For one extended weekend, 42 high school girls from Los Angeles will attend NCSY’s 4G Convention in New Jersey. The highlight of the event, which is taking place in New Jersey, is a Shabbaton filled with connection, inspiration, and personal growth.
According to Sarah Simpser, Los Angeles 4G director, the trip is an opportunity for 350 girls from around the United States, including cities like LA, Las Vegas, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Baltimore, and Milwaukee, to “get together for an entire Shabbat experience and maximize it. They will learn, ‘How can we better ourselves and grow?’”
This year, the theme for NCSY – which is an Orthodox Union youth movement designed to empower Jewish teens – is ownership of your Judaism.
“Even though we are born into it, we still have to choose it for ourselves,” Simpser said. “In today’s day and age, the biggest thing I’ve felt from most of the girls is finding depth and meaning in their day-to-day interactions and being mindful of everything they are a part of.”
The girls’ trip starts with a gathering on a yacht in New York, and then during Shabbat, they will hear from speakers flown in from around the world. They will share meals together, learn Torah, and connect with one another. The last day, on Sunday, they will go to American Dream Mall, which is owned by a Jewish family, the Ghermezians.
Every week, the 42 girls, who go to Jewish private schools throughout LA, come together in Pico-Robertson to learn Torah with a partner, a chavruta, do community service, and eat in local kosher restaurants.
“Our out of school programming enhances the girls’ Jewish identity,” said Simpser. “We teach them about being more intentional about the things they’re doing on a daily basis, and we’re providing that extra level of support and excitement around being a Jewish teenage girl.”
Along with NCSY, the West Coast Orthodox Union office, located on Pico Boulevard, also offers JSU, the Jewish Student Union. The latter program is for public and private school students and was created so that Jewish students could meet other Jewish students and learn about their culture and heritage. They strengthen their connection to Israel, as well as their Jewish identity. NCSY and JSU participants are offered the chance to go to Israel and learn about Jewish opportunities on their future college campuses, as well as in their communities.
At the NCSY girls’ program in LA, there are issues that are addressed, such as friendship situations, their relationships with their parents, and family and school crises. NCSY is there for guidance—no matter what.
“We are able to help and work with these teens,” Simpser said. “A lot do seek extra mentorship. They think, ‘Who can I talk to who isn’t biased?’ We are there to support our teens and meet them where they’re at.”
