By Rabbi Micah Greenland
NCSY International Director
Dear NCSY Family,
Today marks three years since October 7, 2023, a day that changed the Jewish people and the world around us.
As we remember the lives lost and reflect on all that has happened since, we must also ask what our response will say about us. In the face of tragedy, we have seen Jews come together with greater pride, connection, and commitment to one another and to our shared Jewish future.
This summer in Israel, I reflected on the responsibility we have to carry that strength forward, and what I hope future generations will say about the Jewish people in the years after October 7.
This week, across NCSY and JSU, teens are coming together to mark October 7 in ways that recognize that this moment may feel different for each of them. Through Jewish learning, reflection, remembrance, and conversation, we are creating space for teens to remember those we lost, grapple with the events of the past three years, and consider what they want to carry forward as young Jews.
With more than 20 different program options and a text-based learning experience, each community can meet its teens where they are while grounding the conversation in Jewish values, identity, resilience, and responsibility.
Today, we are also premiering Am Yisrael Chai: Unbreakable Resilience, a new presentation created by JSU in partnership with United Hatzalah’s Leight Legacy Heroes. Featuring firsthand stories from United Hatzalah volunteers alongside voices from NCSY and JSU, the presentation gives teens an opportunity to hear directly from those whose lives have been shaped by October 7 and its aftermath. A discussion and learning guide helps teens process what they have heard through Jewish texts and conversations about courage, resilience, remembrance, gratitude, and the responsibility we carry forward.
These moments are part of the response I hope will define our generation: a Jewish people that comes together in the face of challenge, stands proudly in who we are, and continues building a strong and inspired Jewish future.
