Ofir Afenzar – Atlantic Seaboard NCSY
Growing up in Fountainville, PA had its ups and down. Waking up to the rural landscape every morning and a wide open field is an up. Then, there is the down side: there were not many kids my age – let alone Jewish kids.
Fast forward to the six grade. Living in Elkins Park, PA, I attended a private Jewish day school. It was all new to me – the shema, the Torah, Chumash and Talmud – it all sounded like fairy tale story books to me. I was a fish lost at sea. I did not have many friends, and that was mainly because I just did not fit in.
Ofir proudly displays a Yeshiva University t-shirt at NCSY’s National Yarchei Kallah, a winter break learning program for public school teens.
Then in walks NCSY Juniors. NCSY Juniors was definitely the best thing to happen to me since moving to Elkins Park. The way I saw it, school gave me the pieces of Judaism and NCSY put them together. I watched as Judaism LITERALLY came to life right before my eyes. I became closer with my school friends who were also involved in NCSY, and Rabbi Rocky (the NCSY Juniors rabbi at the time) was (and still is!) an amazing person to look up to. Everything about it was exactly what I needed at that time of my life.
Again, let’s fast forward to today. As President of the Philadelphia Chapter of NCSY, I am a leader in the NCSY community and I am loving every single day of it. My city director, Rabbi Yitz Levi, and the amazing staff I work with have become my family. Having those bonds give me inspiration to befriend every person I meet.
For the year to come, I, with G-d’s Help, will be attending Yeshiva Lev Hatorah in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel. After, I will be attending Yeshiva University. My current plans for next year could not have happened with out the help of my closest advisor, Benjamin Klein (commonly known as BK). He helped me through the whole process and encouraged me to stay strong the whole way through. BK, thank you for everything!
NCSY will always be in my heart and in my soul. NCSY is a family that gives you a chance to meet new people, enrich your heritage and understand yourself a little more, everyday.