroom bulletin boards for the camp they run in August. We had a Chinese dinner at Chick ‘N Chow and met Ben Zakkai Foundation chair Isabelle and her husband David Novack. We welcomed them and thanked them for working hard to make sure Jewish teens have the funds to attend incredible summer programs like NCSY GIVE WEST! After mincha, we had a blast at the Cohenca residence in Beverley Hills where they so kindly hosted our group for the most awesome pool party! On the way back to AJU, something fishy happened. Our bus engine seemed to have died and we found ourselves pulled over on the side of the road unable to drive any further. Carlos was furious and seemed out of character, screaming at the directors and pushing everyone off of the bus immediately. We took off all of our things from the bus and began to walk the final mile back to our dorms . . . until we found out it was all just COLOR WAR BREAKOUT!!! We have already seen incredible ruach, teamwork, and talent tonight at the pump-up, “Sled Says” competition, and team time in our three teams: Red (Torah), White (Avodah), and Blue (Gemilas Chassadim). Tomorrow we cannot wait to continue with Color War and watch the girls shine!

We had an awesome and jam-packed day in “America’s Finest City”, the beautiful San Diego! Our first stop was the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. We walked along the curvy pathway and saw where real Olympic athletes practice. We even met one of the coaches! From archery to soccer, from tennis to track and field and everything in between, we toured and cheered for Team USA all of the way! The grounds were so pretty and the weather so perfect, we had a picnic lunch out in front of the training center. Next we headed over to Seaport Village, a waterfront shopping and eating area downtown, running along the San Diego Bay. The girls had a blast visiting the little boutiques, drinking coffees and taking pictures out on the docks. We then drove to East Mission Bay and sped off of the bus to enjoy yet more stunning weather and take in the fine beauty of nature surrounding us. Some girls went running and tree climbing, while others sat near the sand enjoying the salty breeze, headphones in and minds at ease. Finally, we drove to Congregation Adat Yeshurun  for mincha, dinner, basketball, and the last session of our first round of chaburas before the girls rotate to a new advisor. Farewell, San Diego – we loved every moment spent in your easy, breezy, sunny, gorgeous city!

Ready for a recap of Friday and Shabbos? On Friday we headed out bright and early for our second chessed trip – volunteering at the LA Food Bank. After watching a video where we heard directly from the many starving people of LA, we were moved and motivated like never before to help out. We checked for expiration dates, sorted, and boxed all types of food and beverages, having a blast all the while. Before we left, the manager of the food bank informed us that we had packaged 11,741 pounds of food and fed 9,736 people!!! The girls left with a new appreciation for what they have and an amazing sense of accomplishment for doing such a great chessed! We stopped at Robertson Avenue for some yummy Toppings frozen yogurt and then headed to the Museum of Tolerance for a special tour. The interactive exhibit reminded us of our own experience with intolerance throughout history as a Jewish people, specifically in the Holocaust, as well as intolerance all around the world. When we arrived back at AJU, we got ready for our first Shabbos together. We welcomed the Shabbos in with an inspiring story and candle lighting, followed by Kabbalat Shabbat outside overlooking the stunning Las Angeles horizon. The experience became even more special when a few of our GIVE WESTers invited girls from a BBYO trip staying at AJU to join us for the davening. Such achdus! This is what we’re all about on GIVE WEST. We had a delicious Shabbos dinner enhanced by singing and a fantastic dvar Torah by Faigy Israel. Next came an incredible Q & A session with Rabbi David Katz, who was our special guest for Shabbos along with his wife, followed by an absolutely unbelievable, lively advisor-led tisch of singing, dancing, and yummy snacks. What a night to start off our first Shabbos! The next morning we had davening, Parsha Workshop, Kiddush, and a shiur by Rabbi Katz. At lunch we heard moving words of Torah and inspiration from Victoria Cohen. Following dessert, we moved all of the tables away to make room for a big circle and an awesome game of Fruit Salad. Next came menucha time for the girls to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather and AJU campus, Mincha, and a practical and uplifting shiur by Rabbi Katz about the laws and pertaining to the Three Weeks and the proper outlook with which we approach them. Finally, we returned to where our first holy Shabbos on NCSY GIVE WEST 2015 all began . . . outside overlooking the mountains as the sun set and Shabbos ebbed away. We heard a great dvar Torah from Michelle Weingarten and sang out hearts out until it was time for musical havdalah led by our favorite GIVE WEST couple, Talia and Yaakov Borenstein. The hour was late when Shabbos ended, but the party never stops on GIVE WEST! We rushed onto the bus and to spend some time out on the town at the popular Third Street Promenade. We ate yummy pizza for Melaveh Malka, stopped by Coffee Bean, and even squished in a some shopping before heading back. Goodnight from GIVE WEST- we can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store!