This past weekend I was in New York for the International CTeen Shabbaton, and it was one of my most meaningful trips ever. I traveled together with Shirly, Ben and Ethan - participants in our weekly CTeenU class at Chabad, and we had an exceptional Shabbat experience with 3,000 teens from around the world. It was a top notch program, catered to youngsters from many backgrounds, speaking many languages, who all blended in a terrific kaleidoscope of global Jewry coming together for a common purpose. Believe me, the videos and photos don’t properly capture the powerful current of Jewish pride and joy that pulsated throughout the weekend. The theme of the convention was “Count On Me” and in such an articulate, relevant and accessible manner, every speaker, video presentation, song and chant expressed the idea that we are teammates in the team of Judaism that spans the ages since Abraham and Sarah, charged with the mission of perfecting the world and ushering in the era of Moshiach. The era of divine perfection when peace and tranquility will reign for all. We have the responsibility to play our best, to constantly increase in our Mitzvot, because every Jew since Abraham and Sarah is counting on us to keep the team of Judaism moving in the right direction to victory. Lest you think youngsters are not as relevant as the older and more accomplished members of the tribe, look no further than the Purim story. Several days after Haman succeeded in passing his decree mandating the death of every Jew, Mordechai gathered a group of 22,000 Jewish children in the city of Shushan and studied Torah with them. When they saw Haman approach them Mordechai begged the children to flee from the evil man. “We will never leave you!” the children cried out in unison. Our sages declared it was the dedication and sacrifice of the children that elicited G-d’s mercy and caused the epic miracle of Purim to happen. The children in the Purim story declared “Count On Me!” and the 3,000 teens gathered in New York last week did the same. I heard so many stories of teens with barely any Jewish education or training keeping Shabbat for the first time in their lives, committing to observing more Mitzvot, learning more Torah and proclaiming their Jewishness more proudly and openly. For four days I witnessed why the future of Judaism is brighter than ever. The main highlight I'd like to share is that Ethan Martinez spoke to the entire convention at the closing ceremony. He shared why he wears a Kippa all the time, even while playing as a star player on the Franklin Basketball team. Ethan is a regular at Chabad, has attended Camp Gan Israel, Bar Mitzvah Club, multiple teen programs and volunteers all the time. And earlier this week he served as an inspiration to many thousands. Watch his story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5D0j_WcPBQ As we prepare to celebrate Purim on Sunday, March 24, please remember the challenge we faced thousands of years ago from Haman recurs in various formats in every generation and the proper response to it is through nurturing and encouraging our youth to be knowledgeable, passionate and proud Jews.
