• What Hosting a Pop-Up Event Taught Me

    While hosting a Pop-Up Event was a requirement as a Machon graduate, I enjoyed the experience so much that I am going to host many more events like this one. My Pop-Up Event was so much fun, and it was so nice to share a part of Jewish tradition with my friends. I plan to host other events focused on celebrating community, disconnecting from electronics, and being joyful.


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  • Beyond a Seat at the Table: Real World Models That Empower Teens

    To leverage the camping communities of URJ Eisner and Crane Lake Camps, the URJs Northeast Teen Collective (NETC), an original grantee of the Boston’s Teen Initiative, trains teens to create experiences that will capture the imagination of their less involved friends throughout the year.


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  • The Two Reform Jewish Programs That Changed My Life

    The inspiration behind this shift in how I see the world – and my role in improving it – was participating in two life-changing programs during the last year. September’s Dana Gershon and Rabbi Jonah Pesner Northeast Leadership Summit and this summer’s URJ Eisner Camp Machon program were perfect complements to one another.


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  • Happy New Year! Check Out the URJ’s Top 18 Stories of 2016

    What a year it’s been. With 2017 fast-approaching, we’ve rounded up the top 18 Reform Movement stories of 2016, listed below in no particular order. Looking for even more major Jewish moments?


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  • Yallah Israel Club!

    Growing up in Hebrew School, I remember talking about Israel – the land, the people, and our connection to it. We talked about Israel as a Jewish state, why that should matter to us, and what it means to love this far away homeland.


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  • The Power of One

    With the expansion of the Machon Summer Leadership Institute at URJ Eisner and Crane Lake Camps, participants (Machonikim) not only learn how to become summer camp counselors, but they are also challenged to bring their newfound leadership skills to life, at home, through the creation and implementation of their very own Pop-Up Event.


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  • Reform Temples Toss Area Teen Tycoons into ‘Shark Tank’

    Every pitch had to relate to social justice or tikkun olam. Teens chose topics including Israel, gender and sexuality, and mindfulness. “I realized there are so many issues in this world, things that are taken for granted and that are simply wrong and need to be addressed and changed,” said Shaina Morrel, a junior at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden. “I am bringing back my own excitement and passion for repairing the world, and my hope is to spread this to others.”


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  • What Happened When I Walked to Shul

    I am lucky I can walk to shul. Having that time to transition from the everyday to a more spiritual place is a tradition I grew up with. As a kid, walking to shul involved five of us children, so to keep us focused and moving, my mother introduced us to the game “punch block, no punch back.”


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  • How 250 Jewish Teens Are Changing the Face of Youth Engagement

    The inaugural Dana Gershon and Rabbi Jonah Pesner Northeast Leadership Summit focused on creating a new and innovative structure to enable Jewish teens to find their purpose and bring it to life. Attended by more than 250 teens and 60 faculty members and staffers from 20+ organizations, we came together to learn, ideate, and elevate a new cohort of Jewish teen leaders.


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  • TaSTY’s Rosh HaShanah Sermon 5777

    My team, which included Sam S-T, decided that a major social change issue that needed to be addressed was racial injustice. I attended a workshop called “Privilege, Power, and Jews” that forced me to think deeply about my white privilege, but also how being Jewish can connect me to this issue in some specific ways.


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