The Dana Gershon and Rabbi Jonah Pesner Northeast Leadership Summit

September 23-25, 2016

This event was hosted by Northeast Teen Collective, URJ Eisner Camp, URJ Crane Lake Camp, URJ Kutz Camp, NFTY's New York Area Region, NFTY's Northeast Region, and NFTY's Garden Empire Region.

Jewish teens in grades 10-12 from New York, New Jersey, and New England came together for a collaborative leadership experience with a unique focus on Jewish Justice, Social Advocacy and Entrepreneurship. Utilizing Design Thinking, teens defined and shared their personal mission statement; translated their passions into new ideas and concrete experiences; and developed a plan for bringing their ideas to life. This will be an annual event that is great event for those looking to add substance to their resumes while simultaneously nourishing their souls. The Summit provided real-life skill building with a focus on values clarification, community organizing, advocacy, event planning, marketing and more. Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center, served as the keynote speaker and set the stage for the entire event.

Participants went home inspired and excited about the potential of their own ideas.

To participate, teens must be nominated by a Lay Leader or Jewish professional (clergy, educator, youth worker) in their local Jewish community. Nomination deadline: August 16, 2016
All URJ congregations and Jewish communities in New York, New Jersey, and New England are welcome to nominate up to two teens in grades 10-12. We encourage congregations to consider nominating current and potential teen leaders.
Teens who hold regional leadership positions in NFTY Northeast, New York Area, and Garden Empire Regions may be nominated by their respective Regional Directors.
URJ Eisner and Crane Lake Camp Olim Graduates (2014-2016) will be nominated by their respective Camp Directors.

Important Registration Information:

Cost: $180 per person, event cost is highly subsidized by the URJ and Eisner and Crane Lake Camps.
Registration Deadline: August 20, 2016
Please note that registration will take place in the URJ NFTY database.
When registering for this event, select the “2017 season” and enter your grade for the 2016-2017 school year.
When choosing your event, select “show events” under Northeast Teen Collective and select “The Dana Gershon and Rabbi Jonah Pesner Northeast Leadership Summit.”
Transportation details will be sent directly to participants.

To learn more, contact Emily Messinger, Director.

Friday

Check-In (6:00 pm – 7:00 pm in the Beit Am)DinnerTefilaWORKSHOP: #INSPIRATION - Participants will get to know new people; gain greater awareness of other people’s perspectives; and concretize and share what inspires them to take action.OnegLaila Tov! Good Night!

Saturday

Boker Tov! Good Morning! BreakfastTefilaWORKSHOP: #KNOWLEDGE - Each workshop will be facilitated by a professional from an internationally recognized Jewish or non-profit organization. All workshops will have 10-25 participants, will give participants new Judaic knowledge, and challenge participants to think about how they can bring their ideas to life and inspire others. Workshop descriptions.LunchHofesh (Pop-Ups)WORKSHOP: #STRATEGY - Each workshop will be facilitated by a professional from an internationally recognized Jewish or non-profit organization. All workshops will have 10-25 participants and will help participants learn new skills to bring their ideas to life in new and creative ways. Workshop descriptions. IDEASHARE - Participants will share their ideas, choose an idea or project to focus on for the rest of the Summit and select their #SharkTankMuseum teams. DinnerHavdallahWORKSHOP: #MARKETING - This workshop has three main parts: (1) Marketing 101; (2) Panel – How to balance idealism and realism; and (3) prepare for #SharkTankMuseum program.Laila Tov! Good Night!

Sunday

Boker Tov! Good Morning! BreakfastWORKSHOP: #SHARKTANKMUSEUM - The #SharkTankMuseum aims to bring exciting and innovative ideas to life! Reflecting upon their purpose statement and newfound knowledge and skills, participants will prepare an elevator pitch and marketing campaign for the #SharkTankMuseum! Judges will review their presentations and are prepared to invest real dollars in their ideas.Closing RemarksDepart (12:00 pm, bagged lunches on buses)

Workshop registration is closed.

Saturday Morning Workshop: #KNOWLEDGE

Saturday Afternoon Workshop: #STRATEGY

Full list of Faculty & Staff for the Northeast Leadership Summit

Bus Schedule to the Summit on Friday, September 23, 2016

Bus 1

Stop 1 (Departure Time): Temple Teferith Shalom / 489 Lowell Street, Peabody, MA 01960 (1:00 pm)
Stop 2 (Departure Time): Riverside Bus Terminal/ 335 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02460 (2:00 pm)
Stop 3 (Departure Time): TJ Maxx Plaza / 711 Southbridge St., Auburn, MA 01501 (3:15 pm)
Staff Contact: Brett Lubarsky (508.397.6788)

Bus 2

Stop 1 (Departure Time): Riverside Bus Terminal/ 335 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02460 (2:00 pm)
Stop 2 (Departure Time): Sinai Temple / 1100 Dickinson St. Springfield MA 01108 (3:45 pm)
Staff Contact: Sara Levy (973.876.5837)

Bus 3

Stop 1 (Departure Time): Temple Sinai / 425 Roslyn Road, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 (2:00 pm)
Stop 2 (Departure Time): United Jewish Center / 141 Deer Hill Avenue Danbury, CT 06810 (3:30 pm)
Staff Contact: Max Gudeon (631.617.1631)

Bus 4

Stop 1 (Departure Time): Shaaray Tefilla / 250 E. 79th Street New York, NY 10075 (2:00 pm)
Stop 2 (Departure Time): Temple Israel of New Rochelle / 1000 Pinebrook Boulevard, New Rochelle, NY 10804 (3:30 pm)
Staff Contact: Imo Winkleman (212.650.4039)

Bus 5

Stop 1 (Departure Time): Temple Sholom / 1925 Lake Avenue, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 (1:00 pm)
Stop 2 (Departure Time): Temple Shaaray Tefila / 89 Baldwin Rd. Bedford Corners, NY 10549 (3:00 pm)
Staff Contact: Melo Taylor (212.650.4107)

Bus Schedule Home from the Summit on Sunday, September 25