Sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll was mifgash’s theme

Slot-car racing @ the eZone,  from left, are Sam Roth, Hannah Weisdorf,
Elliott Rubin, David Anzarouth, Haley Szereszewski and Rabbi Jennifer
Gorman.

TORONTO — Members of Eastern Canadian Region United Synagogue Youth gathered at Beth David B’nai Israel Beth Am Synagogue recently for their annual Winter Mifgash.

This theme of this year’s Winter Mifgash, held from March 13 to 15, was Sex, Drugs, Rock ’n’ Roll: The Issues That Change Our World.

United Synagogue Youth (USY) is the high school affiliate of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ).

Among mifgash attendees were representatives from chapters of eastern Canadian region across Ontario and Quebec. Event co-chair Kylie Katz is part of the Beth Jacob USY chapter in Hamilton, and co-chair Simcha Walfish is a member of the Agudath Israel chapter in Ottawa.

As part of USY tradition, participants raised money for their Social Action Tikkun Olam (SATO) projects. SATO provides money to charitable causes USYers chose, as well as summer-program scholarships. Participants at Winter Mifgash raised money for Libi, an Israeli organization that provides support to members of the Israel Defence Forces, and for Feed the Children.

The teens also participated in a special program with Jewish Women’s International, When Push Comes to Shove, dealing with dating violence. The teens learned about breaking stereotypes around dating and domestic violence and learned valuable skills for helping their peers and recognizing dangerous situations.

The topics discussed at the conference, including smoking, body image, homosexuality and abuse, were chosen by the USY board and co-chairs.

Rabbi Jennifer Gorman, director of Youth Activities for the Canadian Region of USCJ, said that “USY provides a safe space for Jewish teenagers to share issues and values that are important to them, learning without judgment.”

 It wasn’t all learning, though. Participants were treated to a night out at the eZone, a sports and entertainment complex, plus they viewed a program on music censorship called Banned in Britain, created by the convention’s co-chairs.