Unlike previous generations, today’s teens are expected to be constantly connected to the internet, to know what happened 10 seconds ago and to be able to predict what will happen in 30 seconds. This continuous pressure acts as a vortex, sucking teens in until their entire world revolves around their phone. Their whole world will end if they miss a text and if they reply too late, the conversation could have moved on already. As a result, today’s teens are more connected to the world, yet they lack the ability to look up from their phones and connect with the world. We see everything from behind a screen; we are in a bubble where everything is separated from us. Every day we see and hear about crises around the world, yet how can we make a difference? We are just some random Jewish teens in New Jersey after all.
The “Jewish bubble” is a phrase now commonly used to describe the phenomenon of Jews surrounding themselves with copies of each other: people who think and act the same way. We focus our donations on organizations within our immediate community. And while it is important to have a thriving Jewish community to help us live a Jewish lifestyle, we sometimes get so immersed in our bubble that were forget there is a whole world that exists around us. But there is a world that exists around us—an imperfect world that has mood swings and is not so kind to everyone. In 2017 alone, there were 17 hurricanes in the US, which, combined, required $320 billion in repairs. People’s homes were destroyed, their lives uprooted. NJ NCSY, a non-profit organization, takes Jewish teens around the country to do backbreaking work and help communities affected by the hurricanes. These so-called missions expose teens to communities less fortunate than theirs, and allow them to make a difference. For example, during the mission to Puerto Rico, we scraped tar off the roof of a house, work that would have taken the owner months to complete, but took us one afternoon. As we looked up from our work, however, we saw destruction: houses without roofs and houses that have blown away. This was a full year after the hurricane. We understood how privileged we are, but we also felt the reward of making a difference. The next day, we spent a morning cooking food for 2,000 Puerto Ricans who would not be able to eat otherwise. Again, we were making a difference for a community that is not our own.
In addition to missions, NJ NCSY has many programs that allow teens to take action, but one of its most incredible ones in NJ NCSY L.E.A.D. NJ NCSY L.E.A.D. is a selective program that teaches 12 Jewish teens from across New Jersey how to be a Jewish leader. What does it mean to be a leader? A leader is someone who is willing to work hard with everyone else, but can also take that extra step to motivate others to keep moving forward. NJ NCSY took those of us on L.E.A.D. to a struggling Jewish community in Buffalo, New York, where we educated their children about the parsha. This may not seem like a big deal, but we were the only Jewish teens these children had seen all year. They look forward to NJ NCSY L.E.A.D. coming, and NJ NCSY L.E.A.D. helps a Jewish community progress each year. Additionally, NJ NCSY took L.E.A.D. to AIPAC, where we were exposed to people of all different denominations who came together to support Israel. We heard Vice President Mike Pence, UN representative Nikki Haley, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and many others speak about Israel and how amazing she is. We were given the skills to respond to anti-Israel supporters and how to stand our ground.
While our generation may be unique, we are the future. We are the ones who can make the world a better place for our children. We are the future Jewish leaders, the ones who will have the responsibility of passing along the Jewish traditions to the next generation. NJ NCSY invests in us, the jewish teens of New Jersey, and helps us make a difference.
Maayan Hirschkorn is a senior at Ma’ayanot and a member of the regional and national boards of NCSY.
