George Burns * Billy Joel * Sandy Koufax * Goldie Hawn
Barbara Streisand * Jerry Seinfeld * Billy Crystal * Mandy Patinkin
Albert Einstein * Adam Sandler * Bette Midler * Anne Frank
Milton Berle * Mel Brooks * Fran Drescher * Sammy Davis Jr.
David Lee Roth * Henry Winkler * William Shatner * Leonard Nimoy

What do all these people have in common????
They're Jewish and they're proud.

Woobury J.C. is proud of our Jewish Youth Groups. You can still join us! Our youth group - grades 8 through 12 (USY). All of our groups meet weekly.

USY is an international youth groups which also have events outside the synagogue such as dances, kinnusim (weekend retreats for USY), shabbatonim (weekend retreats for Kadima), trips, sports events, interchapter events and much, much more. We're here to bring exciting, fun-filled programs to you. But we can't do it alone...

USY is not just meetings in the temple…it is so much more! It is an opportunity to take a break from school and home. We combine with other united youth on Long Island for bowling, dancing, and partying. We will go on conventions and have events with high school students from all over New York. Each year there are International Conventions where you have the opportunity to meet others from all over the country. USY has camps such as teen travel, which go across the United States and opportunities to explore areas throughout the world! So come out to a meeting and see how great this year will be.

I am writing this article on the second to last day of encampment, a mini-camp after camp run by the METNY region of USY for 9 days before Labor Day. I am cold and tired, but delighted to be here because I am able to experience the magic of what USY can be and try to bring that ruach (spirit) and kavana (direction) to WoodUSY. WoodUSY has four USYers attending encampment, a 400% increase since last summer. They are all having an amazing time here and wish more of their WoodUSY friends were here to enjoy it with them. We also sent two USYers on USY summer programs, and I hope to at least double that number for summer 2010.

Of course, when you are reading this in October encampment will have been more than a month ago, and we will be in the full swing of WoodUSY programming at the WJC. One of my personal goals for 2009-2010 is to make the WoodUSYers the true leaders of the chapter. I do not want to be a USY director; I want to be a USY facilitator. This was my goal last year as well, but I think the teens' leadership will continue to increase each year, especially since the majority of WoodUSY last year were juniors and will hopefully continue to lead us as seniors.

One of the most exciting things about USY at the WJC is the overwhelming potential to turn teens at the WJC into WoodUSY members. So many high school students are currently or have been affiliated with the WJC. If we can make only a portion of them USYers, we can have an amazing impact in social action projects, Israel advocacy,
Jewish affiliation and education, and friendship. It takes very little to go from being an ordinary Jewish teen to becoming a USYer with access to all the amazing benefits that USY has to offer. WoodUSY membership forms are available at WoodburyUSY@gmail.com. A schedule of upcoming events will also be available by email or through the "WJC USY" facebook group.

WoodUSY congratulates our members appointed to Rakevet USY Divisional General Board:
Lianne Canarick, Fall Kinnus Co-chair and SA/TO Program Assistant
Marc Canarick, Membership Committee
Adam Jamnick, Freshman Representative
Lindsay Kravit, Beadle
We are so excited to have our chapter represented on the divisional level!


I’m always happy to answer any questions sent to WoodburyUSY@gmail.com

Loen Amer
WJC USY Director