Meet Our NFTY President: Benji Rosenblum

I'm Benji Rosenblum from Phoenix, AZ, and I have the honor of serving as the NFTY North American president. I'm currently taking a gap year, and when I'm not engaged in NFTY work, I love to cook, spend time outside, and read.

When I was younger, my family moved a lot - Chicago, IL; Westchester, NY; Cherry Hill, NJ; and Phoenix, AZ. Because of this, it was important that we established community quickly, and in my family, our Jewish identity always came first. Growing up, my family identified as Orthodox, but when I was eight, we decided to look for a Reform synagogue in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Upon finding one we connected with, we never looked back. The openness and inclusion we experienced in the Reform community was so appreciated as a mixed-race family.

Inspired by my brother, Josh's, leadership in NFTY, I began my NFTY journey when I was in 7th grade at a NFTY-Southwest regional event. Despite being a new face among (mostly) strangers, I felt like I was not just welcomed; I felt like I truly belonged. This experience sparked my passion for creating the same feeling of belonging for others through NFTY.

During COVID lockdown, though many of my peers were hesitant to transition to an online community, I decided to make the most of the situation, leading various online events, participating in the RAC Teen Justice Fellowship, and attending the NFTY Convention and Mechina online. Through these events, I met teens who pulled me deeper into the Movement. One of the connections I made became a close friend who encouraged me to spend my first summer at URJ Camp Newman as a counselor-in-training, and I loved it. Yes, a friend I met through an online event who I'd never seen in person convinced me to spend nine weeks at a summer camp I'd never considered attending before! Friendships like those are difficult to come by, and I do not take for granted how many I have formed while in NFTY.

My leadership development continued through attending L'Taken, where I lobbied for immigration reform-a critical issue given my proximity to the border-and helping plan leadership experiences at The Collab, NFTY's flagship event, for the past two years. Working on The Collab inspired me to run for the North American Board and allowed me to see both the incredible leaders of our Movement today as well as a glimpse of the future of NFTY leadership.

As president, I have three main priorities:

1. Uniting all URJ youth programs under NFTY's shared identity, promoting interconnectivity across experiences. I was extremely lucky that I made connections that helped me find more and more opportunities within the URJ, but not everyone can do the same. My vision is that one day, whether a teen is involved in fellowships, camps, L'Taken, immersive experiences, or other opportunities, they'll proudly identify as a "NFTYite" and become more connected to the Reform Movement as a whole.
    
2. Deepening connections with alumni and congregations, ensuring NFTY's values endure. I know how much NFTY has meant to alumni in the past, and I hope they continue to support NFTY today. I hope everyone can see that NFTY still holds the same values it did when it was founded, though it may look different from how they remember it. NFTY 's strength lies in its ability to change in response to the needs of our Movement and our world, and I am excited to be part of this moment of change.
    
3. Increasing Jewish youth engagement through local community gatherings-collaborating with congregational leaders like you. During our leadership programming at The Collab, participants reflected on what it means to be a part of, and contribute to, the local Jewish community. We know that every community has its own set of challenges and needs. To meet the needs of teens from across our Movement, ask your teens what they need and help them make it happen. They can't do it without your support, and as NFTY president, I want to help you feel excited about creating opportunities to keep our youth engaged.

Being a part of NFTY has impacted and informed my life, and I've seen firsthand how powerful our community can be in creating leaders for today and tomorrow. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me at brosenblum@urj.org if you want to discuss NFTY or youth engagement topics. I'm excited to continue working as a partner alongside all of you to build a stronger future.