NCSY Chai, the summer program for English-speaking teens in Israel, continues amid the war.
Launched in 2022, NCSY Chai is a unique summer experience for English-speaking teens living in Israel. Summer camps in Israel are scarce and there are even fewer options for teens and specifically English-speaking teens. Rabbi Michael Kahn, Executive Director of NCSY Israel which oversees NCSY Chai, noted:
“Creating a summer option to complement our yearly NCSY Israel programming seemed obvious and was on our minds for a number of years. Both from seeing how impactful an immersive summer program can be and from the significant lack of summer camp options here in Israel for families living here, we were motivated to launch NCSY Chai, a one-of-a-kind summer experience for English-speaking teens living in Israel.”
The camp was launched in partnership with OU Israel and the NCSY Summer department and was based in the beautiful Golan Heights. When approaching this summer though, the Northern location posed a security threat with the ongoing war in Israel. Rabbi Yosef Ginsberg, NCSY Israel Regional Director who is overseeing the operations and logistics for the NCSY Chai program, explained:
“Having recently served in miluim in the North and connecting with colleagues and friends we knew early on that we could not count on the Golan as our summer program location for this year. We also knew that perhaps now more than ever our teens needed a summer opportunity where they can both give back and grow themselves. We were not going to cancel NCSY Chai 2024.”
After months of searching for a more central and secure location for the camp they found the Yeshivat Tzviya campus in Yad Binyamin where they moved the NCSY Chai program together with Yachad’s Nofesh summer program. Emily Stemp was hired as the Director for NCSY Chai Girls 2024 and created a robust itinerary for the program. The general daily schedule combined Torah learning with NCSY Chai staff, a tiyul off campus and a creative night activity. Tiyulim included hiking, horseback riding, water sport on the Mediterranean, and visits to Yad Vashem, the Davidson Center, the historic Machon Ayalon underground bullet factory, just to name a few. Volunteering was also a core part of the program with the group organizing a carnival for evacuated families from the North, helping a farmer in the South, volunteering at Save a Child’s Heart, and packing food for those in need at Pantry Packers. Looking back on the Chai 2024 summer, Stemp recalled:
“It was truly a packed, non-stop summer experience for these young women giving them the opportunity to grow and help others while having fun and creating new friends. It is hard for me to think about what these girls would be doing without NCSY Chai this summer. It is likely they would have been home with no alternative productive option. When you compare those two realities- an impactful and growth-oriented summer at NCSY Chai or doing nothing at home- it becomes so clear how important this program is.”
Mitch Aeder, President of the Orthodox Union, on his recent trip to Israel visited NCSY Chai and participated in some of their Color War activities. Aeder reflected:
“As the parent of 3 olim, I am well aware of the challenge of finding positive experiences for Israeli teens during the summer. During my visit to NCSY Chai, I was blown away by the enthusiasm and midot of the girls (who cheers for their opponents in color war?) and by the Torah values modeled by the energetic staff.”
With NCSY Chai summer 2024 complete, staff is excitedly looking forward to further develop and grow the program for the upcoming summer 2025. For more information on NCSY Chai visit chai.ncsy.org or email israel@ncsy.org.
