Now in its tenth year NCSY Israel, the youth movement for English-speaking teens living in Israel, reflects on one of its most successful programs, Latte & Limud. “We are thrilled to be involved with NCSY Israel and the Latte and Limud Program” says sponsors Chaim and Elana Chovev.
Latte and Limud is a monthly series in Jerusalem which attracts teens from all over the country. Teens gather in a local coffee shop for a custom-made, unique relevant and engaging Torah discussion, all over a free drink. In this relaxed setting teens are open and encouraged to ask questions, voice their feelings, and uncover the Torah’s view on relevant topics in their lives, guided by NCSY Israel staff.
The Latte & Limud topics and discussions are conceived and designed by NCSY Israel’s educational team Rabbi Shlomo Rayman and Meira Shapiro. Meira commented “Latte and Limud aims to give our teens a night where they can learn Torah in a fun and productive environment. We give out food and drinks as an extra incentive, but the teens really come to learn and to take part in our interactive chaburahs. They have a lot to say, and we are excited to hear and to push them to learn and grow.”
The educational team always chooses relevant original topics for the teens. A couple of months ago when the most popular song in Israel was “Tamid Ohev Oti” with the popular line “God Almighty always loves me and there will only be good things for me” the Latte & Limud topic was “Is Everything Always Good: Taking a Deeper Look at Optimism and Positivity.” Chana Kenton, a 10th grade teen from Neve Daniel who attends the Latte & Limud events regular commented “this topic brought up many deep philosophical ideas that gave me a new perspective on how to look at life in the bigger picture, and see God’s plan behind everything, the good and the so called ‘bad.’” Some previous Latte & Limud topics include: To Greek or Not to Greek: An Exploration of Our Values; Jewish Memory: Why and How We Remember Our Past; The Torah’s View on Cancel Culture; The Benefits and Challenges of Social Media from a Torah Perspective; and Chat GPTorah: The Role of the Human Soul.
Last week as a 10 year anniversary celebration of NCSY Israel, the regular Latte event was upgraded to Laffa & Limud which included a full meat schwarma dinner. Over 60 teens came for this special event hosted and co-sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh and joined by the Latte & Limud series program sponsors for 2024-2025, Chaim and Elana Chovev of New York. To honor 10 years of NCSY Israel and helping Anglo-Israeli teens in Israel, the topic of “Chulent Pot or Salad Bowl” included a custom-made quiz “How Israeli are You” and a discussion of balancing Israeli and Anglo cultures. Benjamin Gutfreund, a 10th grade teen from Bet Shemesh related “I loved learning about how our Anglo culture can blend here in Israel.”
“Elana and I are thrilled to be involved with NCSY Israel and the Latte and Limud Program” said Chaim Chovev. “Having both personally benefited from NCSY as a teenager, we know how transformative their programs can be, and we are honored to be able to give back to a program that helps teens deepens their connection to Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and each other.”
Daniella Goldfarb, a 12th grade teen from Jerusalem added “I love NCSY Israel’s Latte and Limud events. The learning is always very interesting and always in such a fun and positive environment. I think it’s a great way to get teens interested in Torah learning and to have us think more deeply about our connection to the land of Israel.”
