USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
Note: Only chapters that submitted an application for International Chapter of the year are featured.
Each Chapter was asked to list and briefly describe their top 15 programs.
TOP 15 PROGRAMS
CRUSY-Beth Shalom, Pittsburgh, PA
1. USY Board Leadership Retreat at Pymatuming State Park: The BSUSY Executive
Board Fundraised $1,000 for an intense weekend of training, preparation, learning, and
bonding for the year ahead while roughing it in cabins at Pymatuming State Park; we also
kashered the cabin’s kitchen for our meals, and celebrated Shabbat outdoors together.
2. USY-led High Holiday Services (both days of Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, and Yom
Kippur): 30-45 teenagers attended dynamic USY services (with a blend of programming
and davening) completely planned and led by USYers for the High Holidays; Board
Members also created and led some of the programming for three other children’s
services in the synagogue, including a shofar blowing demonstration, an educational
program about Heifer International, a joint Torah service for 6th-12th grade on Rosh
Hashanah and a joint Torah service and skit for K-12th grade on Yom Kippur.
3. Freshman Takeover Lounge Night: As a result of difficulty early in the year in
recruiting freshmen, we asked six freshmen to plan a Harry Potter-themed lounge night to
ensure that they were interested and invested in their USY experience; several of these
students went on to become very dedicated BSUSY members and even Executive Board
candidates and members in 2012-2013 - we repeated the idea of a Freshman Takeover
lounge again later in the year.
4. Global Hunger Awareness Shabbat: For this two-day event, the SA/TO VP planned an
educational Friday night dinner and service followed by a special Shabbat morning shiur,
using materials from American Jewish World Service, to teach our chapter about global
hunger and our responsibility as Jews to address this problem.
5. Genocide-Awareness Shabbat: When we found out that the student president of
STAND (the student arm of United to End Genocide), Daniel Solomon, would be coming
to Pittsburgh, BSUSY asked him to lead a Shabbat shiur for teens about genocide (10
attendees) followed by a congregational Lunch ‘n Learn with 30 attendees
6. Hannukah Party Lounge Night with Cantor Ben Rosner: Over 25 USYers
participated in a bonding session with our cantor, and had a great time as he led
Hannukah songs, taught us to make edible dreidels, and participated in an USY-planned
dreidel tournament for SA/TO
7. Pre-IC Shabbaton for CRUSY: Since there was no planned Pre-Convention this year,
BSUSY organized a pre-IC Shabbaton in our synagogue for over 30 people from around
the CRUSY region with a fun Chanukah theme, including USY-led Shabbat services for
the congregation, a 5 afternoon shiur on Chanukah, social programming (such as
recreating the Chanukah story out of candy, in teams), and a Saturday night dinner in a
USYer’s home.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
8. Shul-In with Pittsburgh USY Chapters: 36 USYers from 3 different Conservative
synagogues joined together for the third annual Pittsburgh USY Shabbaton which
included a particularly dynamic Israel discussion led by Danielle Kranjec, the Adult
Education coordinator for the Agency for Jewish Learning, about a recent anti-Israel
article written by a local teen in a Pittsburgh newspaper.
9. Laser Tag at Laser Storm: 20+ USYers participated in a night of socializing and laser
tag.
10. Purim Carnival: 30+ Kadimaniks and USYers ran the synagogue’s massive Purim
Carnival which consisted of 20+ rented carnival games, real carnival prizes, lots of food;
the event attracted 150+ families and raised $6,000 for youth programming in our shul
and hundreds of dollars for SA/TO
11. Masquerade Dance with NFTY, BBYO and USY to benefit New Horizons (a local
nonprofit that engages children with special needs through drama): Three USYers
served on a collaborative teen committee with NFTY and BBYO student leaders to plan a
dance for 200 Pittsburgh teens, and together, raised over $1,500 for New Horizons.
12. Death by Chocolate: Easily the most popular event of the year, and our biggest TOmoney making program, Death by Chocolate raised over $300 dollars for Heifer
International and engaged over 30 USYers in chocolate-related games such as Licorice
Jump Rope, blindfolded taste testing, unwrapping Hershey Kisses with oven mitts, etc.
for a small entrance fee of $10/person; due to the nature of competition, Death by
Chocolate also doubled as a great bonding experience for both regular and new members
of our chapter.
13. Volunteering at Book ‘Em: On three different occasions, BSUSY sent 15 volunteers
(the maximum number Book ‘Em could handle at one time) to this local organization to
help pack and send books to local, federal, and women’s prisons free of charge with the
goal of giving prisoners the tools to re-enter society upon their release.
14. Pirkei Avot Siyyum: This program celebrated the completion of our weekly Shabbat
morning text study this year of Pirkei Avot; and engaged over 30 people (adults and
USYers) with creative summaries about each chapter, including a poem, commentaries,
and even a posterboard, all led by various chapter members.
15. Final Banquet: Our Mexican-themed banquet attracted 25 USY members and honored
our volunteer basketball coach, Youth Director and USY advisor, USY Board, and our
seniors for their dedication to the chapter.
CHUSY-BTUSY of Congregation B’nai Tikvah, Deerfield, IL
1. Splashtacular Pool Party: Kickoff program for the year was a joint pool party and
barbeque.
2. The Facebook Lounge Night: Using social media as a model, the Rel/ed V.P. led a
disccsusion on different elements of the Maariv service and had the participants create a
mock facebook page for each of the prayers.
3. Are you Jewish? Be inspired to live a Jewish life!: (HHD discussion) We hosted a
discussion series that ran throughout Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Guest speakers
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
from our congregation visited us and shared their Jewish experiences. The topics
included from hearing first hand from people who had visited the Abayudaya community
in Uganda, a personal story about making the decision to become a Jew by Choice, and a
debate about the creation of a Palestinian state in Israel.
4. Corn Maze and Lock-In BTUSY hosts and annual Lock-in where over 30 USYers
spend the night hanging out and having fun at the synagogue.
5. Journey to Israel: USYers “visited” a number of Israeli cities and learned about
different Jewish and Israeli symbols including the Kotel, the history of the Chamsa and
the significance of the red string.
6. Youth Shabbat: Each year, the B’nai Tikvah Youth Department takes over the service
for the entire congregation, leading the service with pride and enthusiasm.
7. Sunggle up with BTUSY: When the weather got cold, we took the opportunity to make
blankets for children in hospitals through Project Linus. After, we had hot cocoa and
story time.
8. BTUSY goes to Uganda…not really, but this is close: B’nai Tikvah had the privilege
of hosting Rabbi Gershon Sizomu from Uganda, and as another way of working together
with the larger community, we made a program out of it and attended his talk as a follow
up to our High Holiday discussion.
9. Club BTUSY: BTUSY annually hosts a number of “Club BTUSY” evenings, where
USYers babysit the youth of the community. This is both a service to the community as
well as a great T.O. fundraiser, since all proceeds go directly to Tikkun Olam.
10. BTUSY Homecoming: BTUSY planned a homecoming event for all of our alumni in
January where former USYers came during their winter break from college to talk about
living a Jewish life and advocating for Israel while away at college.
11. Israel Skype Night: Our I.A. VP organized a skype call with current and former Nativers
from CHUSY region as well as former Pilgrimage participants to hear about options for
seeing Israel with USY. We also took advantage of the call to head about what living in
Israel is all about in real time.
12. Interchapter B’nai Mitzvah Party-We co-sponsored a B’nai Mitzvah Party with 2 other
chapters for an evening of dancing and B’nai Mitzvah games.
13. 8th Grade Induction: Our current USYers piled into a Limo Bus and drove around to the
8th grader’s homes, picking them up for a night of icebreakers and ice cream and
introducing them to USY.
14. Ski Trip: With 2 other chapters, we hit the slopes over President’s Day weekend while
giving our members a Jewish weekend experience.
15. Mishloach Manot Delicery: USYers packed Mishloach Manot packages and then visited
a local assisted living center to deliver them and host a discussion with the residents on
Purim.
16. BTUSY Bodies: Our Rel/ed VP planned an interactive discussion about Jewish views on
issues related to our bodies, including drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, exercise etc.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
EMTZA-BJUSY, Mendota Heights, MN
1. CMT (Chapter Membership Training): BJUSY spends a weekend together,
welcoming the upcoming members, saying farewell to the Seniors, and hosting elections
for the upcoming year’s board.
2. Mystery Bus Ride: BJUSYers go to many different fun places and activities around the
Twin Cities all in one night, but every place they go is a surprise.
3. First Friday KabShab: The first Shabbat of every month BJUSYers get together to do
Kabbalat Shabbat with the Shul and then have a potluck dinner at a member’s home
afterwards.
4. Cardboard Box City: BJUSYers sleep in cardboard boxes under the cold October sky to
raise money and awareness for homelessness. The next morning they serve breakfast at a
soup kitchen.
5. Progressive Dinner: BJUSY goes to several different members’ homes, having part of
their meal at each location, (past themes include Breakfast for Dinner and American
Roadtrip.)
6. BJUSY-Kadima Play: BJUSY teams up with Kadima to put on a play, this past year’s
being an Urban Edition of Alice and Wonderland, to raise money for the youth
programming at the Shul.
7. Senior Sponsored BBQ: Seniors kick off the year by sponsoring a BBQ, a great way,
especially, for the older BJUSYers to get to know the incoming members.
8. Sushi in the Sukkah: BJUSYers make homemade sushi and then enjoy eating together
under the stars in the Sukkah.
9. Around the World Lounge Night: BJUSYers make and enjoy different food and
cultures from around the world.
10. Harry Potter Lounge Night: BJUSYers do different activities to make them feel like
they’re at Hogwarts, including catching the snitch in a competitive game of Quiddich!
11. Purim Carnival: BJUSY hosts a Purim Carnival for the Shul as well as children at the
local homeless shelter. Kids enjoy a full range of games while celebrating the chag.
12. Chocolate Seder: BJUSY prepares for Passover with a seder made out of chocolate!
13. Lila Haganah: BJUSYers pretend they are in the IDF for the night, practicing their
crawling, hiding, and jumping techniques.
14. Earth to BJUSY: BJUSY helps a local organic farmer plant seeds and prepare the land
for the upcoming planting season.
15. Wisconsin Dells trip with BEANS: BJUSY teams up with BEANS from Chicago for a
fun long-weekend trip to Wisconsin Dells water parks!
EPA-Harrisburg USY, Harrisburg, PA
1. Snow Tubing- we went to Ski Roundtop and snow tubed for 2 hours.
2. Dodge ball Tournament- it was in the JCC and we had mini tournaments of dodge ball
for about an hour an then we had lunch for the last hour.
3. Game Day- we all met in Beth El and we played board games and had snacks and helped
hand out the Rosh Hashannah prayer books.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
4. Chocolate Seder- we had a model Seder and instead of the real food we eat on Passover
we had chocolate everything.
5. Open Mic Night- we all gathered in Beth El and we had people singing and dancing and
doing skits, we also had fair trade coffee sponsor for the equipment.
6. Purim Shul In- we went to see Central Dauphin High School's production of Grease and
then went to the JCC to "sleep" but we played frisbee and monster all night (but only
after packaging the over 200 Mishloach Manot bags we sold for Tikun Olam!) In the
morning, we went to volunteer at the Purim carnival.
7. Ice Skating with Kadima- exactly as it sounds, and afterwards we went to Friendly’s
and had ice cream and Israeli trivia.
8. Delivering Rosh Hashanah cards- we went to the Jewish Home and Residence and
handed out cards that one of the Hebrew schools made.
9. Volunteered at the food bank10. Purim- we all attended to the reading of the megillah Beth El and "captured the Rabbi"
for SA/TO and raise over $300.
11. Corn Maze and Hayride- we went to Paulaus's Apple Orchards and did the corn maze
and sang ruach songs the whole way though, then went out for ice cream.
12. Sukkot Hop- We joined in the community Sukkah Hop and visited different sukkot in
the community
13. Elections- when we said goodbye to the old board and said hello to the new.
Hagalil-MetUSY, Metuchen, NJ
1. Appreciation Night- Held near Thanksgiving, this program contained various fun yet
eye-opening simulations of physical disabilities culminating in discussions about
personal experiences.
2. Israel Candy Land- This night had rotating stations representing different locations in
Israel, each with a task, facts and a themed treat at the end; we also featured stories from
those returning from Pilgrimage.
3. Bring a Friend Night- This event, which had the highest turnout of the year, allowed
current members to bring any Jewish friend to the event for icebreakers and classic USY
activities in hopes of gaining new members.
4. Spin It to Win It Channukah Party- This party, held at a board member’s house for a
cozy atmosphere, included a gift swap, Jewish music, dreidel spinning, latkes, and some
thoughtful board-led conversation regarding the struggles of how to celebrate Chanukah
in a Christmas-centered country.
5. Mock Kinnus- This was all the key elements of a kinnus in a night, featuring davening, a
kitah, challah and grape juice, slow ruach, and ice breakers.
6. Superbowling with Kadima- This event, which took place near the Superbowl,
encouraged USYers and Kadimaniks to raise money for tzedakah and wear their favorite
team jerseys.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
7. Wrap Rap Night- Going along with the theme of wrapping and rapping, we wrapped
presents in recycled newspaper to donate to sick children, listened to Israeli rap music,
unwrapped Israeli chocolate, and learned to wrap tefillin using Fruit by the Foot.
8. Gender Bonding- Girls and boys split up for this one, bonding over chick flicks, facials,
and chocolate, and sports and bonding traditions respectively.
9. Battle of the Sexes- Girls and boys participated in multiple challenges that pushed the
sexes to the brink of failure. Who won? it depends who you ask.
10. UnBar Mitzvah Party- This party brought back 7th grade memories by including a
montage of the year, cake, Israeli dancing, and a candle lighting ceremony to allocate
T.O. money.
11. Synagogue Barbeque with USY- The synagogue held a barbeque at a local park where
USYers helped out by running games and relays for the younger kids, 5 playing board
games themselves, and raising 300 dollars for SA/TO to pie a prominent synagogue
member in the face.
12. S’mores in the Sukkah- To celebrate the holiday, we did marshmallow related
icebreakers and games, then made s’mores and trekked outside to the sukkah to mingle
with the Sisterhood, which also had an event.
13. Car Wash Fundraiser- Everyone had a lot of fun with soap and water, while washing
forty cars and raising over 400 dollars for T.O.
14. Havdallah Hangout- A few times a year on Saturday night we get together with the
synagogue for mincha, maariv, and Havdallah, USY style; then we chill, toss around a
football, play board games, watch a movie and eat doughnuts or knishes.
15. Saturday Morning Teen Service- For the first time, our chapter members took over the
main sanctuary on a Saturday morning to lead every part of the service from Torah
reading to being a Gabbai to leading English readings while showing our strength to the
synagogue.
Hagesher-Adath Israel USY, Lawrenceville, NJ
1. Get Caught Giving – Canned Food Drive, 9/25/11: The Get Caught Giving program
effectively collected non-perishable foods during the High Holidays for the Kosher Food
Pantry by handing out paper bags during Rosh Hashanah and collecting them at Yom
Kippur.
2. Pizza in the Hut featuring “Minute To Win It”, 10/16/11: Styled after the hit
television series, our chapter brought this game show to life by designing 15 tasks that
were to be completed in a minute and further put our members’ skills to the test.
3. Beatles Shabbat dinner and Services, 10/28/11: To top off almost any other Shabbat
service ever created, our chapter designed our very own Beatles Shabbat by praying to
the tunes of different Beatles songs that related to the prayers they were given.
4. Rock Climbing at Rockville Climbing Center, 11/5/11: An amazing event where we
had the opportunity to have fun climbing rock walls and building membership through
this social event.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
5. USY Celebrates Israel, 11/27/11: Our chapter brought Israel to Lawrenceville, NJ
through an Israeli Fair in which booths were created consisting of Israeli Dancing, Note
writing for the Western Wall, and an assortment of Israeli Foods.
6. Hanukkah Havdalah and a Movie, 12/17/11- 12/18/11: We had our first Hanukkah
sleepover which was filled with fun activities such as a dreidel competition, a gift
exchange, and the showing of “8 Crazy Nights” featuring Adam Sandler.
7. “Are You Smarter Than a USYer?” 1/21/12: Further emphasizing our “Year of the
Game” theme we invited the congregation to participate in a SA/TO event where
congregants competed against the USYer’s testing their knowledge of many Jewish
related topics.
8. USY Goes Bowling, 2/4/12: Adath Israel Lawrenceville spent the night knocking down
pins, competing for the win, spending time with friends, and bonding during our very
own bowling night out.
9. Snow Tubing at Camelback Mountain, 3/4/12: Off to the slopes, our chapter traveled
to Camelback Mountain for a day filled of snow tubing and hot chocolate, allowing for
our chapter members to further bond in this social event.
10. Costume Party and Trivia Contest, 3/10/12: Our USY chapter threw their own Purim
Ball by dressing up in their favorite costumes and dancing around the hallways of the
synagogue while answering questions about the synagogue’s history.
11. USY helps with the Purim Carnival at Hebrew School, 3/11/2012: Dressing up as
Esther and booing Haman, our USYers assisted with the annual Purim carnival by
leading games for the kids, reenacting the Purim story, and participating in the
Hamantashen- eating contest.
12. Laser Tag at Colonial Entertainment Center, 4/15/12: Divided up into two teams, our
chapter members battled it out on the playing field, Team Vashti vs. Team Esther, in
intense games of laser tag.
13. USY Back to Nature Shabbat dinner and Services, 5/4/12: As our last Shabbat dinner
of the year, our chapter decided to pray in the place where we would be spending a lot of
the next few months, the outdoors! We incorporated leaves, pinecones, rocks, grass, and
trees into our service, related them to different prayers, and had a truly unique and
unforgettable experience praying on blankets under the stars.
14. Elections and Ice Cream Social, 5/6/12: To encourage more participation in the voting
process, we decided to link the ever tedious elections with a fun and tasty ice cream
social.
15. USY Goes to the Phillies Game, 6/3/12: Take USY out to the Phillies game! Sitting in
the outfield, watching every pitch and hit as they went, our chapter had an awesome
experience going to route on the Philadelphia Phillies in their game against the Miami
Marlins.
Hanefesh-Emanuel USY, West Hartford, CT
1. Ben and Jerry’s Night- We go to the local Ben and Jerry’s to help scoop ice cream and
help raise the proceeds to SA/TO. Approximately 10 USYers
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
2. Car Wash- Held a car wash after the first day of Religious School to help raise SA/TO
money. Approximately 10 USYers
3. Berlin Batting Cages Trip- Went to the Berlin Batting Cage to play mini golf, hit in the
batting cages and play with the bumper boats. About 15 USYers
4. TGIS (Thank G-d Its Shabbat)- Meet at synagogue for Friday night services and then
go to a USYers house nearby for dinner. This is done on a bi-monthly basis with different
themes. For example; Israeli, Chinese, Mexican. About 10 USYers.
5. Fun Night at Fun Squared- Go bowling and play laser tag. About 20 USYers.
6. Movie Watching Marathon- An overnight at the shul where the USYers come to the
temple with pledge forms filled out for how much SA/TO money they raise per hour
staying up watching movies. Had to cancel due to weather.
7. Shabbaton- Meet at our synagogue for services and programming, sleeping at USYers
houses. 20 USYers.
8. Ice Cream Castle Building Contest- A competition for the USYers to build the best
sculpture out of ice cream. 15 USYers
9. Lounge Movie Nights- A bi-monthly event where the USYers come to the Youth
Lounge to watch a movie. Approximately 10 USYers per movie night.
10. Elections at Elizabeth Park- Our elections event at a local park where we got together
for lunch and voted on the next chapter board.
Hanegev-B’nai Aviv, Weston, FL
1. Mixers Madness: A program to help everyone know each other and get rid of the newbie
awkwardness.
2. Regressive Dinner: A dinner where dessert comes first, what could be better?
3. Israeli Commercial Night: Groups use a product from Israel, and make commercials
trying to make other uses of them.
4. Murder Mystery: There are “murderers’ at a dinner, and the “detectives” try to figure
out who they are.
5. “Can you hear me?”: USY was honored to hear Avi Markowitz’s story of how he is still
able to hear.
6. Swing Dancing: A swing dance teacher came to teach our chapter the art of swing
dancing.
7. Karaoke and Cocktails: A night for singing, drinking delicious non-alcoholic drinks,
and hanging out with your friends.
8. Havdallah and Movie Volunteer: A nice havdallah to meet our new Rabbi, and then
volunteer for a movie for the young children of Bnai Aviv.
9. Color War for T.O.: Teams compete in games for Color Wars while raising money for
T.O.
10. USY and Kadima Retreat & Disney Day: A weekend for our Chapter to bond and have
a great time, and then go to the Disney Day Regional event.
11. Singled Out with SJC: A joint program with Sunrise Jewish Center (SJC) about a fun
“dating” game based on personalities and random questions.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
12. BAUSY Superstars Pageant: Groups dress up one of their members in recyclable items
in three different outfits so they can strut their stuff on the runway.
13. Arvot’s Got Talent: A talent show hosted by BAUSY showing off the amazing talents
of the great sub-region of Arvot.
14. Disabilities: A simulation of different disabilities to learn how it feels so USYers can be
more sensitive to them.
15. Nursing Home Visit: Our chapter visited Orange Blossom Manor to sing and dance for
the elderly to make them feel good and make us feel good.
METNY-Orangetown Jewish Center, Orangeburg, NY
1. Bon Fire: The OJC USY Bon Fire held in a USYers backyard, was very well publicized
and attended (60), included MEM/KAD and SA/TO ($150) programs, and left the
attendees with an appreciation of USY that left them wanting more!
2. Jungle Fever: Jungle Fever kicked off the new USY and Kadima year with numerous
games and activities that exposed OJC youth to the roles of the different board members
as well as demonstrating how USY and Kadima are not just about learning but also about
having fun and creating life long friendships and memories all under one synagogue roof.
3. Creative Candy Service: The Creative Candy Service was an interactive and fun
Religious Education program for the Orangetown Jewish Center youth during which
everyone learned, noshed, and schmoozed as our Rel/Ed VP used various candies to help
teach everyone about the prayers in the Shabbat Shacharit service.
4. Interfaith Understandings: The Na’aseh program Interfaith Understandings inspired
and taught teens to be leaders in Judaism and respectful of other religions by inviting
Dominican Nuns, leaders in their religious community, to the OJC to discuss the
differences and similarities of Judaism and Christianity.
5. Helping Hands: The Helping Hands Na’aseh program (part of a larger module entitled
the Power of One) was an educational and interactive program that invited the Executive
6. Director of the local Helping Hands and our OJC Coordinator to speak about the work
the organization does to help the temporarily homeless and how our synagogue mobilizes
four times a year to host, house, and feed (with the food we cooked that night) the
transient families that sleep at the OJC.
7. Mr. OJC USY: Mr. OJC USY was a wildly successful SA/TO event where we invited
male USY members from each grade to participate in a pageant style competition
wearing women’s clothing, including swim suit, formal wear, talent and Q and A
categories, in order to entertain our membership and raise funds for extraordinary causes.
8. Bible Players (Intro for 7th graders to Na’aseh: The Bible Players, two Ramah Nyack
alum, brought the Torah, its characters, and lessons to life while using humor and
improvisational games, integrating our newly acclimating 7th graders with our veteran
Na’aseh (8-12th graders) crew.
9. Capture the Freshman: This was an incredibly memorable event as we mobilized our
board and parents to wake up and “kidnap” almost twenty freshman, with their parents’
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
permission of course, and brought them to breakfast, participated in ice breakers, and
showed them what OJC USY is all about.
10. Mystery Sukkot Dinner: The Mystery Sukkot Dinner, planned and led by the OJC USY
for the Kadimaniks was attended by over 50 youth, consisted of a menu based on clues
for each of the four courses from salad to dessert and was served in their chosen order
(most opted for dessert first!).
11. OJC Giving Tree: This year's Tu'Beshvat Seder, planned by the Kadima and USY
boards and lead by the OJC community's teens and tweens, was based on Shel
Silverstein's book, The Giving Tree, (and truly defined 'the gift that keeps on giving') and
gave teens and tweens the opportunity to be leaders by using their imagination, creativity,
and knowledge of Tu'Beshvat to educate the OJC congregants and strengthen the bonds
between Kadimaniks and USYers.
12. Chinese Auction: The Chinese Auction, a SA/TO and Hanukkah celebration event,
raising more than $100, was a unique event where USYers brought a wrapped gift of $5
or less, wrote a poem about it, and later, after enjoying Chinese food and personalized
fortune cookies, participated in an auction where members purchased items based solely
on their respective poems.
13. Messy Olympics: Our Messy Olympics was a fun filled, daring competition where
USYer’s competed in messy activities, such as egg tossing, find the jellybean in the
whipped cream, oreo smash, bubble gum sculpture (and many more amazing other
games), to win the gold medal.
14. Purim Carnival: This annual event for the greater OJC community, co-chaired by two
9th grade representatives from our general board, gathered over 60 USYers and
Kadimaniks on Purim, to run over 20 game booths and raise about $800 from the games
and a service auction donated by the USY membership. Israel- Hers, Theirs, and Ours:
Our OJC USYer Stephanie Nelson, taught her peers what inspired her to decide to make
Aliyah and voluntarily join the Israeli Army through a very powerful presentation and
meaningful teen led discussions.
15. Friday Youth Service and Program: Under the coordination of the OJC Rel/Ed, these
Friday evening services were entirely youth led and after which, the 50 youth in
attendance were treated to a special oneg, an a cappella game of musical chairs, paper
bag dramatics, and a dreidle game with very creative rules.
NERUSY-Sharon USY, Sharon, MA
1. Banquet – Our year ended last year with a banquet that gave out various awards for
people’s achievements, inaugurated the new board, and encouraged membership and
leadership involvement from the rest of the chapter.
2. Freshman Kidnap – In August, we kidnapped the incoming freshman class and brought
them to Ihop for breakfast, then everyone went to Griffen Park to play team building
games to help the new upcoming freshman get involved.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
3. Jo Ho and Shai Present: Lounge or Genocide Awareness Lounge – Jonathan
Horowitz and Shai Berk, two seniors and members of Sharon USY, gave a presentation
and led a discussion about genocide around the world.
4. Kabbalat Shabbat – Once a month, USYers get together with the synagogues minyan
and take charge of leading the service; after services everyone enjoys dinner and a long,
rowdy Ruach session.
5. Ruach Lounge – Since not everyone knew all of the songs at Kab Shab we decided to
offer a lounge, led by our Rel/Ed Sarah Binney, that gave people a chance to learn; we
sang for two hours, ate snacks, and had a great time.
6. Purim Carnival -- This event is led, run, and planned entirely by our Junior and Senior
USYers and helps to raise money to support both TO and our own programming.
7. Pizza in the Hut – This year all three youth groups got together and watched Despicable
Me, shared some pizza, and then shook the Lulav and Etrog in our synagogues Sukkah!
8. 10 Plagues Scavenger Hunt – Our Rel/Ed VP Sarah Binney, planned a lounge for
Passover where we had two teams (boys vs. girls) run around the synagogue trying to
find as many of the 10 plagues as they could with clues that Sarah had carefully laid out
for them.
9. Laser Tag Lock-in –Senior USYers from Sharon USY, Temple Reyim USY, and Natick
USY came together for a night of laser tag fun followed by a sleepover at the Laser Tag
place; this event was so successful in creating community with other chapters, we’ve now
made it an annual event.
10. Skyzone – All of our youth groups have had events at Skyzone this year which is an
amazing indoor trampoline park where the kids were allowed to just bounce around or
challenge their friends to an epic game of trampoline dodge ball.
11. Rock Climbing with Peabody – In November, we went to Metrorock with Peabody
USY for our first inter-chapter event of the year where we learned how to belay and then
got to climb for a couple of hours.
12. Snow Tubing – At the end of February break both Jr. and Sr. USY came together at
Nashoba Valley which was a great way for Junior and Senior USY to bond.
13. Mystery Bus Ride – USYers piled on the bus with no idea where they were headed, and
our journey ended with us at Dave and Busters in Providence.
14. Mount Monadnock Hike – In October, Senior USYers gave $5 and hiked Mount
Monadnock with the Brotherhood which was a great chance to bond with other groups in
the synagogue, have fun, and raise money for SATO.
15. USY Big/Little Mega Maze – Kadima, Junior and Senior USY went to Davis Megamaze
where every three or four younger USYers were paired with a Senior USYer to complete
the maze with as a “big brother/big sister” program.
Pinwheel-Seattle Achim, Seattle, WA
1. Hot topic: We had dinner together and discussed the importance of a relationship
between Israel and America.
2. Lounge Night: We had dinner together and hung out in our youth lounge.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
3. Shabbat Services and Dinner: New and Improved- We had Friday night services together,
ate dinner, and played improved games.
4. Late Night Lasers: We went to a laser show and after had a Chanukah party.
5. Teen Feed: We went and made a served dinner to homeless teenagers in our community.
6. Blood Drive: We organized and ran a blood drive at our synagogue to benefit people
with life threatening diseases.
7. Shabbaton: Jew’sin around the World: We had a cruise themed Shabbaton where we
spent Shabbat together learning about Jews from around the world.
8. Rio Themed Kickoff: We had a beach party kickoff with swimming, games, and ice
breakers.
9. Mafia Shabbos Madness: We had services and dinner together and learned about Jews
involved in the mafia by having discussions and playing games.
10. Casino Night: We had a Vegas themed casino night event with casino games, a photo
stand, and a raffle.
11. Israel Event: We had an Israel themed event where we ate Israeli food, had an Israeli
shouk, and played Israeli games.
12. Board Retreat: We had a retreat for our board where we spent time bonding and worked
on planning our events.
13. Rosh Hashana Program: We had a discussion about Rosh Hashanah and about what it
means to us.
14. Yom Kippur Program: We had a discussion about Yom Kipur and why it is Torah level
commandment to fast.
15. Hot Topic 2: A women came in and talked to us about drug and alcohol addictions and
how to resist them as a teen.
Seaboard-B’nai Israel, Rockville, MD
1. Chapter Kickoff - BIUSY Goes to the Park: Our Chapter kickoff was held at a local
park with fields, a pavilion and a playground; those who didn’t want to play kickball
could tie dye, play on the playground or eat shaved ice.
2. Capitals Game: Our USY and Kadima chapters went to a Caps game in October and
afterwards got to meet Jeff Halpern, Washington Capital player and member of our
synagogue.
3. Progressive Dinner: For each course in our Shabbat dinner, we walked to a different
member’s house all in the same neighborhood, ending with dessert and ruach at the
Rabbi’s house.
4. Shavuot Variety Show: Members were asked to perform different things (e.g. raps,
poems, choosing stories, baked treats and songs) in reference to different p’sukim in
Vayikra.
5. BIUSY Extreme Lockin: Our extremely awesome night spent in shul began with toilet
paper dodgeball, continued with a falafel eating contest and a showing of Anchorman and
ended with a lack of sleep for everyone.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
6. Apple Picking with the Friendship Circle: The Friendship Circle is a organization that
works with children and young-adults with special needs, Our chapter went apple picking
with them, it was a very meaningful experience.
7. Tu B’Shvat Seder/Lounge Night: Our chapter president led us in a Tu B’Shvat Seder
with all the Israeli fixings; our festivities were followed up by a relaxing lounge night full
of ESPN, ping pong and foosball.
8. Israeli Dance Party: Our Rel/Ed was in an Israeli Dance troupe and was able to teach us
some of the hippest new rikudim.
9. Scoop Night: In order to raise money for Tikkun Olam, we took over the local Baskin
Robbins and scooped the night away for a good cause.
10. Harry Potter Teen Minyan: This magical minyan had all the fixings: prayer, House
Cups, Harry Potter trivia and Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans.
11. Candyland Teen Minyan: Our delicious teen minyan allowed for a life sized game of
Candyland to be played including different tasks according to different numbers on the
dice; boatloads of candy were given out in the end, yum yum yum.
12. Sing-along Teen Minyan: Our Rel/Ed put together her own siddur full of prayers that
related directly to prayers (e.g. “Walking on Sunshine”/Modeh Ani,
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious/Amidah) and led us in a new type of prayer while also
using the events of the week to discuss Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaShoah and Yom
Ha’atzmaut.
13. Friday Night Dinner: We congregated at a member’s house who was generous enough
to cook, bake and host 15 of our lovely members for a Shabbos dinner.
14. Regressive Teen Minyan: What teenager doesn’t love story books, footie pajamas and
toys? That’s why we had a whole minyan dedicated to being a child.
15. Broomball: Our Chapter had a fun night of broomball, which is just like hockey yet
everyone is given a broom, it was definitely a night to remember!
SWUSY-Rashi USY, Richardson, TX
1. Captain Israel Kickoff Pool Party
2. Board Overnight: board bonding and semester planning
3. Karen Leynor Mitzvah Day: Karen Leynor Mitzvah Day is a special synagogue-wide
day of community service. It’s a tradition that every year the USYers organize and lead
Jonathan’s Place kids in a morning of light-hearted fun games so they can forget
whatever home situation they’re in.
4. Field Day: Joint Maccabiah with Kadima
5. Reading of the Names Overnight: - See Best of Rel/Ed 2012 for description
6. A night of Improv: House party with improv games galore
7. Lumberjack Pancake Breakfast: - Pancakes were made on a Sunday morning and
everyone hung out, having deep and meaningful conversations about Judaism, USY, and
Israel. Then everyone sang the Lumberjack song from Monty Python.
8. Coffee with IDF sergeant: personal coffee session with an actual IDF sergeant. We went
to a local starbucks and got to hear many stories about a lone solider, followed by Q&A.
USY International 2012 Chapter of the Year
Top Programs
9. 1st annual Bowl-a-Thon Fundraiser - raised $3,000
10. 1st annual Softball Showdown vs Men’s Club - we lost by 2
11. *Group DynamiX Overnight - overnight at group dynamix facility
12. Purple Cow Fundraiser: Purple Cow Night benefited kids who were at Children’s
Medical Center. We organized a double fundraiser to help with both money and giving
special items to the kids. We planned out a night where a USYer was at the Purple Cow
restaurant and had a box set up with a sign telling about the toy and money collection
drive. It was a great night that many USYers, as well as other community members,
attended and ate great food knowing part of their bill was headed towards the chapter.
13. Rashi Shabbaton - Rashiites led services and had dinner together
14. End of year board overnight - close out the year with fun time and wrote recs for
regional awards
15. Rashi Banquet - end of year awards and goodbyes to seniors