Top 15 Programs. USY International Chapter of the Year 2011 Top Programs. CRUSY Adath Israel in Cincinnati, OH

Transcription

1 Note: Only chapters that submitted an application for International Chapter of the Year are featured. Each nominated chapter was asked to list and briefly described their top 15. Top 15 CRUSY Adath Israel in Cincinnati, OH

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3 CHUSY Beth Juduea in Long Grove, IL Chapter Activity and a. Rosh Hashanah New Years Bash We celebrated a joyous, American style New Year s party, for the traditional Jewish festival. b. Dogs of War We played a vicious game of capture the flag, involving paint, water, and surprises. c. Sukkah Hop We took a bus visited 3 of our fellow congregants Sukkahs while eating a progressive meal (eating a new course at each one) and having games, programs and fun at each stop. d. Ruach around the Campfire We gathered around the campfire for an evening of bonding, while singing ruach and eating smores. e. BJUSY/BTUSY Ice Breaker Lounge Night We joined in with our neighboring chapter, BTUSY, to get to know each other better with Ice Breakers. f. BJUSY Gladiators We went to Pump It Up (inflatables) for some competitive battles, as well as crowned the champion Gladiator in the end. g. Broomball w/bhusy We met up with BHUSY (neighboring chapter) for some competitive games of broomball, as well as inter chapter bonding. h. Candyland Scavenger Hunt We traveled throughout the synagogue in a scavenger hunt format to gather candy and meet fun characters from the traditional board game.

4 i. Iron Chef We broke into teams and were assigned different ingredients to make recipes and dishes that represented the seasons of the year for Tu Bshvat. j. Jews Line is it Anyway? We played improv games and watched each other perform skits based off of the famous TV show. k. Minute to Win It We separated into grades for an evening of competitive games from the hit TV show. l. Hanukkah Party We gathered for candle lighting, latkes, and story time as we discussed the story of Chanukah m. Casino Night We played the traditional casino games (blackjack, poker, apples to apples), while raising money for Tikun Olam through chip counts and food purchases. n. CHUSYfest Toy Story Edition Pump Up We prepared for our Toy Story Themed Fall Convention (CHUSYfest) by teaming up and playing Toy Story/CHUSY Jeopardy, designed by the board. o. Trip to Israel We hopped on the 7pm flight to Tel Aviv and experienced all we could of Israel, right from our own youth lounge; including music, sports, IDF, food, and more. EPA Harrisburg USY in Harrisburg, PA Delivering Holiday Cards: Young Hebrew School students decorated High Holiday cards, which USYers then hand delivered to the elderly at the Jewish Home and Residence. Dodgeball: During our opening event, we did several icebreakers and played Dodgeball. Tie Dye and Movie: USYers tie dyed then watched movie classic Back to the Future. Kristallnacht Commemoration: USY took part in the community s Reading of the Names ceremony, in which Holocaust victims are memorialized. Fall Convention: Harrisburg hosted Fall Convention, which featured a Saturday night dance. Chanukah Party: USYers celebrated together with snacks and group games, namely the EPA word game Contact. Volunteering at the Food Bank: USYers sorted through boxes upon boxes of frozen chicken at the Pennsylvania Food Bank, a local organization that gives out millions of pounds of food every year to the Harrisburg hungry. 13 : USYers attended the JCC Drama Department s rendition of the energetic rock musical 13 about a boy preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. Megillah Readings: USYers at Chisuk Emuna and Beth El Temple sold spaghetti box groggers, which were then donated to Jewish Family Service (JFS). Jewtopia: USYers watched an off Broadway showing of the comedy Jewtopia. Purim Shul In: USYers packed over 200 bags of Mishloach Manot ordered by community members through USY, then slept over at Beth El Temple.

5 Purim Carnival: USYers manned a stand at the community wide Purim Carnival, then drove all around Harrisburg to deliver the Mishloach Manot. Phone A Thon: USYers called over 100 potential donors to solicit money for the Jewish Federation s Annual Campaign; 10% of the money raised went to our chapter. Chocolate Seder: USY and Kadima experienced Passover through a creative seder, which featured chocolaty treats, loud theater games and, of course, blanket togas. EMTZA B nai Amoona in St. Louis, MO Froyo and Minute to Win it! Played Minute to Win it BAUSY Style and went to FroYo (Frozen Yogurt) for dessert. Selichot Study Session USY created their own Selichot study session and joined the congregation for the main service. Thrift Store Fashion Show USY ers brought clothes and modeled them in the Fashion Show. They were donated to a local shelter. Purim Carnival with Gateway 180 Our USY runs the Purim Carnival. This year we sent a bus to bring the children from a homeless shelter to be part of the Carnival. Part of our Tikun Olam monies were used to help make this happen. Suki Yaki This program brought our USY ers to a dinner in the Synagogue Sukkah with an Asian menu. We led the Friday evening service for the Congregation. USY Shabbat Once a month, we meet at a USY ers house to celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat and have dinner hosted by the Parents. Eilat of Israel Made Israel maps out of ice cream, Wrote letters to soldiers, Had some food from Israel, Game on Israel Geography Recyling Bins USY ers decorated garbage cans that were placed all over the Synagogue to encourage Recyling BAUSY Shore USy ers dressed up in their favorite Jersey Shore character, board games, Guess who I am and making moral choices. Tri Wizard Tournament Could Harry Potter have been Jewish? Did a Scavenger Hunt, Video clip question game and discussion on comparison of some magic to Judaism. Chanukah Party Made Latkes, Sufganiyot, built a HUGE Chanukiah, sword fighting, singing Israel Summer Experience Lounge night that talked about all USY Summer opportunities. Heard from our USY ers who attended some of the programs. Debbie Friedman Tribute Lounge Night Shared all of our favorite Debbie Friedman songs to serve as a blessing for her memory.

6 Kindergarten Fort Night Built a fort, played with oobleck, painted, told stories, read Cat in the Hat. Hagalil Toms River USY in Toms River, NJ 1. Outdoor laser tag Each year our chapter kicks off the year with a bang in order to get all the members excited about the coming year, as well as being a USYer in general, which we felt was definitely accomplished with an exhilarating afternoon of outdoor laser tag!! 2. USY and Kadima Karaoke in the Sukkah This event provided a great opportunity to tie in Religion Education, Israel Awareness, Kadima Integration, as well as parent awareness as we invited both Kadima and all parents to learn about Sukkot both in America and Israel, and followed it up with an amazing SATO Karaoke challenge that raised 600 dollars for Kadima and USY! 3. USY Scavenger Hunt with Mens Club Being a small chapter we are always in need of as much support as we can get and this program helped us show how great USY is by spending a day with Men s Club as they drove our USY ers around Toms River looking for various clues that ultimately lead to a great Kosher restaurant. 4. Casino Night for Tikun Olam With Kadima The more Kadimaniks who are excited to be USYers the better which was the driving force behind again inviting Kadima to come out and play some great games with us where all proceeds (not actual gambling all money was raised with buy ins) went to SATO. We raised $500 dollars from this program alone. 5. TRUSY Goes to New Orleans This past year our chapter was able to take advantage of an extraordinarily unique opportunity, as 9 of our most dedicated Usyers participated in the social action project of a lifetime when we traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to go rebuild a home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. 6. Kids Night Out Each month our USY ers volunteer to babysit the younger children of our congregation to help give our loyal parents a night out and hopefully appreciate USY even more. 7. Blue Man Group and dinner in NYC For this event we went to see world renowned blue man group and after the show ate at the always popular, all kosher, Ben s Diner 8. Cemetery Cleanup The local Jewish cemetery is always in need of beatification after a fall of leaves littering the cemetery, so Kadima and USY teamed up for this great Social Action program. 9. Friday Night Service One Friday of every month USY ers completely lead Friday Night services, which again gives our chapter a positive image in the community and acts as a great religion education program.

7 10. Interchapter Saturday Morning Service-Straying from our typical service, we decided to hold a Saturday morning, USY only, Shabbat service with another local chapter to help make our ties stronger and further the important aspect of religion education within our chapter. 11. Jewish Minute to Win it- This adaptation of the popular game show helped promote Jewish values in a new and creative way. 12. Superbowl Sunday Lox Boxes- For one of our most successful fundraisers of the year (raised $600) our chapter sells lox boxes which contain bagels, cream cheese, rugaluch, and lox to the entire congregation for Super Bowl Sunday. 13. Ski Trip- A great day of skiing was had by all who attended and on the way home we stopped in Teaneck for a great kosher dinner. 14. Car Wash- Our last major fundraiser of the year (700 dollars raised) encourages people to cleanout their cars before Pesach as well as support our chapter and Tikun Olam. 15. Israeli Culture Night- We watched an educational documentary on the Gaza conflict in Israel, followed up by a very interesting conversation that included all aspects of life in Israel. Hagesher Ohev Shalom in Richboro, PA Chapter Programming: Lounge Painting, Old/New Board Members BBQ, Briarwood Day Camp, The Amazing Race (scavenger hunt), Friday Night L(Family/Youth Group Services), Suessical the Musical (a youth run musical Buzz Night. Hosted: LTI, Kickoff, Mr. and Mrs. Hagesher Pageant Hanefesh Emanuel USY in West Hartford, CT Monthly TGIS every month USYers meet at Friday night services to attend and lead the entire service followed by a walk to a USYers house for a kosher dinner and lots of Ruach. Mock wedding since many teens have never been to a real wedding, we had a demonstration wedding complete with everything to make it kosher. Annual Shabbaton this past year we had a nickelodeon themed overnight complete with food, Ruach, host homes, an amazing dance, and slime for SA/TO. Haunted hayride the whole chapter piled in to a hayride truck for laughs, screams, and terror as we huddled together to jump away from haunted people and objects.

8 Bowling/laser tag USYers met at a bowling and laser tag area for a great night of hanging out with friends, making new friends, and having a great time, bowling and playing laser tag. Ice skating social event to bring USYers to a local ice skating rink to hang out and make new friends. Purim dance costume mandatory dance to bring USYers to the megilah reading and to a masquerade dance complete with food and a bring your own music DJ opportunity. Berlin Batting Cages bus trip to a local batting cages area complete with mini golf, bumper boats, and go karts. SA/TO car wash car wash done by USYers outside Hebrew school to raise money for SA/TO. Ben and Jerry s scooping first USY event of the year that brings together the community by having the synagogue community including the clergy come to the local ice cream shop to have ice cream scooped by USYers. Bonfire night a night of dancing, Ruach and fun as USYers make new friends while socializing around an open fire. Hanegev Bedrocks USY in Margate, FL a. Around the World in 8 religions The Margate Bedrocks used a system of 8 different stations consisting of information with beliefs, traditional clothing, customs, and staple foods portraying a certain religion best; the USYers experienced each religion and left with a "souvenir" as well as an enhanced view on the world. b. Facebook Profiling USYers received a stereotypical picture to create a full Facebook profile for, while at the same time learning the wrongs about stereotyping and the potential dangers of putting too much personal information on the internet. c. Welcome to Hogwarts The USYers became wizards while playing a reallife quidditch game, making butter beer, and answering challenging Harry Potter trivia, all while promoting the HaNegev Regional Disney Day at Harry Potter World. d. Human Games This leadership development program included various games that required the Kadimaniks and USYers to only use their bodies when participating; it motivated the USYers to use creativity and teamwork when completing each game. e. DWTB: Dancing with the Bedrocks Each USYer was paired up with a Kadimanik and given a costume, a song, and a genre of dance to create an original dance number in a limited amount of time to participate in our

9 chapter wide version of Dancing with the Stars. f. The Wonderful World of Purim USYers, Kadimaniks and Chalutzimniks performed a Disney themed musical shpiel for the synagogue members, written by the USYers themselves (please see attached script). g. Welcome to the "+972" USYers were exposed to the different aspects of Israel through a game of Twisrael (Israel edition Twister), instructions on creating the perfect falafel and pita, current events and memorial candles for soldiers, and a chapter wide barometer game with questions ranging from light to heavy regarding Israel. h. Penny for your Thoughts Using the pennies collected in a temple wide fundraiser, the USYers played various silly games and challenges using only the pennies; the USYers were also introduced to the idea of how impactful loose change can be to families with financial troubles. i. Miss Bedrock It is a Margate tradition to have the boys dress up like girls and participate in a 3 category pageant including an introduction, a talent, and a formal wear/question round, where the winner is crowned "Miss Bedrock". j. Coke vs. Pepsi USYers participate in the Coke and Pepsi Challenge where they must guess which item is generic or brand name out of numerous different items; USYers also gain insight on the price differences of the two items and how in our economy today, every cent in price makes a huge difference. k. Where in the World is David Ben Gurion? USYers used various clues hidden around the youth building to create a timeline of David Ben Gurion s life; the program ended with a reenactment of when Israel gained independence in 1948, followed by a large celebration. l. Jewz iz Newz The Kadimaniks and USYers learned all about the different Jews that are big in the media, ranging from Albert Einstein to Steven Spielberg, by playing various Guess Who games. m. Sex and the Sukkah USYers ventured to the Sukkah at our temple to discuss Sex and the torah as well as sexual safety and life changing consequences. n. KadUSY Shabbas Starting at shul on Saturday morning, the USYers and Kadimaniks spent the day together in the youth building, concluding with Havdallah; we discussed the relation of mitzvoth to today s society, as well as bonded as a chapter through chofesh and Shabbat friendly games. o. Team Allie A USYer in our chapter, Allie, has Multiple Sclerosis, and as a chapter we sponsored her and walked in the MS Walk here in South Florida.

10 METNY H2I USY (Hillcrest Jewish Center, Hollis Hills Jewish Center and Israel Center for Conservative Judaism) Remembering the Holocaust: To commemorate Yom HaShoah, our Israel Affairs Vice President led a discussion about resistance to the Holocaust and the importance of remembering the Holocaust in response to a screening of the short film Pigeon that deals with French resistance against Nazi Germany. Tie Dye Night: A combined social and social actions program, our USYers brought two shirts with them to tie dye one to keep for themselves, and one to donate to the less fortunate. Purim Carnival: Our annual Purim Carnival, open to the community, featured booths such as Ring Toss, Mask Making, Face Painting, Bean Bag Toss, a Moon Bounce, Queen Esther s Beauty Salon, a pie our advisor station that itself raised over $200 for Tikun Olam, and a costume parade all led by our USYers. Supplementary Material Attached: Pictures Bowling: Bowling was designed to be one the bi yearly outside programs that we take all of our groups on allowing our youngest members to spend time with our Kadimaniks and USYers, thus exciting them about the future that they have in youth group. Gaza Flotilla: Facts and Myths: Our Israel Affairs Vice President led our USYers in a discussion about the events surrounding the Gaza Flotilla, which included debunking popular misconceptions through the use of American and foreign news coverage of the incident. Lag B Omer Bonfire: Our chapter celebrates Lag B Omer as it is celebrated in Israel with a bonfire in the parking lot of one of our synagogues in which we roast marshmallows to create s mores while spending time bonding outdoors in the warm evening air. Supplementary Material Attached: Pictures Ben & Jerry s Seder: This program provides USYers with a fun twist on the seder before Passover begins, and entails eating pistachio, cookie dough, and everything but the kitchen sink ice cream as laid out in a custom made Haggadah. Supplementary Material Attached: Pictures and Haggadah Food Olympics: This program involves various contests between USYers involving food transferring an orange neck to neck to the next person, feeding an apple to a blindfolded USYer, picking up pieces of penne pasta with a piece of linguine in the mouth, separating M&Ms from pudding using only the mouth, building a graham cracker and marshmallow fluff tower, and a whipped cream pie eating contest. Supplementary Material Attached: Pictures Kindergarten Night: This night was designed to allow USYers to leave their high school problems behind them for a night and just be kids again, complete with juice boxes, cookies, story time, nap time, and just hanging out. Murder Mystery: One of our USYers designed this program as a joint program between

11 our USYers and eighth graders, in which each group was given an index card which contained a set of circumstances that implicated them in the murder of our Youth Director; for each new room they were led to, they received a new hint before finally discovering which Divisional Staff member was responsible for our Director s murder. Scattergories: This program served as our Opening Program and Registration, and thus was designed to foster the building of relationships between our registering USYers who were strategically split into groups to play a custom made Scattergories game created by our Membership/Kadima Vice President and our President. Supplementary Material Attached: Pictures Iron Chef: Hamantashen: This program was designed to celebrate the upcoming holiday of Purim as well as to keep members interested and involved in our chapter we were lucky enough to be joined by the Kiryah Divisional Board for this team building activity of baking hamantashen with no recipe and only a table full of ingredients. Scary Movie Night: This program was intended to be a relaxing night for our USYers that would also raise money for Tikun Olam, as USYers brought movies to watch that were voted on with the use of quarters the movie with the most quarters on it was the one we watched! Multi Cultural Night: This program was designed to introduce USYers to the cultures of Jews throughout the world through food, music, and a comparison of customs between American & Israeli Jews and Moroccan, Ethiopian, and Caribbean Jews. Chapter Shabbat: Although we originally intended for this to be an Inter Regional Shabbaton between our chapter and a chapter from Peabody, MA, after the Massachusetts chapter cancelled at the last minute, we turned this program into a relaxing Shabbat at one of our synagogues where our chapter s members joined the congregation for Shabbat morning services, played board games and partook in a sicha before davening Mincha, having a delicious Seduah Shlishit, and davening Maariv and Havdalah. NERUSY Lexington USY in Lexington, MA Ice cream social LUSY started off the year with an informal lounge that included ice cream, icebreakers, and some general bonding. Car wash on the first day of temple Hebrew School chapter members held a car wash and raised $539 for SATO. Kimball s A LUSY tradition for a kickoff event, over 30 members went to Kimball s Farm for ice cream, mini gold, bumper boats, and a big brother/sister program between Sr. USYers and Jr. USYers. Teen high holiday services this year for the second day of Rosh Hashanah our Rel/Ed lead us in a debate, and different discussions about the Rosh Hashanah service instead of traditional prayers, which really helped members connect in a new way.

12 Sweets in the Sukkah Not only did members attend the Sr. USY Sweets in the Sukkah where we had icebreakers, learned about Sukkot, and just hung out, we also staffed Sukkot programs for 3rd 6th graders with over 20 members in attendance at each event. Paintball this was a new event that we tried in order to draw more boys; chapter members went paintballing, met up with members from Sharon USY, and generally just had a good time. Camp/Israel Shabbat this Shabbat service gave LUSY members the opportunity to lead services in the main congregation and raise awareness about various Jewish camp and Israel summer experiences. Rock band lounge LUSYers came together in our beautiful youth room to play rock band and just hang out with each other. Kabbalat Shabbat at Rabbi Lerner s after leading Friday night services we went over to our rabbi s house for zmirot, benching, and a little torah study. Bagel sales LUSY brought back an old tradition of selling bagels on Sunday mornings and over the year we raised over $200 for SATO Freshmen sleepover 20 freshmen had the opportunity to sleepover at the temple, bond as a grade and learn about USY and then the executive board came in the morning and made them breakfast. Top chef lounge another new event 7th 12th graders hung in the youth lounge, baked, and then sold the baked goods to raise money for SATO the next day. Snow tubing over 25 LUSYers and guests from other chapter went to Nashoba Valley for a night of snow tubing and fun. Israel teen minyan LUSYers met to pray, discuss Israel, debate, and just enjoy more bonding time. Purim Carnival this USYer run carnival was a great way for us to interact with the congregation and raise money for SATO and the Youth Program, this year we raised $2000.

13 New Frontier Palo Alto USY USY International Chapter of the Year 2011 Top Pinwheel Seattle ACHIM in Mercer Island, WA A Shabbat in the Big Apple : For our Chapter Shabbaton we had a New York themed Shabbat and Purim put together, with programs from Times Square to 5th Avenue to Grand Central Station. Cosmic Bowling: Both Seattle Achim and Seattle Nimratz chapters came together for a night of glow in the dark bowling, dancing, and neon and white attire! Pan Can Walk: USYers volunteered to help out with Seattle s Pancreatic

14 Cancer Walk in honor of one of our members grandmother who died of pancreatic cancer. Assaf Hot Topic: Assaf Nisenboym, an Israeli soldier from the organization StandWith Us came to speak to us at a hot topic about his experiences as an Israeli soldier, but most importantly about what life in Israel is like. Battle of the Sexes: This services and dinner event included programs like egg on spoon in mouth, reeses in whipped cream, and an eating contest with boys competing against girls. Lazy Sunday SA/TO Event: For this event Seattle Achim made 20 blankets for the Seattle Children s Hospital while watching a movie for a relaxing event that also benefited a cause. Seattle Achim Goes Ice Skating!: This Chanukah event started with a great USY style Havdallah before ice skating, enjoying delicious snacks like jelly donuts, and ending with a White Elephant gift exchange. Whirlyball: The synagogue planned and hosted a whirlyball event for the USyers in honor of winning International Chapter of the Year, all of us joining in on the lacrosse/bumper car mix sport. Simchat Torah Flash Mob: A time of celebration and dancing around for Simchat Torah had a USY mix to it this year, during the second to last hakafa we took over and broke out into a scripted song and dance for an enjoyable seemingly spontaneous dance that spiced up the typical Simchat Torah celebration at Herzl Ner Tamid. Bumpin Stickers: This event was split into multiple parts such as Israel s History Through Music, discussing bumper stickers as seen is Shirat HaSticker by Hadag Nachash, and watching a number of Israeli comedy clips. Hawaiian Luau and Kidnapping Kickoff: To start this event off we kidnapped around 20 freshmen and had them split up into groups, having to search around Mercer Island for clues on where the actual destination of our event was. Once all the clues were found they arrived at the event for a Hawaiian luau beach party complete with mocktails, ticki torches, and tropical shish kabobs. We <3 Shabbat Services and Dinner: This love themed Shabbat services and dinner included fun games such as the Newlywed Game where best friends were quizzed on how well they knew the other, the Dating Game, and more, wrapped up with a discussion about marrying/dating Jewish, and its significance to the USYers. Purim Carnival: Every year the Jewish Community Center holds a Purim carnival for kids to dress up and win prizes, with booths set up by various Jewish group, and was a good way to show the chapter s presence as a

15 part of the larger Jewish community. Seniors Only SPECIAL Hot Topic: We invited Rob Jacobs, a member of the organization StandWithUs to speak to graduation seniors about defending Israel on the college campus, and what to expect as a supporter of Israel at college. Seaboard B nai Shalom in Olney, MD 2011 USY Formal AFTER PARTY BSO Roller Skating Overnight a. Attendance: 102 b. After USY Formal, transportation was provided to go Roller skating, swimming at 1 am, volleyball & basketball at 3 am, Food, Tikun Olam projects, movies, games, and sleeping. 2. Cosmic Bowling a. Attendance: 35 b. Attendees enjoyed cosmic bowling at night with plenty of junk food, new and old friends, many song requests and cool dance moves. 3. Passover Pig Out a. Attendance: 17 b. Attendees brought chametz (or other food they no longer wanted in their house) and joined together to eat and hang out; the left overs were donated to a local homeless shelter. 4. USY@BSO s 4th Annual Shabbaton: The Mishnah Strikes Back a. Attendance: 34 b. We lead the Shul s Friday night service, had our own Saturday services and celebrated the rest of Shabbat together with games and bonding. 5. Chinese Food/Movie Night a. Attendance: 25 b. We ate Chinese food, watched a movie chosen by the amount of Tikkun Olam money collected for each, and we brought toys and wrapped them in wrapping paper to be donated to a children s hospital for the holidays. 6. Freshman Kidnap a. Attendance: 12 Freshmen + Board Members b. Board members kidnapped freshman from their homes and brought them to a Board member s house where everyone played bonding games; later in the evening (midnight) the girls and boys were separated for continued bonding slash sleeping. 7. 3rd Annual Six Flags and Camping Overnight a. Attendance: 32 4 b. One of the most favored events of the year is when we leave early to spend the day at Six Flags, and afterwards we race to pitch the tents, collect wood, build a fire and make dinner for our exciting camping overnight.

16 8. Babysitting for T.O./Coat Drive a. Attendance: 5 7/About 50 b. Our shul was having an event for adults, so USYers volunteered their time to babysit for the children and the money they earned was donated to Tikkun Olam; we also sponsored a coat drive to gather unwanted winter coats for donation. 9. Bagel Sales a. Attendance: 20 per week b. To raise money for Tikkun Olam, USYers sold bagels with and without cream cheese or butter, juice, and hot chocolate before and after religious school every Sunday. 10. MatzelToff a. Attendance: 20 b. We raised money and TO through selling chocolate Matzah Elections and Potluck a. Attendance: 17 b. Everybody brought an item of food to be shared and we held our chapter elections and gave mementos to old chapter officers. 12. USY Pool Party and BBQ a. Attendance: 26 b. USYers enjoyed swimming and playing on floats in the pool while socializing with friends as well as ate a lot of hot dogs and hamburgers. 13. Make the Fast go Faster/Bag Hunger a. Attendance: 15/Synagogue Congregation over 200 participants b. After high holiday services, USYers and 8th graders played games and hung out to pass time before break fast; USYers stapled flyers onto paper bags for family s to take home and fill with food to bring back for donation: we collected 1,418 pounds of food! 14. Multi Chapter Kickball Event a. Attendance: 23 b. Two local USY chapters versed each other at kickball, then USYers went swimming and had a BBQ. 15. Purim Carnival a. Attendance: 16 b. USYers helped run the congregation Purim carnival by running various booths including a USY poker booth and earn Service Learning hours while having fun. SWUSY Agudas Achim in Austin Texas Freshman Kidnap Broomball We kidnapped the Freshman to welcome them into AAUSY, and played an intense game of Broomball and ate ice cream after. Iron Chef Event with Kadima where we competed to make the most creative and best tasting Jewish themed food.

17 Mr. AAUSY Fashion Show Everyone brought clothes to donate to GoodWill, but we first had a fashion show to vote on which Mr. AAUSY used the donated clothes in the most creative way. AAUSY Services (Fall) AAUSY led services for the synagogue and then had a study session with Rabbi Kobrin about Pirkei Avot AAUSY Services (Spring) AAUSY attended services together and then had a study session with Rabbi Kobrin about abortion. AAUSY Limo Scavenger Hunt Scavenger Hunt throughout Austin dressed up in dresses and tuxedos. Bowl Bowl We went bowling and went to get bowls of ice cream in anticipation of the SuperBowl, and then collected bowls (cans) of food to donate. Chai Light Me Joint event with BBYO, NFTY, and USY in which we had a Graffiti Party (highlight each other s white shirts under blacklight) with an Iron Chef dessert element. Harry Potter Overnight An exciting night of Quiddich, magic, a Tikkun Olam HP based dating game, and lots of Harry Potter movies. AAUSY Goes Tubing Summer event where we went to New Braunfels to float the river. Spaghetti Dinner Our 9th Annual Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction fundraiser. Raised more money this year than ever before! Elections Elections plus pizza making party at an AAUSYite s home. Installations End of Year Banquet Install new board, give awards and speeches, and watch our annual slideshow. Group Dynamix We went to Dallas to participate in a lock in with rock climbing, ropes, and laser tag.

18 USY International Chapter of the Year 2011 Best of Note: Only chapters that submitted an application for International Chapter of the Year are featured. Israel CRUSY Adath Israel in Cincinnati, OH CHUSY Beth Juduea in Long Grove, IL Israel Program: Trip to Israel We started by catching the 7 pm flight to Tel Aviv, a fake flight of course, from our Synagogue, Beth Judea. Once we landed, we traveled into different classrooms to experience different parts of Israel. We had classrooms set up for live Israeli music, Israeli sports, writing letters to the IDF, and experience Israeli culture in the youth lounge. Throughout this program, we educated ourselves about the holy land and became more aware of the issues Israel faces every day. We even looked up and heard from native Israelis about their time in the army, and their lives in Israel. Before we got back on the plane home, we discussed what Israel meant to each of us, and gave different views and experiences from our own personal trips to Israel. When we finally got back to Beth Judea, we all had had an excellent time, and could not wait to return to the land we love. EPA Harrisburg USY in Harrisburg, PA Our Israeli Affairs VP met with our Chapter Adviser to plan an Israel Geography Game to play during our Ice Skating Event. Unfortunately, we had to cancel this event due to inclement weather. The game, a match the city with its description speed challenge, is assembled and ready to be put to use in the upcoming year. In addition, Harrisburg USYers stayed in the loop about Israel through the Facebook group EPA LOVES ISRAEL, which is updated by the Regional I/A VP and other active

19 USY International Chapter of the Year 2011 Best of participants. EMTZA B nai Amoona in St. Louis, MO Our Israel Scavenger Hunt created an environment that gave our USY ers the opportunity to learn about different cities in Israel and try different Israeli foods. This helped strengthen the number of USY ers going to Israel. Hagalil Toms River USY in Toms River, NJ Our best Israel program was undeniably the Israeli Culture Night. Our chapter has difficulty getting people to come to Israeli themed events, however it is still extremely important for us to stress the importance of supporting Israel to the best of our abilities. We watched a documentary highlighting the difficulties of the Gaza pullout in Afterwards we discussed the issues however did not stop there. We continued the discussion and we were overjoyed to see the enthusiasm our members began to show not only for this issue but also for Israel in general. We ultimately discussed many aspects life in Israel and are definitely hoping that momentum carries over to this year as we continue to plan Israeli based programs. Hagesher Ohev Shalom in Richboro, PA This year, we included Israel into most of our meetings and advocacy efforts. We created a bulletin board full of pictures and facts relating to Israel. We also added Israel information into each of our meetings, to keep us up to date and informed. Hanefesh Emanuel USY in West Hartford, CT Our best Israel program was held during one of our monthly Shabbat TGIS dinners, which was Israel themed. Before we ate our falafel and hummus, we were asked to stand in a line based on height as fast as possible. After 20 seconds the Israeli affairs board member yelled stop. We were still in a group in the middle of the room; we were nowhere near getting into formation. We were then instructed to get into a line based on the order of every ones birthday placement in the year. After 20 seconds, stop was yelled. We were all puzzled on why we had done this activity. Our Israeli affairs board member then explained that 20 seconds is the amount of time before a missile is about to land in Israel after a warning goes off. As we had just demonstrated, you can t do much in 20 seconds. How would you be able to save yourself from a missile attack? That program was very informative to all who attended, and the falafel tasted even better with a little Israeli knowledge.

20 USY International Chapter of the Year 2011 Best of Hanegev Bedrocks USY in Margate, FL The objective of Welcome to the +972 is for USYers to be updated on Israeli culture and current events. This is a station program. Station 1 is Twisrael. Each color on the Twister board should have pictures of different locations in Israel. Ask the USYers if they know any significant information about the places displayed; share descriptions and importance of these places as well as other pictures. Station 2 focuses on how to make the ideal pita sandwich. Describe rules that one must follow when making this sandwich and the cultural foods that Israel has to offer. Station 3 is more serious, where we talk about the war situation and read personal stories from IDF soldiers. Each USYer will light a candle to honor lost and captured soldiers. After every group has been to each station, play the barometer game. This includes statements being made regarding anything Israel. After each statement, have USYers move to the left if they agree, the right if they disagree, or the middle as neutral and explain their reasoning. End the program with a USYer sharing a few words about their summer trip in Israel, to promote USY summer programs and visiting our homeland. Supplies: Twisrael board (Twister mat & spinner w/ pictures of different locations in Israel in place of the colors) Falafel, pita, Israeli salad, hummus, tahini Memorial candles/matches Stories about Israeli soldiers and the IDF Barometer questions METNY H2I USY (Hillcrest Jewish Center, Hollis Hills Jewish Center and Israel Center for Conservative Judaism) Israel Monopoly: One of our Chapter Board members created a human sized Monopoly board featuring important places in Israel. This board was created from construction paper and arranged in a typical Monopoly pattern. Participants were split into teams, and after landing on a space, were provided with a short description of the site that they had the opportunity to purchase. This program was designed to provide USYers with a view into the different cities, regions, landmarks, and places of interest in Israel through an interactive human sized board game. This program provided a fun opportunity for our USYers to relax and learn about some important places in Israel at the same time. Everyone had a great time and went home knowing a little more about Israel than they did before. NERUSY Lexington USY in Lexington, MA Israel Program: Israeli Shuk On May 10th, 2011 about 20 Lexington USYers came to the temple to set up and enjoy a mock Israeli shuk on Yom Haatzmaut. There were many booths, including a news stand with provocative questions about Israeli current events, taking your picture next to a backdrop of the kotel, a falafel stand, Israeli dancing, and various other booths for every age. The Current events booth attracted kids from third grade to adults, everyone talking and learning about different issues. This event was fun, had opportunities for all ages, and made the adults in the community aware that they are raising a youth that cares deeply about Israel.

21 USY International Chapter of the Year 2011 Best of New Frontier Palo Alto USY Before we went onto the paintball fields we educated our members about the Israel Defense Force sethical code which they follow in times of war and differentiates them from many other of the world s armies. The leader began by reading the key mission statement, which lays out Tzahal s goals and the importance of what they do for their country. Then, we passed out small cards of the IDF s 13 ethics and each person read one, as we discussed each individually. Lastly, we moved into a larger discussion about which ethics stand out to us, and how the IDF seems to represent a different or similar moral code from America, or other nations as well as the importance of these ideals in times of war. This program was successful in that it presented a new perspective of the Israel army and a better understanding of some of their decisions. We were able to conduct detailed discussions about the specific ethics and I feel that people learned along with having a great time at paintball. Pinwheel Seattle ACHIM in Mercer Island, WA Bumpin Stickers USYers were briefed (i.e. military briefing) about the event and were split up into groups for the first part of the event (Israel s History Through Music). Each group went through six stations, each of which was about a different time in Israel s history (for example, Pre State, War of Independence, Yom Kippur war, ect). In each station, the station leader(s) pretended to be characters from that era and would introduce the group to a song from that era in Israel. The era and song was discussed, and then each character would have a special interaction/activitiy with the group (e.g. teach a dance, play a game, teach a Krav Maga technique). After each group rotated through every section, we took a 10 minute break, during which Israeli music was played. Next, the groups reconvened and were introduced to Shirat HaSticker by HaDag Nachash. We then discussed Israel s sense of humor by learning about the funny slogans mentioned in the song and by watching a number of Israeli comedy clips. Finally, the group discussed the political slogans mentioned in the song: we learned about the issues they addressed and share opinion/discussed questions. Seaboard B nai Shalom in Olney, MD As a part of our annual Shabbaton we had an Israel program. We each got a bag of candy. Each candy bag contained about an equal amount of Baby Ruth s and Almond Joy s. With each bag was a group. With our group we were instructed to make the Israeli flag out of the candy we were given. We had a minute or two to make it. Once we were done we were judged on which team made the best flag. After that competition we got to be creative. Each group got to design their own Israeli flag. One of the groups in particular made Israel out of all of the candy in the bag. It was fun to think of something creative to do with a little bit of candy we had to work with. It developed teamwork along with chapter bonding and a newly found love for Israel.

22 USY International Chapter of the Year 2011 Best of SWUSY Agudas Achim in Austin Texas Last school year, AAUSY had an Israel themed Iron Chef event in conjunction with our Kadima chapter. We split up into six teams and had to create a three course meal that was somehow related to Israel. The food items were judged based on relevance to the Israeli theme and tastiness.

23 Note: Only chapters that submitted an application for International Chapter of the Year are featured. Each nominated chapter was asked to briefly describe their best program in Religion/Education Best of Religion/Education Programming CRUSY Adath Israel in Cincinnati, OH CHUSY Beth Juduea in Long Grove, IL Rel/Ed Program: Ruach Around the Campfire We gathered around the campfire in the backyard of our synagogue for a night of ruach and bonding. On a cold fall evening, we wrapped ourselves close in blankets and sang ruach popcorn style. We went through all the classic ruach songs we all love to do in USY, as well as learned some new chants that members shared with us. This gave us some new songs to add to our collection and traditions as a chapter, we well as new songs to bring in to the region. While rejoicing in ruach, we also made smores like the typical campfire experience. In the end we all had a great bonding experience around the campfire. EPA Harrisburg USY in Harrisburg, PA Our Chocolate Seder was high energy and packed with educational value. The outline, while staying true to tradition, translated each section of the seder into a fun and relevant parallel practice. The seder featured the four cups of chocolate milk, Hillel S mores, a chocolate fountain in which to dip twice, chocolate syrup covered charoset and many other abnormal noshes. Also among the assortment at our seder was certified Fair Trade chocolate. While remembering the slavery of our ancestors, we found it meaningful to address the workers who are still enslaved today. We livened the event with theater games, costumes and improvisation. In all, this was an awesome introduction to USY for the Kadimaniks, who experienced the aspects of USY that make it so memorable: great programming, fun food, religious and worldly relevance and friendships that make parading around in togas seem perfectly normal.

24 EMTZA B nai Amoona in St. Louis, MO Facebook Prayer Night We broke up in groups and picked prayers that members of the group identified as significant. They create a page on what the prayer would look like if it was a facebook page. Hagalil Toms River USY in Toms River, NJ Jewish Minute to Win it was very successful for TRUSY. Instead of just having a service we adapted the always fun game show and included challenges based on Judaism, such as having to answer questions about the weekly torah portion before participating in the event, or lighting the Hannukiah correctly. The event was really fun and over 50 percent of our membership attended. This definitely opened the door for us to do more religion themed program in the future as many members really opened their mind to learning about religion. Hagesher Ohev Shalom in Richboro, PA Every other month Ohev hosts a family oriented Shabbat service called Friday Night Lights. Following the youth oriented service, USY hosts a special dinner for all of the USYer s in attendance. Not only can USYer s participate in a fun service, but also they get to spend time with their friends afterwards. Hanefesh Emanuel USY in West Hartford, CT Our best Rel/Ed program was our Shabbaton. The theme for this weekend was Judaism in the media. This event started off with leading Friday night services for the entire congregation. Then we continued with dinner and a program and discussion on Judaism in the media. Then we walked to the host homes to bond and play games. In the morning we met up at shul for services led entirely by USYers who attended the shabbaton. Then the USYers had lunch. After that we had a discussion with the rabbi to go more in depth on the topic of Judaism in the media. We concluded this event by having a Havdallah followed by a dance. Hanegev Bedrocks USY in Margate, FL Around the World in 8 Religions increases USYers knowledge of Judaism and other religions in our world. The USYers will make a passport out of given materials before venturing to the stations. The booths around the room should contain 1 religion each with pictures, food, language, religious beliefs, and anything else of significance. After USYers time at that station, they will receive a stamp on their passport and move on to the other booths. The religions chosen can include Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Islam, Atheism, Hinduism, Shintoism, and especially Judaism. Once each USYer obtains 8 stamps on their passport, ask

25 them to discover a common thread between each religion (if any); have a group discussion about these threads and the world s attitude toward the religions. METNY H2I USY (Hillcrest Jewish Center, Hollis Hills Jewish Center and Israel Center for Conservative Judaism) Ben & Jerry s Ice Cream Seder Kadesh Sanctify this holy day by blessing the first cup of chocolate milk. Urchatz Purify ourselves by washing our hands. Karpas Dipping of the strawberry. Yachatz Break the chocolate matzah. Magid Tell the story of how we became free to eat ice cream. Rachtza Wash our hands again. Motzi & Matzah Blessing over the sweet treats we are going to eat. Maror Bittersweet ice cream to remind us of the pain of our ancestors. Korech The Hillel Sandwich. Shulchan Orech The festive treats. Tzafun Finding the afikomen. Barech A prayer of thanks for the ice cream. Hallel Final praises. Nirtzah Conclusion. NERUSY Lexington USY in Lexington, MA USY Shabbat The weekend of March 4 5th 2011, 25 USYers from Lexington and nearby chapters all experienced the Disney themed USY Shabbat at temple Emunah. Friday night, Lexington USYers put on a skit for everyone, integrating the welcoming of Shabbat with the lovely characters of Disney. On Shabbat morning all the USYers took part in leading services. Later, everyone was split into groups to put together a skit that involved a Disney movie and a topic from the Torah Study that we had earlier. On Saturday evening, everyone joined the rest of NERUSY at the Purim Masquerade Ball. New Frontier Palo Alto USY During this event we played a game that had Hanukkah trivia. Everybody was involved and everyone had fun while doing it. The game lasted for around 20 minutes and everyone had smiles on their faces. The game was simple, yet the questions made them stretch their memories and be challenged. I think that this was the best event as far as Religious Education because it contained the right balance between fun and Judaism. It was not just facts, but at the same it was not just a regular game with no Jewish content. Nobody fell asleep, and instead I think we had some fun.

26 Pinwheel Seattle ACHIM in Mercer Island, WA We <3 Shabbat Services and Dinner Due to this event s close proximity to Valentine s Day, we decided to have the theme of this Shabbat dinner and services to be love. With about a attendance, we played game shows like the Newlywed Game and the Dating Game. In the Newlywed Game, we had three sets of partners (Best friends) and put them to the test to see how much they knew about the other. One partner would leave the room and we would ask the other partner a question about themselves. When the partners returned, we asked that they thought their partners had answered to the question. If they said the same thing, they would get a point. After the game shows, we returned to the youth lounge to eat dessert. After everyone had settled down, we concluded with a very insightful discussion about how people thought about marrying/dating Jewish, and its significance to them. Seaboard B nai Shalom in Olney, MD Program Name: USY@BSO s 4th Annual Shabbaton: The Mishnah Strikes Back Location: Bnai Shalom of Olney Group: USY Award Categories: Religious, Social, and Israel Date: January 21st and 22nd, 2011 Cost: $10 for chicken nugget meal or $18 dollars for adult meal Time: 6:00 p.m on Friday to 6:00 pm on Saturday Attendance: 34 USYers The fun began with an incredible Shabbat dinner. After dinner some of the USYers taught the other USYers and the rest of the people attending the dinner some popular Jewish songs that we sing at regional and international events. After ruach and birkat hamazon we all headed in to the main sanctuary to begin a USY led service. The prayers throughout the service were led by multiple USYers. After the service we all changed out of our nice clothes and we did an Ice Breaker. We played a variation of the game Zoo. Each person had a animal and a sound to associate with that animal. It was fun and made everyone laugh. After this we did an Israel Program. We were split up into groups of 4. Each group was given a pile of candy, which was blue and white. The first task was to create the Israeli Flag out of the candy. Then we got to make whatever flag we wanted but it had to relate to Israel. Then we got to make a design of our choice. We had a fashion show, using the donated clothes. As part of the activity, we used the fashion show items to make a presentation, whether it was a skit, a dance, or a song, we related our skits to a Jewish related topic. After this fun filled fashion show, we had free time. During free time we played Scrabble, hide n seek, and we all hung out and talked. The next morning we had our very own Shacharit service in one of the classrooms. The service we had was very unique. We had a few discussions about prayer and the Torah and we played some fun games to learn some of the prayers. After that we had lunch which was sponsored by the Sisterhood. After we changed out of our Shabbat attire we played a variation of Minute to Win It. We had three or four

27 different tasks that our team had to complete within a minutes time. It was a really fun game and it made our teams bond. After that we had a girls and boys bonding session. It really made our chapter a lot closer. After that we went into the sanctuary and we did Mincha. Instead of praying we did Parsha Plays for the week s torah portion instead of reading the portions out of the Torah. Then we prayed Maariv and Havdalah. Overall it was a very successful event and a big membership boost. SWUSY Agudas Achim in Austin Texas At least twice a year, AAUSY attends services at our shul. At services, USYers read torah, lead services, and are involved in all the facets of the shabbat service. After services, the rabbi leads a study session while we eat lunch together. Afterwards we usually go to someone's house to spend the rest of shabbat together.

28 Note: Only chapters that submitted an application for International Chapter of the Year are featured. Each nominated chapter was asked to briefly describe their best program in Social Action/Tikun Olam programming. Best of Social Action/Tikun Olam Programming CRUSY Adath Israel in Cincinnati, OH CHUSY Beth Juduea in Long Grove, IL Social Action Program: Trick or Canning For Halloween, we met up for a nice program of fun. We dressed up like any other Halloween, but instead of getting candy at each house, we asked for cans. We first met up at the shul, and split ourselves up into different cars. Each car went out and Trick or Canned in a different neighborhood. This way we got the most houses possible. We would get out of the car and normal trick or can once we got to the neighborhood. This way we could stash the cans in the car, since cans get heavy. In the end, we met back at the shul to count and separate the different cans. All of the cans we collected during this event went to Jewish charities in the area. As a chapter, we gave up typical Halloween festivities to collect canned foods for those less fortunate. This made our Halloween that much more special. Tikun Olam Program: Casino Night At the start of the program, everyone was given a starting amount of chips to play traditional casino games like Black Jack and Poker. Executive Board members played the role of dealer as the members played to win more chips. If they ran out of chips, which happened many