teen 2 teen extern

Community Unity

At Haifa-Pistons game, the big win was celebrating Israel — and one another.

Zach Herschfus
Teen2Teen Staff Writer

A

s I looked around the stadium, it
brought a special warmth to my
heart. On Oct. 8, the Palace of
Auburn Hills was alive with energy — not
just the energy of the Maccabi Haifa and
Detroit Pistons players, but the energy of
our Jewish community cheering on two
teams that they love.
As the majority of the stadium filled
with members from all parts of Detroit's
Jewish community, both young and old,
there was a strong feeling that permeated
the atmosphere: unity.
Not only was the game amazing, but the
pre-game "warm-up" for four local youth
organizations was energizing as well.
Members of the StandWithUs, Yachad,
Bnei Akiva and NCSY organizations took
this opportunity to come together in a
celebration of the Jewish homeland and its
people.

Zach Herschfus and Chan! Shevin show

off their "I heart Israel" poster at the
Palace during a special evening for

Detroit's Jewish community.

Youth group participants met at Akiva
Hebrew Day School in Southfield for a
pre-game tailgate party with friends as
well as a discussion about Israel's achieve-

a residence

ments. The event culminated with a
"Banner Bash:' where each participant
was able to create an "I heart Israel
because ..." banner ("I heart Israel" is an
ongoing StandWithUs campaign), which
they proudly displayed at the game.
Donning "I heart Israel" bracelets,
sunglasses and pins, spirited participants
boarded Palace-bound buses toting their
banners with pride, eager to display them
at the game.
StandWithUs is dedicated to educating
the public about Israel and to combating
the extremism and anti-Semitism that
often distort the public's view. Yachad is
an organization dedicated to addressing
the needs of all Jewish individuals with
disabilities and ensuring their inclusion in
every aspect of Jewish life.
NCSY connects with Jewish teens
through social and recreational programs
to develop a positive Jewish identity and
inspires Jewish teens through informal
Jewish education, retreats and summer

programs. Bnei Akiva is a religious Zionist
youth movement dedicated to growing
generations of Jews committed to building
a society devoted to Torah and the Jewish
people in Israel and is at the forefront of
religious Zionist education for youth, by
youth.
As I boarded the bus to go to the Palace,
I was elated and proud to be a member
of these four organizations that have so
greatly impacted my life; however, when I
entered the arena, my pride grew as I was
enveloped by the spirit of members from
all facets of the Detroit community who
were beaming with achdut (unity), and it
made me even prouder to be a member of
the Detroit Jewish community.

❑

Zach Herschfus is a junior at Akiva Hebrew

Day School in Southfield. He is an MZ Intern

for StandWithUS and serves as a president

of the Detroit Chapter of Yachad. Zach also

holds positions on the boards of NCSY and

Bnel Alava.

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