The Happiest Place on Earth - USY International Convention
More than 1,000 enthusiastic committed Conservative teenagers descended on Anaheim, California, in late December for the 57th international United Synagogue Youth convention.
A typical USY convention always manages to combine fun – singing, dancing, and socializing – with serious learning, and this one was no exception. Anaheim, of course, is home to Disneyland, and the park’s theme – that it’s the happiest place on earth – paired well with the more serious theme of tzedakah.
The term tzedakah is most commonly translated as charity but the word’s root comes from the Hebrew word for justice. Giving tzedakah helps right a wrong and so helps repair the world. These teens, who came from all 17 USY regions across North America, spent five days learning about and living tzedakah.
Limudim, study sessions, explored both the mitzvah of tzedakah and the practical question of how to allocate funds to organizations. Last year, USY raised more than $300,000, and regional presidents and social action/tikkun olam vice presidents evaluated hundreds of grant requests, making most allocations at a fall board meeting. At the convention, they demonstrated how the process works and showed a multimedia presentation about the organzations that received USY funding.
As a result of USYers’ fundraising efforts, Gershom Sizomu was presented with a $15,000 check to go toward building a yeshiva for adults in Uganda. Mr. Sizomu is a member of the Abayudaya tribe, many of whose members have converted to Judaism. He is studying at the Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies in Los Angeles, and when he is ordained in May he will be the first member of his community to become a rabbi.
“I’ve worked hard this year on social action programs and to raise awareness on where the tzedakah money is spent,” said Rachel Levinson, the 2007 SATO vice president. “Seeing it all culminate at the convention was an amazing experience.”
“When the grant proposal for the yeshiva was disclosed at the fall board meeting, people got really excited,” she added. “We knew that USY’s money would have a major impact and that we would see the tangible results of what our money was used for.”
Danny Siegel, the founder of the Ziv Tzedakah Fund, an expert on micro-philanthropy, and a Conservative Jew, discussed practical ways to allow tzedakah to make miracles happen. Later, a hands-on project gave every convention-goer the chance to create a tzedakah box to bring home. “It was much more than just an art project, making the tzedakah boxes helped us understand why we were doing the mitzvah,” said Adam Berman, USY’s newly installed international president.
A tzedakah fair allowed the teens to shop with a purpose. They could buy kippot made by MayaWorks, an organization that links Guatemalan women to the rest of the world and their handcrafts to the world market, or bookmarks from Yad LaKashish – Lifeline for the Old, a Jerusalem-based organization that helps older people maintain some degree of self-sufficiency, or other crafts from many other nonprofit organizations.
The USYers also participated in the coin challenge, a mainstay of USY conventions where the regions compete to see who can collect the most tzedakah money during the convention. This year’s winner was Hanegev, which covers the American southeast. It had the most per capita donations and raised more than $3,700. The coin challenge raised more than $10,000, according to Shira Steinberg. “While this challenge goes on every year and it is always good to see the USYers giving, it was better this year because they studied why we give as Jews,” said Ms. Steinberg, who oversees the SATO program for United Synagogue’s youth department.
On December 26, the USYers marched in Anaheim to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Jewish World Watch, a coalition of 60 synagogues that work together to mobilize the community to fight against genocide and human rights violations, helped to coordinate the march, which was covered by local press and television stations. “It was very important for us to march,” Adam said. “The larger a group you are, the more effectively you can get your message out. And the more people become aware of the situation in Darfur, the more people will pressure leaders to change the situation.” USYers raised more than $10,000 for tikkun olam.
But not all of the convention was about study and serious business. There were summer program reunions, a talent show, and of course a trip to Disneyland. The new 2008 board was elected and installed, and “Mickey’s Extravaganza” celebrated the convention on its last evening.
Successful conventions do not just happen. There is a recipe to follow. Start with the energy and imagination of youth, put in heaping amounts of fun, add the ruach of a community that worships together, mix in a common goal, and percolate for five days. Yield – a group of supercharged teenagers who want to transform the world.
“There really is no way to explain the energy in the room for opening ceremonies – 1000 teens in one room singing one song – or the power of all the teens coming together to say we will not stand idly by to genocide. You could feel the buzz, the excitement when we provided the funds to build a yeshiva in Uganda,” Rachel said. “Standing in that hotel, watching literally hundreds of Conservative teens from all across North America come together to learn, socialize, sing, and work to repair the world, gives me hope for the future.”
