July 30, 2010   19 Av 5770

Temple Emanuel - Kensington, MD

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KESTY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE KESTY KONNECTION

We all need opportunities to “be Jewish together.” KESTY (Kensington Emanuel Senior Temple Youth) -- part of NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) is our Senior High School youth Group. 

KESTY is an important part of our congregational life. It offers us the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about what it means to be a Jewish teen in this ever changing world and to talk about and act on issues of social justice and world politics, and mostly making connections with other Jewish teens in the congregation, as well as in this Mid-Atlantic Region. 

NFTY-MAR is our regional youth group. 9th through 12th graders can go to overnight events in Maryland, Virginia, DC, North Carolina, and Delaware to make friends, celebrate their Judaism, and have a blast! There is also an event for 7th and 8th graders, and 8th graders can come to some events so they can get involved in NFTY as soon as possible. And mark your calendars for these other amazing regional events:

LTI

September 24-26, 2010

Capital Camps - Waynesboro, PA

Registration opens - July 22, 2010

Early Bird deadline - August 12, 2010

Regular deadline - September 2, 2010

*LTI is now open to all 9-12th graders! 

It will still contain some elements of network programming,

but will be mainly focused on general leadership skills, applicable to both TYGs and the world at large. 

 

 

Fall Kallah

November 12-14, 2010

ASTY - Havre de Grace, MD

Registration opens - September 9, 2010

Early Bird deadline - September 30, 2010

Regular deadline - October 21, 2010

 

 

Winter Kallah

December 26-29, 2010

Capital Camps - Waynesboro, PA

Registration opens - October 28, 2010

Early Bird deadline - November 18, 2010

Regular deadline - December 9, 2010

 

 

MAJYK

January 28-30, 2011

TRSTY - Falls Church, VA

Registration opens – November 25, 2010

Early Bird deadline – December 16, 2010

Regular deadline – January 6, 2011

 

 

TheVent

March 25-27, 2011

RALFTY - Raleigh, NC

Registration opens – January 20, 2011

Early Bird deadline – February 10, 2011

Regular deadline – March 3, 2011

 

 

Spring Kallah

April 28-May 1, 2011

Capital Camps - Waynesboro, PA

Registration opens – March 3, 2011 (THE SAME DAY AS THEVENT REGISTRATION CLOSES!)

Early Bird deadline – March 31, 2011

Regular deadline – April 14, 2011

*Spring Kallah is the only event that has a different date set-up, with 4 weeks of Early Bird, only 2 weeks of regular, and registration closing only 2 weeks before the event.  This is to give some extra time, and a few days of the Early Bird rate, to our participants who decide to register after TheVent.

 

My First NFTY Event, by Ryan Solomon  

Spring Kallah was about to begin.  I was pretty nervous.  I didn’t know what to expect from the experience I was about to have.  As everyone started to arrive I got worried.  I felt I didn’t fit in.  Everyone had their group of friends and knew a lot about each other.  I knew no one except my fellow KESTY members.  I tried to be optimistic but I kept feeling like an outsider.  The next day I hung out with my friends from KESTY but didn’t really interact with other people.  Over the course of the day I started to loosen up and talk to other people.  I finally opened up and started to get into the activities that we were doing.  I made amazing friends over the course of the weekend and will never forget the great experience I had.  This event was a great experience after all.  Once I found the courage to talk to people who I didn’t know, I become great friends with them and had so much more fun.  My first NFTY event is something I will never forget.

Want to learn more about summer camping opportunities through the Reform Movement? Check out their website at www.urjcamps.org.

 

Letters from the KESTY Board  

Got questions about KESTY? Want to get involved, but don't know how? Talk to your KESTY board members or grade representative.

Is there an event you're dying to have? Something you want to see in our newsletter? Got a fun way to get everyone excited about KESTY and NFTY-MAR? We want to know! No, we're not just saying that. WE LOVE IDEAS! Talk to a board member any time at synagogue or by email the President, Adam Tananbaum, at youthadvisor@templeemanuelmd.org, attention: Adam.

KESTY Board

  • President: Adam Tanenbaum

  • Programming Vice President: Jamie Lazarus

  • Communications Vice President: Brina Seidel

  • Social Action Vice President: Ray Paleg

  • Membership Vice President: Sophie DeWaal

  • Religious and Cultural Vice President; Schuyler Parsonnet

  • Chair of Programming: Cayla Landesberg

  • Chair of Communications: Ryan Solomon

Grade Representatives (Is your grade not listed here? That means we don't have a representative for your grade. If you're interested, talk to a board member!)

  • 9th Grade: TBD

  • 10th Grade: Leora Gottlieb

  • 11th Grade: Abby Frank

KESTY Youth Group Advisor: Jard Pashko, youthadvisor@templeemanuelmd.org



Shalom Temple Emanuel!

Hello! My name is Jared and I am excited to be the new KESTY/JETY advisor. It's going to be a great year and I hope you'll get involved. Even if you've never been to an event before or been involved with KESTY, I encourage you to try it out and come see what it's all about. Feel free to email me with questions or just to say hi - YouthAdvisor@TempleEmanuelMD.org. I look forward to meeting you! L'shana Tovah, Jared Pashko


My name is Adam Tanenbaum and I am the 2010–2011 KESTY President. I am a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. If I were stranded on a desert island and I could only take one thing with me, it would be my trusty guitar. Two of my greatest passions are playing guitar and singing. Whenever I have any down time at all, I am either playing guitar by myself at home, or jamming with a friend of mine. I am also a NFTY-MAR regional song leader and I am very active among the region. At school, I am a member of the track and field team where I throw shot put and discus, and a member of the Tri-M (Musical  Honors Society. KESTY has got some great ideas planned out for this year, and if anyone (and I mean anyone) has an idea for a program or event, let me know in person or send me an email to youthadvisor@templeemanuelmd.org, attention: Adam. L'shanah tovah, Adam


My name is Sophie Kobina Smith DeWaal and I am your Membership Vice President (or MVP as I like to refer to myself). I LOVE mac and cheese, I’m a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, and this year I’m on the soccer, swimming, and softball teams. In KESTY we do super fun events YEAR ROUND like falafel fest, lock-ins at the synagogue, and various NFTY events. But forget what I have to say, come check our events out for yourself, Can’t wait to see you there!


I am Ray Paleg, your Social Action Vice President for this upcoming year. I am a sophomore at Albert Einstein High School. I love sewing, eating, and dancing, and I am currently the captain of Poms at my school. This year I hope to incorporate social action into more events, and have a few volunteer days where we can spend time together while helping our community. I am extremely excited for what this year has in store, and if you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to come and talk to me.


My name is Brina, and I’m so excited to be the Communications Vice President this year! I’m a junior, and I go to Bethesda – Chevy Chase High School. I’m probably the only Jewish Irish dancer you’ll ever meet. I should also point out that you’re looking at our main communications project this year: The KESTY Konnection! This newsletter has existed for more than twenty years, but it fizzled out a few years ago. We’re bringing it back full-force, and we want your submissions! If you’ve got a story about a Jewish experience or a social action cause or a fun fact or anything else you want to see in here, please contact me at youthadvisor@templeemanuelmd.org, attention: Brina. Thanks so much! Brina


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