Dear Abbe

 

Rivka Abbe is on a mission to make the world a better place

 

As she strolled through the corridors of the White House with more than 100 other Jewish teenagers, Rivka Abbe thought about a single moment during the summer she spent on NCSY’s GIVE (Girls Israel Volunteer Experience).

As part of the five-week program, girls from all over the US and Canada volunteer in a variety of locations in Israel. One day the group worked at Aleh, an organization that helps the severely disabled. The 81 girls on the program wheeled the patients out into the courtyard of the building. The girls were supposed to dance with the patients but since they were unable to lift them, the girls decided to dance together in front of them. As the girls danced, the patients began to smile.

“We held a mini-dance party,” the naturally exuberant Abbe, 18, explained. “Children who had never smiled before started smiling. We felt like we changed their lives. It taught me that you can really make a difference, even in the smallest way possible.”

Months later, after attending two AIPAC summits, Abbe came to a realization.

“Out of 400 high school students on both trips, I was one of 10 Orthodox teens,” she explained. “It’s wonderful that unaffiliated Jewish teens connect to their Jewish identity through Israel, but it’s sad that yeshiva kids are not involved.”

Following this experience, she formed the Central Political Awareness Committee at her school, Yeshiva University’s High School for Girls (Central). The club’s mission was to educate students about the political process and teach them how to effectively advocate for Israel.

Later that year she met Rabbi Steven Burg, then the international director of NCSY. She introduced herself and expressed how grateful she was to have been able to attend NCSY GIVE. “GIVE literally changed my life,” she told him. When he found out that she didn’t have any plans for the upcoming summer, Rabbi Burg offered her an internship at NCSY.

She called the summer she worked under Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, NCSY’s associate director of education, “the time of my life.”

“Everyone in the OU office is really there because they want to help the Jewish people,” she said.

Abbe impressed everyone inside the office with her dedication. “Rivka’s unusual ambitions are only overshadowed by her resolve to achieve her goals,” said Rabbi Bashevkin.

While she worked on education programs for NCSY, Abbe came up with the idea of a two-day learning and lobbying effort for Jewish high school students. The first part of the event took place on October 14 at Yeshiva University. On the second day, the teens visited Washington, D.C., to meet with their representatives. The teens also spent two hours at the White House with the President’s Jewish liaison, Jarrod Bernstein.

“I have never met more of a mensch than Jarrod,” Abbe said. “He’s doing the most amazing work with such humility and sincerity.”

The meeting also had an impact on her personal prayers.  “My mincha after our meeting in the White House had more kavanah than I had for a while,” she said. “It is an unbelievable gift that God gave us to live in this country.”

Community involvement runs in her family. Rivka is the daughter of Cyrus Abbe who was instrumental in the campaign to free the Jews in the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and Syria. Abbe’s mother, Judith, is a pediatrician who works with underprivileged families for the New York Department of School Health.

“My parents have instilled these values in me,” she said. “Part of our God-given mission is to help our fellow Jews and make the world a better place.”

When word got out about her Washington trip, Jewish radio personality Nachum Segal approached Abbe about having her own radio show on his network. Shortly thereafter, “Teen Spirit with Rivka Abbe” launched. The program airs from 7-8 pm on Tuesdays and is available at nachumsegal.com. “It’s a show for teens by a teen,” she explained.

Each show is dedicated to a specific topic. Previous guests included Barbara Ribakove Gordon, the executive director of the North American Conference of Ethiopian Jewry, and Richard Joel, the president of Yeshiva University. “The goal of the program is to inspire teens to make a difference,” Abbe said.

Abbe gave three pieces of advice for teens.

“Recognize that everything is from God and that He’s in ultimate control,” she recommended.

“Take every piece of flak people throw at you with a grain of salt,” she continued. “If you think something is going to make the world a better place — it’s your job to do it.”

And finally:

“If you’re a girl, go on NCSY GIVE.”