• Metzora – Creating a place of Inclusion and Acceptance

    on April 21, 2016

    By Alex Elbogen – Editor, NFTY-SW This week’s Torah portion is surely one that is hard to forget. To put it in teenager terms, it’s like a movie that you took a girl to go see hoping that she would get scared so that you’d be there to comfort her, but you end up being


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  • #NotOneMore: NFTY-SW Addresses Gun Violence

    on March 22, 2016

    By Alex Elbogen, Temple Kol Ami NFTY-SW Editor With Spring Kallah fast approaching, it’s starting to hit me that my NFTY-Southwest experience is coming to a close. As I reflect on my time with NFTY, one thing pops out at me as being particularly special. What I love is that the minute I enter a


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  • The Power of One – The Power of Community

    on March 17, 2016

    Hineini, here I am. In February, 2015 at NFTY Convention, NFTY passed a resolution focusing NFTY’s study on the strength of the individual. It stems from the Hebrew word hineini, meaning “Here I am” which is found in Genesis with Abraham’s declaration to G-D that he was there and ready to act. As teens and


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  • We’ll See YOU in the Windy City! #NFTYConvention 2017

    on March 2, 2016

    NFTY Convention is a one of a kind experience – bringing together more than 1,000 Reform Jewish teens from across North America. Come join us and be part of something bigger (it’s NFTY’s biggest event!), experience shaping a Movement, and have a great time.


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  • Spread the Light – a NFTY-SW project

    on February 2, 2016

    By Shir Attias, NFTY-SW Religious and Cultural Vice-President   There is no doubt that the Jewish holidays are a special time for NFTY-ites. The Jewish holidays bring  matzah ball soup and phones flooded with texts and facebook posts wishing you a “Chag Sameach.” Yet, this feeling is perhaps strongest during Hanukkah, when– unlike the rest


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  • Why I Stand for Gun Violence Prevention

    on January 10, 2016

    By Eva Turner, Songleader, NFTY-SW Please close your eyes for a second and picture, if you will, today. Except five years ago. Think about where you were, who you were with, what you were doing. As I think back to that day, I can recount to you exactly what happened, where I was, as if


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  • Taking Action – parashat Vayeshev

    on December 22, 2015

    By Alex Elbogen – Temple Kol Ami Temple Youth This week’s Torah portion of Vayeshev tells the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel. Many people know of this story through its portrayal in movies and musical theatre, but not everyone is aware of its meaningful elements. Much of the story’s emphasis is


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  • The Power of Biennial from 2149 Miles Away

    on November 18, 2015

    By Shir Attias, NFTY-SW Religious and Cultural Vice President Friday afternoon I got home from school, changed into a dress, and picked out my favorite cardigan. I fixed my hair, did my makeup for the first time all week, and grabbed a blanket. Plopping on the couch, I turned on my T.V. to the Jewish


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  • High Hopes for the High Holidays

    on October 8, 2015

    By Shir Attias,  NFTY-SW Religious and Cultural Vice-President I remember the high holidays as a kid very well: huge dinner tables laden with soups, meats, and deserts; long winded services telling us to ask for forgiveness and look forward to a new year. I remember the long sermons prompting introspection, and I remember twiddling my


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  • Becoming the Leader of Me

    on September 21, 2015

    The NFTY-SW Leadership Training Institute took teen leaders from workshop to workshop, program to program, but one in particular stood out to me. Lynne Butner, our NFTY-SW Regional Director, wrote a program on the Science of Character where she utilized the Let it Ripple video by Tiffany Shlain on character building.


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