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Young Judaea Scholarship Campaign |
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 Let's Face It. 
Young Judaeans Can Change the World.
Today's Young Judaeans will lead tomorrow's Jewish community. Our job is to prepare them. To help them become leaders. To connect them with Israel, their heritage and each other.
For 100 years, Young Judaeans like you have kept the Jewish community strong.
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| Young Judaea Memories and Photographs |
Email alumni@youngjudaea.org and let us know if you're interested in helping identify alumni in photographs from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. We're looking for alumni to help with this project!
(circa 1960s)
Do you know who these Judaeans are? Let us know!
Do you have photographs or other items to share from your time in Young Judaea? If so, please contact alumni@youngjudaea.org or call 212-303-4589.
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| Young Judaea Alumni Love Stories |
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Karen and Adam Slavick 
Karen: Adam and I were 18 years old when we met and fell in love. We were living in Israel; I was on Year Course and Adam was on Machon, Young Judaea's sister program from Great Britain. We had crossed paths a few times, as I used to spend a lot of time with the British group instead of my own. But I first really noticed him on one particular evening, walking together through Talpiot, a neighborhood in Jersusalem, on the way to a dance club with friends.
Adam: The night that we went dancing, I decided, "Okay, we've got a nice walk, I'm going to speak to her." I don't know why, I wanted to get to know her, to tell her everything about me. We started talking and I felt a friendship exploding out of nothing. We had an energy that was impossible to ignore, in conversation and on the dance floor.
Above: Karen and Adam Slavick
Karen: We spent all of that night talking and dancing. We walked home together at 6 in the morning and stopped at the beautiful Talpiot Overlook to watch Jerusalem turn gold with the sunrise.
We saw each other when we could, and got to know each other in bits and pieces. When Adam's group was, by complete coincidence, sent to my kibbutz for the wrap-up of their program, we were suddenly in a position to spend a great deal more time together.
Adam: I remember that I did not go to any of my group activities throughout that time. All that I wanted was be with Karen. Nothing was more important. I knew we had found something incredibly special. I lost all track of time when we were together.
Karen: Our year abroad came to an end, and each of us had to return to our homes on opposite sides of the ocean. We tried to carry on the relationship through letters and phone calls. We sent cassettes of us speaking, intermixed with music, back and forth. I was prepared to do anything to be with Adam.
Adam: But, at 19 years old, I was not mature enough to handle what I was feeling for Karen, and the pain of not being able to have her there with me. I found the distance unbearable, and we parted extremely painfully.
Karen: I waited for Adam, hoping that he would change his mind. After two full years of anguished pining, I began to move on and commit to a life without him.
Adam: Right around the same time, I realized that I had made a mistake, that I wanted to find a way for us to be together. But for Karen, having worked so hard to get over me, it was too late. So it was my turn to hope and pine. For two more years, I waited every day for the phone to ring. And then, finally, I went on with my life.
Karen and Adam's story continues on the Young Judaea website. Read the full story here. |
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Young Judaea's 100th Anniversary...Get involved TODAY! |
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In preparation for Young Judaea's 100th anniversary, we're launching various projects. Please email alumni@youngjudaea.org today, to get involved.
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Oral History Project: Do you have a story to tell about your time in Young  Judaea? We want to hear about it. Young Judaea's Oral History project will connect you with a current Young Judaean who will interview you for this special 100th anniversary project.
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T-Shirt Collection: Do you have an old t-shirt that you're willing to give back to YJ? Not willing to donate your t-shirt, but can email YJ a photo of it?
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THREE Generation Young Judaea Family: Are you a member of a three generation Young Judaea family?
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Other Items: Young Judaea is also looking for photographs, histories, dissertations about Young Judaea.
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Marketing/Public Relations: Are you in marketing or public relations? Would you like to help promote the 100th anniversary of Young Judaea?
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Memorabilia: Do you have memorabilia to lend to YJ for the 100th anniversary virtual history?
Email alumni@youngjudaea.org or visit www.youngjudaea.org/100 to get involved or participate today! |
| Alumni Profile: Seth Weinberger |
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Seth Weinberger, Assistant Professor, University of Puget Sound
Young Judaea Programs and Years: Tel Yehudah: 1986-87, CYJ Midwest Tsevet  Sherut: 1986-87, Agame Moshe (MI) Bogrim Programmer: 1986-87, Agame Moshe (MI) Mazkir: 1987-88, National Mazkirut Midwest Merchav Representative: 1987-88, Tel Yehudah Tsevet Sherut: 1988, CYJ Madrich: 1988, Year Course: 1988-89, Tel Yehudah Madrich: 1990-1992, CYJ Midwest Merakez: 1993
Tell us your favorite memories from Young Judaea: There are just SO many favorite memories. The MH hatzagah is definitely one...totally irreverent, and slightly offensive. But hilarious and true to the spirit of YJ. Also, attending the rally in Washington DC in 1987 for Soviet Jewry. Seeing so many Judaeans from all over the nation who made the trip to DC was really inspiring! My summer at CYJ as a merakez in 1993 was a highlight too.
How has your Young Judaea experience impacted your life today? I use my experience as a madrich and a programmer every day in the classes I teach. Being a peer leader in YJ gave me confidence in front of groups and experience with different styles of education. Young Judaea is invaluable preparation for anyone thinking about a career in education.
Please describe what you do. I am a professor of international politics and political philosophy at the University of Puget Sound, a liberal arts college in Tacoma, WA. I teach courses such as Global Security, U.S. Foreign Policy, Terrorism, American Political Thought, and the Constitutional Law of U.S. National Security. My first book, entitled Restoring the Balance: War Powers in an Age of Terror, will be coming out in Spring 2009 from Praeger Press.
Are you currently involved with Young Judaea? I am, sadly, no longer involved in YJ, except for keeping in touch with all of my old friends from CYJ, TY, and Year Course!
Please describe how your YJ experience encouraged you to visit/have closer ties to Israel. Young Judaea is the basis of my identity as a Jew, as a Zionist, and as a person. Year Course was such an incredible way to get to know a country, and my attachment to Israel has never really waned since then.
Have you returned to Israel since your YJ experience? I returned to Israel for the first time since Year Course (1988-89) last year on a fellowship to study Israeli counter-terrorism policies and strategies. It was amazing to see how much the country had changed in almost 20 years.
I would be more than happy for alumni to contact me! I'd love to hear from old friends, former chanichim, and anyone considering going into academia. Please contact me at: sweinberger@ups.edu. |
| Alumni Notes -- Where Are You Now? |
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Essie Karni (nee Szklinski) - Machon L'madrichei Hol in 1977-78 (I think?!?!) - originally from Pittsburgh PA. I have been living in Israel since 1984 (Aliyah) and now live in Misgav - in a settlement called Schechenia. My husband Shai was born and raised in Kiryat Motzkin and Bialik. I have 3 boys: Elad is in 12th grade finishing school in Pittsburgh/living with my parents, Yalon is in 9th grade at Misgav High School and Itai is in 5th grade at Har Schechenia Elementary School. Shai teaches robotics and "Mechantronics" in high schools and I teach ESL at Misgav jr & sr. high. I''m still dancing.
I'd be happy to hear from anyone who cares to get in touch and host YJers in Israel to help them get the great experience I got and helped me love the country. My email address is mmy.karni@gmail.com.
Johanna Lack - I graduated high school in 1980 and attended Northwestern University - with a year "abroad" at University of Texas. I studied Radio/TV/Film and moved to Los Angeles in 1986. I worked in the entertainment industry there but went to freelance status after my first child was born. I moved to Temecula, CA in 2000 and I'm now a full time telecommuter as a writer for HGTV. I was married in 1998 and have two children: Manuel "Aaron" Villanueve (age 8) and Marissa Rose Villanueva (age 4 1/2).
I have very fond memories of my years in Young Judaea and TY. I grew up in NC and at that time there was a very small Jewish population. It was my time with all of you that really helped me feel more Jewish and proud of my Jewish roots. |
| Alumni In The News |
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Three Young Judaea Alumni Get Involved in Israeli Politics
Professor Alon Tal (TY '74-76, YC '77-78), Arava Institute founder (among other environmental organizations), Gershon Baskin (TY '70-75, YC '74-75, Sprout '76, TY Staff '77), Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information founder, and Yosef Abramowitz (TY '82, YC '82-83), Arava Power Company founder, are running for seat's on the Green party's Knesset candidates list this February in Israel.
According to the Jerusalem Post article, "all three are alumni of the Young Judaea youth movement and credit it with turning them into people who go out and make change. 'Everything I learned in life I learned in Young Judaea,' Tal quipped."
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| Alumni Lifecycle Events |
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Share your lifecycle event with the Young Judaea alumni community. Email, alumni@youngjudaea.org or call 212-303-4589!
It it with sadness that we inform you of the passing of Phyllis (Wiesel) Levison z"l in November 2008. She was a camper at Tel Yehudah from 1957-1960, and participated on Year Course in 1961-1962. Her daughter, Meira, participated on Year Couse in 2001-2002.
ENGAGEMENTS
- Maya Lachman (CYJ West '88-90, TY '89-90, Machon '91, YC '93-94) and Robert Hyman announce their engagement. A June 2009 wedding in Washington, DC is planned.
- Adam Deutsch (TY '01, National Mazkir '01-02, YC '02-03, TY Staff '03-04) and Ashley Boeri (TY Staff '07) announce their engagement.
WEDDINGS
- Paul Greenberg (Sprout '86, TY '87-88, Machon '89, TY Staff '97-98) married Rhea Zuckerman on June 22, 2008.
BIRTHS
Rebecca Bardach (YC '90-91, TY '91) and Eliot Goldstein announce the birth of their son, Amitai, on November 8, 2008.
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Spotlights: Year Course Culinary Track & Holland Olami Trip |
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Year Course Participants Learn Culinary Skills
Young Judaean Rebecca Sterling, 19 (left), of Palmetto Bay, Florida, puts the final touches on the dish she prepared for the Young Judaean Culinary Cook Off at the Mechane Yehuda Shuk Canyon Cooking School. Participants on Hadassah's Young Judaea Year Course Culinary Track have been studying for three months under Executive Chef Tali Friedman. Barbara Goldstein, who served as a judget for the contest said that "food in Israel has really changed and the participants on the Culinary Track will benefit from being able to blend Mediterranean dishes with American cuisine.
Reflections On the Holland Olami Trip, Year Course
By Lior Melnick
The Jewish aspect of the trip was incredibly eye opening and fascinating. Most of us had no idea that the Spanish Jews moved to Holland within a century of their expulsion from Spain. We explored the country's Sephardic and Ashkenazy communities-where the people came from, how they contributed to Dutch society, and finally their demise during the Holocaust. Several Jewish historical museums, including the Anne Frank House, shed light on numerous issues surrounding Dutch Jewry, including an intense Friday focused on the Holocaust in Holland. It was then with great relief and joy that we spent Shabbat with the Dutch Jews at the Portuguese Synagogue. The community hosted us like royalty and the university kids were thrilled to have our American (and Canadian, technically) group in their country. Saturday night we had a party with them at the Three Sisters Pub; we all enjoyed ourselves immensely and formed many connections with our peers. On our last night, we laughed along with (and were made fun of by) the Boom Chicago Show, an American, improvisational comedy routine. 
My trip to Holland is one that I will never forget. I will always cherish the things we experienced and the people who shared this quest with me. I once heard a saying, "You can sleep when you're dead." After all, the Jewish nation is still young and we have much to accomplish.
Right: Chanichim outside the Anne Frank House, in Amsterdam. |
| Young Judaea Employment Opportunities |
Manager of Youth Education is responsible to develop youth curriculum for year-round and camp programming that encompass topics such as: Jewish and Israeli history, Jewish identity, American and world Jewry, social action, current events and other topics that will transmit Hadassah's message of Jewish values to youth across the country. The Youth Education Manager will collaborate with key staff and lay-leaders, both adult and youth, to ensure the consistency of educational materials throughout the country, and will be responsible for spearheading the educational efforts around the celebration of Young Judaea's 100th anniversary. Send resumes to jobs@hadassah.org. YJ is seeking full-time Area Supervisors in NYC. Salary and benefits. Responsibilities include developing YJ programs, building participation, organizing conventions and special events, recruiting for camps and Israel programs and working with Hadassah and other Jewish community organizations on joint projects. Please send letter and resume to Dan Cardonick, Director of Regional Programs, or fax to 212-303-4572. |
| Feedback and Suggestions |
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Email YJ Alumni Relations with your feedback and suggestions for future newsletters! | |
