Does Israel Need Me?

Jewish identity is not something teens receive. It’s something they discover by participating in the Jewish story.

This summer, many of our teens discovered that participating in the Jewish story means asking not only, “What can Israel give me?” but also, “What can I give Israel?”

For Rabbi Derek Gormin, NCSY’s Managing Director of Programming and Education, that question gets to the heart of what NCSY Summer is all about. Israel isn’t only shaping American teens. The teens themselves strengthen Israel through their presence, their service, and their commitment to the Jewish people. Read why teens came to strengthen their connection to Israel- but strengthened Israel as well.


That realization begins with relationships.

For teens on The Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey (TJJ), it means building a relationship with Israel that goes far beyond history or talking points. By encountering the diversity, complexity, and humanity of Israeli society, they find their own authentic voice. Read how TJJ teens discovered the many voices of Israeli society.


Thank you to our partners at RootOne for helping make these transformative Israel experiences possible for so many Jewish teens. Our teens don’t just learn about Judaism, they live it. They don’t just learn about Israel, they build relationships with its people. They don’t just learn about responsibility, they discover they have something meaningful to contribute. That’s how they discover they have a meaningful role to play in the story of the Jewish people.