A San Quentin inmate with a swastika tattooed on his hand greeted us as we stepped off the bus. The year was 1975, and we were a group of 30 counselors in training from Camp Swig (now Camp Newman).

Through the DREAM ISRAEL program, students can access various levels of grant funding toward their semester at URJ Heller High while learning about the act of tzedakah by fundraising for approved philanthropic causes in Israel.

On March 7, the NFTY General Board met to participate in our annual mid-term Asefah to elect our next NFTY North American Board and celebrate all of our successes in a year full of unprecedented challenges.

Camp staff are our heroes, creating the space where campers make memories, meet friends, and become the best versions of themselves. They mentor, care for, and inspire the community, and help us realize our vision for a more whole, just, and compassionate world.

The weekend was extraordinary. Teens shared that it was the best virtual experience they had this year - that it felt as close as it could get to an in-person experience. Many said that they felt a new connection to NFTY.

Though the terrain may be uncertain, we are guided by our deep commitments to justice, learning, and action. As we walk hand-in-hand into 2021, let us make this year one filled with purpose, joy, nourishment, and a renewed sense of hope.

Let’s honor our elders by engaging in hiddur p’nai zaken, and support our teens by bringing them together in community to learn, celebrate, and be fully human together.

Change in the middle of a global crisis is simultaneously invigorating and exhausting. NFTY has more than an 80-year history of change, and as of late, the reality of COVID-19 has sped up our change process.

These all-new winter sessions are perfect for families to enjoy high-quality, remote Jewish experiences that speak to them, on a schedule that works for their life. New, unaffiliated families will be connected with URJ congregations in their area – like yours!