can be very emotional and we encour- well when you fool around," she
age students to return. But as a re- said. "Here, you can't touch, so
sponsible leader, I want them to come you talk. I see Orthodox couples
back open-minded. I don't want them who get engaged and it looks so
just to say that NOSY is the greatest special. I'd like there to be that
intimacy in my life some day."
thing on earth."
Rabbi Hillel Fox of Columbus,
About 50 percent of the teen-agers at
last month's retreat were Orthodox. The Ohio, says one has only to con-
same percentage attend Jewish day sider the escalating rates of
schools. The majority belong to syna- divorce, intermarriage and dis-
gogues with their families, but lead affiliation (all of which exceed
50 percent in the Jewish com-
largely secular lives.
Many NCSYers also participate in munity) to understand the
youth groups outside of the Orthodox merits of an observant lifestyle.
"When you look at the statis-
movement — Michigan State Temple
Youth, B'nai B'rith Youth Organization tics from previous generations
and others. Although these teen-agers you see that the family unit has
were not brought up Orthodox, they say deteriorated substantially in the
NCSY is appealing. Besides the fun, it last decade," he said. "The per-
offers them a more intensive study of missiveness has been detri-
aries, the child is go-
Above:
Torah. And for those who want to be- mental."
Rabbi Fox, who attended the NCSYers congregate by the
ing to panic. But if you
come more religious, NOSY provides
retreat at Camp Wise, said campfire: (Front row) Seth
throw the child into a
guidance.
Grosky, Chaya Leah
pool, at least it will
Jana Wolock, 16, is an 11th-grader at NOSY does not take a rela- Blumenfeld, Mitch
Berkley High School. Active in a hand- tivistic stance on right and Weissberger. (Back row) Two feel as though it has a
fighting chance of
ful of youth organizations, she attend- wrong. In an I'm-OK-You're- young men from out-state
chapters,
Malka
Mizrachl,
OK
world,
it
is
important
to
set
making it.
ed her first NOSY event in December
Sarah Chopp, Jana Wolock.
"Similarly in life.
1993. Reared in a Conservative
NOSY
offers young
congregation, Jana initially
Left:
people exposure to Or-
Eric Pinkis, Samantha
found NOSY a bit peculiar. For
Disatnik, Joel Kirzner and Avi
thodox, Torah-based
instance, during religious ser-
Blumenfeld socialize Saturday principles and ideals,"
separates
girls
vices, a mechitzah
night.
he said. "If we can
from the boys. The purpose of the
provide the bound-
barrier is to augment concen-
Below:
aries, then those
The evening's excitement
tration on prayer by minimizing
peaks
with
high-energy
thrown
into this ocean
distraction between the sexes.
footwork. Many of the young
of life will be more
Girls, according to traditional
women learn to dance at
confident. They'll
Jewish law, do not lead services,
school, weddings, or in
have a stronger sense
special classes. Others learn
and NOSY advisers encourage
from their friends at NCSY.
of themselves."
female youth groupers to dress
modestly, preferably in long
etro Detroit's chapter of NCSY
hard and fast rules, he said.
skirts on Shabbat.
has
experienced a recent re-
"We
might
not
have
been
able
to
be
Many NCSYers also observe the law
birth.
Membership has grown
as
strong
about
it
in
the
past
generation,
of shomer negiah, which prohibits boys
from
22
to 93, along with an
but
now
the
statistics
prove
our
point.
and girls from engaging in physical con-
increase
in
the
number
of events.
tact — of any sort — before marriage. We can come out and say that you have
The
dramatic
growth
is
in part due to
to
set
some
sort
of
parameters
in
life,"
These customs are a far cry from the
Mr.
Zucker,
who
became
adviser
and re-
he
said.
"You
have
to
know
what
is
right
norm in Jana's public school, and she
gional
coordinator
of
the
junior
division
and
what's
wrong,
and
then
you
have
to
didn't let such traditions go unchal-
earlier this year. Mr. Zucker helped
decide which way to go.
lenged.
jump-start
the group by taking 24 young
"I
like
to
compare
it
to
throwing
a
"When I was first in NOSY, it was
people
for
a two-day trip to Toronto and
child
in
an
ocean.
Without
any
bound-
strange," she said. "I am a very argu-
mentative person, so I would argue all
the laws. But the others always had an-
swers. Things were explained.
"As I learned, I thought to myself,
`Wait. This makes too much sense.'
Much of Orthodox Judaism makes a lot
of sense to me."
NCSYers by no means agree on every-
thing, but many express a uniform dis-
taste for aspects of modern-day America.
The MTV generation, they say, pro-
motes a high degree of nonchalance in
areas that really ought to matter.
Seventeen-year-old Yah-el Har-el, of
Pittsburgh, Pa., attends public school.
Earlier this month, she went to her
prom with a date, but the couple did not
dance. Yah-el decided to become shomer
negiah about six months ago.
"You don't get to know someone as

M

Niagara Falls last
September.
Upon their return,
21 of the two dozen
young people pitched
in to plan an airport
scavenger hunt, Shab-
batons, a Super Bowl
party, study sessions
and other activities
held throughout the
year.
Another reason for
the increasing popu-
larity of NOSY are
lunch-time forums at
Southfield-Lathrup
and Berkley high
schools. Mr. Zucker
brings kosher food,
which invariably at-
tracts a teen-age crowd. Then, he whets
intellectual appetites by leading the stu-
dents in conversations about nontheis-
tic aspects of Judaism: tensions in Israel,
dating rituals and morality, anti-Semi-
tism and politics. Though not formally
sponsored by NOSY, these "culture
dubs" serve to make young people aware
of the organization.

t's lunchtime. Hamotzi is sung.
Hands are washed. And let it not be
said that campers in this observant
youth group don't adhere to another
time-honored tradition: frogs.
Amid typical mess-hall clamor, one
boy proudly showcases a living tree frog
he captured in an empty pop bottle. Ap-
petizing? Possibly, but hardly kosher.
On the steps outside the lunchroom,
a young man, grinning, passes out busi-
ness cards publicizing his availability:
Ami Goldfein, Nice Jewish Boy From
Detroit, Call ... (Sorry girls. Check the
White Pages.)
And then there's minuchah, rest time,
when NSCYers engage in a myriad of
activities. Some study Talmud in prep-
aration for their D'var Torah pre-
sentations after meals. Others play
tether ball. Still others hang out and
schmooze.
"I read that the average person swal-
lows three bugs each night in his sleep,"
said David Pollack of Cleveland, Ohio,
sitting in the shade near his cabin.
"That's a lie," said a girl nearby.
"Not if you consider that a lot of people
sleep with their mouths open," David
pointed out.
More sublime ponderings are gener-
ally left to study sessions with NOSY
advisers. For instance, before Havdalah
services at last month's retreat, small
groups gathered to discuss bain Yisrael
la'amim, a Torah-based value calling
for the separation of Jews from the
nations of the world. Essentially, it com-
mands Jews not to assimilate.
But should Jews remain apart? The
youth-groupers wondered. Does "sepa-

I