United Synagogue Youth

United Synagogue Youth (USY) is the youth movement of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. USY operates in the United States and Canada. The goal of the movement is to bring Jewish teenagers closer to Judaism and Israel through learning and social interaction.
==Summer programs==
USY runs a variety of summer tours sponsored by the "USY: Great Escape" program. Israel Adventure
is a four-week, Israel-only trip which consists of three weeks touring around Israel and one week spent in paramilitary army training called Gadna.Israel Adventure The Eastern Europe/Israel Pilgrimage consists of exploring the history and cultures of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania for two weeks and spending the remaining four weeks touring Israel. The trip's itinerary before 2008 included Hungary instead of Lithuania.Eastern Europe Israel Pilgrimage The Italy/Israel Pilgrimage
consists of one week touring prominent historical locations in Italy and then four weeks touring Israel.Italy/Israel Pilgrimage The Israel Pilgrimage/Poland Seminar consists of nine days touring prominent Jewish locations, former Jewish communities, and concentration camps in Poland before spending four weeks touring Israel. Past groups have visited Sobibor, Majdanek, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Treblinka, Warsaw, Kraków, Lublin, Kielce, and many others.Israel Pilgrimage/Poland Seminar Etgar! Outdoor Adventure: Israel is a five-week program that goes beyond the souvenir stands to discover the Israeli side of Israel, combining volunteer work with challenging nature hikes in the Galilee, Golan Heights, and the Negev.Etgar! Outdoor Adventure: Israel USY on Wheels is a six and half-week bus tour across the United States and Canada, which visits different Jewish communities and tourist attractions across America, including the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Mount Rushmore, and many others.USY on Wheels In Mission Mitzvah, participants engage in community service projects and social action.Wheels East Summer in the City is a co-ed, four week pre-college program that takes place in New York City. The USYers live in the List College dorm. Participants choose a class to take at Barnard College in the morning with students participating in Barnard's Pre-College Program and the entire group takes a class at the Jewish Theological Seminary in the afternoon. In the evenings and on weekends, the group enjoys New York activities such as a New York Yankees game, a Broadway show and visits to museums. The group spends one weekend at the New Jersey shore.Summer in the City
==High school programs==
is an eight-week program in which high schoolers (juniors and seniors) live at the Israel Goldstein Youth Village in Jerusalem, studying and exploring Israel. In the campus classroom, participants are introduced chronologically to each historical period. Campus class time is interspersed with time experiencing the "classroom without walls" - the Land of Israel. Participants learn in an ancient cave, a mountain fortress, an army bunker, riding on a camel, or at the beach. It is the sister program of Tichon Ramah Yerushalaim (TRY), which is done by Ramah. TRY is seventeen weeks long and is for sophomores and juniors.USY High
==Post high school programs==
Nativ is a nine-month program in Israel for recent high school graduates. Participants go on trips around Israel, attend leadership seminars and study at either Hebrew University or the Conservative Yeshiva (aligned with the Masorti movement in Israel). Participants also choose between living on a kibbutz (specifically, Kibbutz Sa'ad or Kibbutz Ein Tzurim) or living and volunteering in a developing community.Nativ
==International leadership==
There are six officers on the International Executive Board (IEB). These USYers are responsible for the executive leadership of the organization. They are elected to one year terms at the yearly International Convention. The 2010 Leadership is as follows:International Executive Board :: Directory Information :: United Synagogue Youth
*President: Josh Block (NERUSY)
*Israel Affairs Vice President: Louis Sacks (Hagesher)
*Religion/Education Vice President: Charlene Thrope (NERUSY)
*Social Action/Tikun Olam Vice President: Melissa Sperber (Hagalil)
*Membership/Kadima1 Vice President: Jake Winn (Hanegev)
*Communications Vice President: Mor Bass (Tzafon)
¹Kadima (translated literally as "forward") is the middle school age affiliate of USY and USCJ.Kadima :: United Synagogue Youth
Regional and Chapter Executive Boards generally mirror these positions.
The USY office in New York, NY is home to the professional leadership of USY which collaborates with the above USY officers. They have greater responsibilities in summer programs, Nativ and long-term planning. Jules Gutin is currently the International Director of USY.International Staff :: People & Places :: United Synagogue Youth
==USY International Convention==
International Convention, also referred to as IC, is a yearly gathering of over 900 USYers from across North America in a different city each year. They gather for study sessions, specialty club meetings, Summer Program reunions (see above) and socializing. The new officers of United Synagogue Youth are also elected at this time. The convention takes place in December, and the 2010 convention is in Orlando, Florida with Hanegev as the host region.
==Abraham Joshua Heschel Honor Society==
The Heschel Honor Society is a club for USY members of secular and religious academic excellence. The club is named after Abraham Joshua Heschel. Members meet during regional conventions to discuss topics that Heschel wrote about. The Heschel Honor society holds an annual convention in March.
==Hechalutzim==
Hechalutzim is a club for USY members interested in Israel affairs and Religious Zionism. Members of Hechalutzim convene for regional weekends and special programs. In addition, a delegate from each region is sent to Israel with the Hechalutzim Israel Seminar.
==613 Mitzvah Corps==
The 613 Mitzvah Corps is a social action club involved in Jewish and community affairs.
==Alumni==
====Project Reconnect====
The official alumni association for all Conservative Movement Programs including USY is Project Reconnect.
Project Reconnect includes groups for USY Regions, Nativ, Pilgrimage and Wheels Groups.
==Regions==
Name of region 	Details of name 	Areas covered 	Regional President	Website
CRUSY 	Central Region USY 	Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana,Kentucky, West Virginia 	Daniel Kaplan 	www.crusy.org
CHUSY 	Chicagoland USY 	Northern Illinois, Milwaukee, Madison 	Daniel Warshawsky 	www.chusy.org
ECRUSY 	Eastern Canadian Region USY 	Ontario, Quebec 	Emma Pascoe 	www.ecrusy.org
Emtza USY 	Hebrew: אמצע, "middle" 	Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri,Nebraska, Western Wisconsin, Manitoba 	Sidney Usem 	www.emtza.org
EPA USY 	Eastern Pennsylvania USY 	Eastern and Northern Pennsylvania from Harrisburg to Scranton 	Sara Neadle 	www.epausy.org
Far West USY 	Region stretches furthest west.	Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada,Hawaii, Utah 	Silvi Goldstein 	www.fwusy.net
Hagalil USY 	Hebrew: הגליל, "the Galilee" 	Northern and Central New Jersey 	Scott Greenberg 	www.hagalilusy.com
Hanefesh USY 	Hebrew: הנפש, "the soul" 	Connecticut and Western Massachusetts 	Hilary Bokoff 	www.hanefesh.org
Hanegev USY 	Hebrew: הנגב, "the Negev" 	Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Southern North Carolina, South Carolina	Isabelle Solomon 	www.hanegevusy.org
METNY USY 	Metropolitan New York USY 	Greater New York City and Long Island 	Sivan Rinat 	www.metnyusy.org
NERUSY 	New England Region USY 	Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire,Vermont, Rhode Island 	Allie Levine 	www.nerusy.org
New Frontier USY	 	Northern California, Reno, Nevada 	Ethan Sherman 	www.newfrontierusy.org
Pinwheel USY 	Pacific Northwest USY 	Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta 	Dani Nurick 	www.uscj.org/pacnw/usy
Hagesher USY 	Hebrew: הגשר, "the bridge" 	Delaware Valley, Greater Philadelphia 	Miriam Smerling 	www.hagesher.org
Seaboard USY 	 	Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, NortheasternNorth Carolina 	Shira Goldstein 	www.seaboardusy.org
SWUSY 	Southwest USY 	Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mexico 	Abby Kitmacher 	www.swusy.com
Tzafon USY 	Hebrew: צפון, "north" 	Upstate New York, Western Massachusetts, Southwestern Vermont 	Ethan Glass 	www.tzafon.org
==References==
==See also==
*Judaism
*Conservative Judaism
*Zionism
==External links==
*United Synagogue Youth (USY)
*Nativ College Leadership Program in Israel
* USY Summer Programs
*Project Reconnect The Alumni Association of USY and all other Conservative Movement Programs]
Category:Jewish youth organizations
Category:Conservative Judaism