Dear Michlelet NCSY Parents, amu”sh

We have had such a packed, exciting and meaningful week!!

It was great seeing everyone on Motzei Shabbos and good to be back at Michlelet. 

Sunday morning, shana alef split into three groups and went to different nursing homes in Yerushalayim.  There, the girls got to interact, color, schmooze with and take for walks the elderly there.  The shana bet girls took elderly people from a different nursing home out on an excursion for ice cream. Our girls were fantastic!! So warm and enthusiastic, bringing smiles to all the people’s faces.

At lunch, we gave out a special surprise to our girls… MICHLELET NCSY jerseys!! The girls were so excited. Everyone changed and got ready for our big basketball game against GIVE in our indoor gym later that evening. 

Then, we had a beautiful full afternoons of learning in chaburahs with our madrichot and in shiurim with our teachers followed by fun activities.

In the evening, after dinner, we heard from Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky, Director of Religious Guidance at SKA, and dynamic and beloved Chumash teacher. She spoke about leading a life reflective of thought and meaning. The girls walked away very inspired.

Afterwards, we ran to the gym for our big basketball game against GIVE. The girls had such an amazing time, cheering for Michlelet and even did an incredibly coordinated and amazing flash mob. It was fantastic. Our girls had so much spirit and had such a good time cheering their teammates on…. Who won the game at 22 to 9!!!Our girls were really good! What an amazing night it was and what a good time we all had!

I’m sure many of you got to see the great time we had through the live webcast online.   Yom NCSY, was a gathering of 850 NCSYers for an evening of fun, excitement and Jewish Pride. First we headed to the Girls’ Section where we had a delicious dinner from Popogaya.  Then, we headed to the main event.  There were incredible fireworks, videos of each program and an incredible concert from Shlomo Katz!  We all heard from Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Regional Director of NJ NCSY, and Rabbi  Michah Greenland, Interim National Director of NCSY . The Michlelet NCSYers had a great time dancing and cheering for Michlelet the entire evening and it was great to dance together as well as with the TJJ Ambassador whom we had previously hosted as well. It was inspiring to join up with so many teenagers from so many different backgrounds.  You really felt the energy and enthusiasm there and it made us proud to be part of something larger.  The girls had an absolute blast!

Tuesday, we went to the Biar Aqueducts in Gush Etzion. There, we climbed through water caves, hiking, crouching and crawling with our flashlights. The girls sang the whole way through, and were so brave and so positive, making mud masks along the way. Then, we ate lunch, changed and had the privilege to travel to Chevron. There, we got to pray at Me'arat Hamachpelah where our forefathers and foremothers are buried.  It was incredible to daven at the burial site of individuals from Tana"ch learned about since childhood.  Our last stop of the day was Kever Rochel.  How unbelievable that was to pray at the site where Rachel Imenu is buried.  It was truly amazing! 

When we got back, we ate dinner and then got ready for our night activity… BAT MITZVAH NIGHT!!!  The girls got dressed in their finest Bat Mitzvah attire to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of our Activities Coordinators, Atara Starr and Mimi Fuchs.  There they had “Shirley temples,” refreshments  and a DJ featuring a game of Michlelet style Coke and Pepsi, cha-chah slide and line dancing.  The night was topped off with memory candle making and presentations including gramens, poems and songs  for our Bat Mitzvah Girls. The girls had a fabulous time!

Then, we heard from Rabbi Micha Greenland, Interim National Director of NCSY and Regional Director of Midwest NCSY. He told the girls how proud he is of them and about the importance of each and every good action that we do. He was so impressed with our girls (as I am daily J.)

Wednesday was our… WEDDING DAY!!! Thank you so much for all those who contributed to this beautiful cause.

I cannot even begin to tell you how ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE our girls were!! Aside from the regular learning, they worked so so hard the whole day, and really put their all into it!! They made an absolutely magnificent wedding!!!! The Kallah thanked us so much for the absolutely gorgeous wedding the girls made her. Her mother was so emotional the whole night.   Every time she looked around the room and saw how beautiful and upper class the wedding was and how warm and enthusiastic the girls were, her eyes filled with tears! They couldn’t get over the devotion and amount of effort the Michlelet NCSYers had put in and how gorgeous and beyond possible expectations the wedding turned out. The girls literally did everything- set the tables, stunning center pieces, decorated an exquisite chuppah, set up buffets, made shtick, made a picturesque kallah chair, set up smorgasbords, served, helped in the kitchen, waitressed, made the shtick, danced and so much more.  They put in so much effort, for someone they only met once at the bridal shower we had made for her last week, and were so proud of the results.  This was true Ahavat Yisroel!  They danced and danced with such happiness and enthusiasm; it was so so beautiful to see! To quote one of our girls who was a waitress, “I am working so so hard, and loving every single minute of it!!”

When we woke up Thursday morning, I asked them, "do you girls realize you actually made a wedding last night?"  The girls were so proud of themselves.

Thursday was a great day at Reishit. We learned in the morning and afternoon as well as having a great time doing activities. Then, we went to the auditorium where Mr. Jeff, a professional medical clown trainer, gave us a training session on how to be medical clowns.  He taught them with interactive lessons about tricks and fun ways to relate to patients and make them happy. Miming, acting, funny tricksand more were some of the techniques he taught them. Not only was it fun and games, with our girls extremely involved, laughing a ton and having a blast, but he prepared the girls how to react to and bring out all the different types of patients one encounters.  This was in preparation for our medical clowning Chessed Trip which we will be having next week.  In the meanwhile, our shana bet, who had done the training last year, had the special z’chus of first going to the Machlises in Yerushalayim to help cook for the enormous amount of guest they have each week. They loved speaking to and helping Rebetzin Machlis. Then, they had the honor of going to the home of Rebetzin Finkel, mother of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zatza’,l who schmoozed with them, spoke to them and gave them brachos. It was really special.

For our evening speaker, we had the special opportunity to hear from Rabbi Ari Winter, original Director of Michlelet NCSY, who we all owe tremendous Hakaras Hatov to for starting this extraordinary program for our extraordinary girls! He spoke to them about how to take and keep inspiration with you so it’s not only about six weeks. The girls really took in what he said and were very moved.

Afterwards, we had an awesome game of Capture the Flag. The girls were divided up into four groups and you could hear the running, screaming and laughing from afar!! They had a great time!

This morning we were off bright and early for our three day tiyul in the Golan!! Everyone is so looking forward to a marvelous Shabbos in Tzfat filled with spirituality.  First we went to Dugal, where the girls got to actually build rafts and go on them. The girls had a blast building the rafts together and then racing each other in them. Then, we went to the magnificent Kineret to swim at the separate beach. The view there is just breathtaking, and the water was so much fun and so relaxing and refreshing.

When we arrived at our hotel in Tzfat, many girls went to daven at Kivrei Tzadikim with Rabbi Andi Yudin. How special it is to be in the holy city of Tzfat for Shabbos.

We are looking forward to an absolutely incredible Shabbos here in the holy city of Tzfat!!

As always, you can see our pictures, blogs, videos and hear our speakers at our website, michlelet.ncsy.org

Please feel free to be in touch with any comments, feedback or questions you may have.

Good Shabbos,

Mrs. Rivka Yudin

Director

Michlelet NCSY

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