Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, once wrote: “If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that G‑d has left for you to complete.”
This past week, I had the privilege of gathering in person with a group of NCSY staff who are doing exactly that, whether balancing the budget in the finance office, designing the next fundraising campaign, ensuring every logistical detail is in place for a regional event, or leading a JSU club. Every single one of these people is a difference-maker repairing what needs to be repaired.
We just completed our end of year NCSY LEAD Fellows retreat, which is the culmination of a yearlong process of leadership development for a group of NCSY staff who have dedicated themselves to self-reflection, skill building, and growth in the sacred work they do. I should note: this is no small feat, especially given how extraordinary these individuals already were when they began.
There is much to share from this year and this retreat, but one thing struck me at the very start.
As we opened with a session on vulnerability we were discussing our backgrounds and what brought us here. It quickly became clear that the majority of this group was either born in Crown Heights, lived there, grew up Lubavitch, got connected to Judaism through Chabad, or was connected to Chabad in some meaningful way. I count myself among them. I was born in Crown Heights. My mother became a Baalat Teshuva through Chabad. My father converted through Chabad. I was named Eliezer because of the Rebbe (a story I am happy to share another time), and the Rebbe gave me my first mitzvah, a dime for tzedakah, when I was just a few months old. Though I was not raised Lubavitch, and I attribute my teen years in NCSY as the catalyst for much of my religious growth, I carry those early years and Chabad’s impact with me always.
What we do at NCSY is not a job. It is a calling. We are driven by something greater than ourselves. It is no wonder that so many of the LEAD participants are connected to Chabad. They were raised by or deeply shaped by a movement that ignites the inner spark of every Jew toward a deeper connection with their Judaism. Through that influence, they chose to do the same. I attribute this to great leadership.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe inspired a movement of Jews to pitch a tent in every corner of the world for one reason and one reason only: to open their homes and hearts to other Jews. And look where a generation of those Jews are now — at NCSY.
While we do not have the Lubavitcher Rebbe as our leader, we are far from without inspired leadership. We have Rabbi Micah Greenland, who challenged us at LEAD to live by his mantra: “Everything is possible.” Mrs. Malka Levitansky, who reminded us that each of us has an NCSY story worth telling. Shai Kapitnikoff, who spoke about the “human in Human Resources” and what it means to bring your full self to supporting our staff. And even beyond the retreat, the list, and the lessons, go on, through our leadership team, our managers, and our colleagues.
Inspired leadership is the secret to our success. The more we invest in supporting and inspiring our staff, the greater our impact on the teens we serve. It is a simple formula, and it was on full display this week. The LEAD participants are a light. As the Rebbe also said, “In a time of increasing darkness, we must respond with an increasing of light.” These staff are bringing so much light into this world and I could not be more proud to be a small part of their work.