What to look for in this week's edition of the CHUSY Newsy:

• CHUSY Stands with Israel
• Candle lighting times for Shabbat

CHUSY Updates and Opportunities:

• Register for Kinnus! Early bird ends soon!
• CHUSY March Madness
• Antisemitism and Social Media Workshop
• 3v3 Teen Community Basketball Tournament
• TRY-A High School Israel Program
• USY Summer Programs Launched, Join an Info Session!
• Resources for Combatting Antisemitism
• USY High School Senior Scholarship Opportunity

CHUSY Chapter Events:

• CBS Chapter Calendar
• CBS USY Ice Skating 3/14/24
• MOUSY Escapes
• Download the CHUSY Chapter Event Calendar

Alumni Updates and Opportunities:

• Bring Omer Home!
• Maza Gap Year Virtual Fair
• Alumni and Friends Shabbaton
• USY Alumni Double Chai Honors
• Alumnet Comfort Meals
• Join the Shabbat of Love
• Volunteer with Tov in Tel Aviv



Community Opportunities:

• JUF Israel Experience Scholarships
• Connect with Jewish teens in Kyiv!
• Sponsor yoga for those affected by the Israel-Hamas Conflict
• Volunteer with JUF TOV!
• JCC Film Festival
• Tzelem At Anshe Emet
• Join for the Keshet Shabbatonim
• Be part of the JCYM and USY Climate Retreat
• Volunteer with Keshet Chicago
• Volunteer to Tutor with Tov
• Help CHUSY Improve
• Staff for CHUSY

CHUSY Stands with Israel!

Candle Lighting Times for 3/15/24

Chicago, IL:

Light Candles At: 6:38pm

Shabbat Ends: 7:40pm

Milwaukee, WI:

Light Candles At: 6:41pm

Shabbat Ends: 7:42pm

Madison, WI:

Light Candles At: 6:47pm

Yom Tov Ends: 7:48pm

CHUSY Updates and Opportunities

CHUSY and CRUSY are teaming for Kinnus, our Spring Convention, April 19th-21st at Camp Nageela Midwest in Ingleside, IL!

Compete in an epic weekend of color wars in games like bubble soccer, banner making, and climbing on the high ropes course!

Spend Shabbat with us and enjoy delicious kosher meals, stay in heated and air-conditioned cabins, and meet new and old friends. 

Engage in meaningful discussions and action projects about Israel, the climate, social justice, and more!

Don't let cost be an issue, scholarship is available! 

This is a one-of-a-kind weekend that you won't want to miss out on!

Go to CHUSY.org/kinnus to learn more and register! 

The early bird price is $365 through March 21st! Don't let cost be an issue. CHUSY has scholarship you can apply for. You can also ask your synagogue!

Register at CHUSY.org/kinnus

Get up to 50% off at a maximum of $300 for attending a CHUSY convention for the first time!

Go to CHUSY.org/springboardgrants to apply!

Join JUF, JCFS, JCC Chicago, and CHUSY April 3rd, for a session on Antisemitism and Social Media at Congregation Beth Shalom, 6pm-8:30pm. Open to Parents and 7th-12th graders. RSVP at CHUSY.org/safety

3v3 Teen Community Basketball Tournament

Join JCC Teens, BBYO, NCSY, USY, NFTY, and Springboard for a 3v3 basketball tournament!

Sign up with a team or sign up as an individual and we will match you with a team.

Not interested in playing in the tournament but want to come hang out? Sign up as a spectator and cheer your friends on! This event is FREE and open to all 8th-12th graders.

Sunday, March 17, 2024 | 2pm

Bernard Weinger JCC

300 Revere Drive, Northbrook

Check in will begin at 1:30 with games starting promptly at 2PM.

Registration for teams will close on March 12, 2024.

Spectators can register until the event begins.

Questions? Email Sam Bolen sbolen@jccchicago.org

Join USYers from Across the Country for a Lounge Night!

TRY 2025 Spring Semester in Israel

January 27 - May 28, 2025

TRY, Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim is a semester of study open to 10th-12th graders from North America. On TRY, Israel is your classroom, history is your textbook, and Jerusalem is your home!

Early Bird Special: Register Now for TRY 2025 at 2024 Prices!

Exciting News! 🌟 USY and Ramah Israel join forces in a historic collaboration to unveil the Yuval Yisrael teen summer travel experience. 🇮🇱✈️ Embark on a journey of a lifetime with the best of both worlds - USY and Ramah's expertise in crafting impactful Israel programs for our future leaders. 🌍🤝 Learn more and be a part of this transformative experience at https://ramah.org.il/yuval-yisrael/.

Financial Aid

We believe every teen deserves the opportunity to participate in USY summer travel regardless of financial restrictions. Below, please find a list of various sources for potential scholarship funding.

USY Scholarships

We offer need-based scholarships through the International USY office. To apply, register for a trip (including submitting a deposit), check the box on the application indicating your interest in learning more about scholarships and apply by the deadline. The scholarship application process is now open. You can apply here.

One Happy Camper

If your child will be participating in USY on Wheels as their first-ever immersive Jewish overnight summer experience, they may be eligible to receive up to a $1,000 One Happy Camper grant. Refer to the program website for more information regarding eligibility requirements and grant availability.

RootOne Vouchers

We are once again thrilled to announce that participants in EPIC Israel programs will be eligible for a RootOne Voucher (R1V) subsidy in the amount of $3,000 to ensure greater participation in our programs! We hope these vouchers allow even more teens to have an EPIC Israel Summer with USY. In order to claim a RootOne Voucher, you must be registered for an EPIC Israel Program – once you register, R1V application information will be sent to you. RootOne is seeded through the generosity of The Marcus Foundation, and is powered by The Jewish Education Project. For more information, please visit RootOne.org.

Please email Michelle Rich at rich@uscj.org to discuss options.

Apply At USY.org/summer

This is a difficult time for our community. JUF in partnership with other organizations, has put together a toolkit of resources to combat antisemitism.

If you are subjected to antisemitism, report it immediately.

Bring Omer Home!

Dear USY Alumni & Friends,

The events of the tragic massacre and kidnapping of over 200 Israelis have affected so many of us.

Our USY Alumni community has been deeply affected as well, as one of our former METNY Regional Presidents, Omer Neutra (who just turned 22), is being held hostage by Hamas. On October 7th, Omer was serving on the Gaza border in the IDF when he was taken hostage.

We need your help in getting the word out to help bring Omer home safely!

Omer Neutra was born in NYC and raised on Long Island. Omer is fun-loving, an enthusiastic Knicks fan, and a born leader. In USY, Omer served as a past METNY Regional President, Ruach Divisional President, and participated on USY on Wheels. Fellow USYers and staff described Omer as warm, friendly, very funny, really smart, competitive, and one of the most engaging people they know. They emphasized that Omer is a loyal friend, ambitious in all the right ways, and best described as a mensch! 

How you can help:

•  Reach out to your local elected officials and put pressure to bring the hostages home! Find your US representative HERE.
• Keep Omer in your thoughts and prayers wishing for his speedy and safe return. Click HERE for a prayer for those missing/captured.



As a community we need to support one another during this difficult time and we pray for the safe return of Omer and all the hostages.

Thank you,

Joyce Juda, Director- USY Alumni

Julie Marder, Interim Senior Director of Teen Engagement- USY

Alumni and friends - Join us for this inspiring retreat at Camp Ramah in NE from 3/29-31, 2024! Open to all alumni, ages 21+. Special track for Young Adults, ages 21-35. All pricing is subsidized. A chance to reflect, learn, eat, sing, pray, schmooze, enjoy a beautiful Shabbat in nature, and nourish your soul. Register by 2/29 for Early Bird discount pricing!

Our young USY alumni are the future of Jewish life and learning. The USY Alumni Double Chai Honors seeks to recognize 36 of our young USY alumni (age 36 or under) who, after high school, have continued to be involved either with USY, or in the Jewish community at large, via work or volunteerism. 

This NEW program connects Chicago 8^th-12^th graders to Jewish teens in Kyiv, Ukraine through conversations, community building activities, and photography, and runs from late Feb to early May. Learn more and sign up at www.jccchicago.org/jewishlens

We are so proud of CHUSY Alum, Rena Shoshana Forester, who is working hard in Israel to deliver free yoga classes to those affected by the Israel-Hamas Conflict through the Karuna Yoga Project. Rena says most of her clients have been women and children of reservists.

Here is some of the feedback Rena has received already,

• “We so needed that! Space for the kids to play while we could just sit for a moment.  For each kid to get individual attention and calm communication.  Thank you so much.” -R, mother of four children including a newborn baby, husband serving in a reserve combat unit

• “I’m so touched that you’re offering this.  I really need it.” -M, originally American, mother of two young men currently serving in the reserves in Gaza

• “I didn’t realize how disconnected I was from my body.  I can’t wait for more.” -B, mother of two including a newborn baby, husband serving in a reserve combat unit

Click here to sponsor a student through the Karuna Yoga Project.

Questions? Email Rena at rena@renashoshana.com

JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival Competition

Join TOV for Mitzvah Mania!

Mitzvah Mania offers one-time volunteer opportunities throughout Chicagoland. These projects are the perfect way for individuals, families, groups, and teens to perform the mitzvah of tikkun olam without a long-term obligation.

For more information, please contact TOV

at TOV@juf.org or 312‑357‑47‍62.

Anshe Emet has partnered with Moving Traditions to bring a monthly Tzelem group for our High Schoolers. Tzelem is a safe, inclusive space for nonbinary, trans, gender expansive, and LGBTQ+ teens, and is led by an LGBTQ+ community leader.  

Each month the Tzelem group will focus on topics such as healthy relationships, stress, belonging and identity. Sessions will include opportunities to meet other teens and Jewish adult mentors. The topics will be explored through games, art, discussion, and by drawing on Jewish teachings. We will meet at AES on the following dates: 

• January 14, 12:15-2:15pm  
• February 25, 12:15-2:15pm  
• March 10, 1:30-3:30pm  
• April 14, 1:30-3:30pm  
• May 12, 12:15-2:15pm  

Thanks to our donors, we are able to offer our Tzelem program at $18 per person. 

However, we never want cost to be a barrier to participation in Anshe Emet events. If financial assistance is needed please contact Mardi Caminer at mcaminer@ansheemet.org. 

Here is the registration form: https://ansheemetsynagogue.shulcloud.com/form/Tzelem-LGBTQ-Monthly-Teen-Group 

Keshet Shabbatonim

Join our one of a kind Shabbat retreats for LGBTQ and ally Jewish teens, ages 13 - 18, to learn, grow, and celebrate who you are in a warm and vibrant community. Keshet Shabbatonim bring together young LGBTQ and ally Jews from across the country to build community and celebrate Shabbat and their Jewish and LGBTQ identities. Taking place in the Midwest (March 15-17), and on the East (March 29-31) and West (May 10-12) Coasts, we can’t wait for you to join us! Learn more and register at keshetonline.org/shabbaton!

Join the Jewish Youth Climate Movement Climate Education and Action Retreat, March 29th-31st! Open to 8th-12th grade Jewish teens. Register by clicking here!

Volunteer with Keshet!!!

Want to give back in a big way? Become a volunteer with Keshet and make a difference in the lives of kids with disabilities. There are opportunities for volunteers after school and on Sundays. Coming in October is Buddy Baseball where volunteers are peered with Keshet athlete to play ball. Learn more and get involved at keshet.org/volunteer.

Help CHUSY improve! Fill out the Google Form to let CHUSY know what you want! Go to CHUSY.org/feedback