Jewish Pride: Thousands of Teens Converge on Times Square

NEW YORK—On double-decker buses and packed subway cars, 2,500 exuberant Jewish teens from 650 chapters of the Chabad-Lubavitch teen network CTeen converged on Manhattan’s Times Square for a concert and musical havdalah ceremony marking the end of Shabbat. Saturday night’s mass display of Jewish pride was the culmination of the annual CTeen weekend retreat when thousands of teens—from 26 countries and 400 cities—from Paris to Rio de Janeiro—soak up Jewish inspiration, learning and camaraderie with friends new and old.

In a cacophony of languages, the teens wound their way down the city streets, singing refrains of Jewish pride and connection, as they made their way to the fenced-off area of Times Square. The night’s theme, “Whenever, wherever,” kicked off with a diverse group of teens each sharing their story of ‘doing Jewish’ in whatever environments they find themselves, whether for Eli Rosin from San Antonio, Texas, on the tennis court with his kippah or Jac Copeland from Skokie, Ill., an aspiring chef adapting his fare to only cook kosher, whenever, wherever.

As the teens continued to throng into the square, they were whipped up into a dazzling blur of color as they danced—boys on one side, girls on another—shoulder to shoulder with Chassidic music star Beri Weber’s energy, blending the multitude of national flags—Israel, the Union Jack, Argentina, Ukraine, Brazil—into one cohesive mass of international Jewish pride. Outside the square, onlookers stood and watched, some even dancing along, while inside, the fervor only grew.

Addressing the 14th annual CTeen convention, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch—Chabad’s education arm—spoke about the guiding principles of the Chassidic philosophy and the call of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—to print its foundational text everywhere there are Jews. Kotlarsky then ceremonially concluded the printing of a Tanya right there in Times Square.

Shane Goldstein, from Charlotte, N.C., says he left his hometown “kind of apprehensive to wear a kippah in public. And now, I’m going back and I have no such feelings. (Credit: Mendel Super)

The impact the CTeen convention has on teens lasts far longer than a weekend. For some, it begins even before they set foot in New York. A Houston teen gave up his position on the lacrosse team after his coach told him he’d either have to skip the CTeen convention or lose his spot on the team. But for many, the energy, inspiration and unity they experience over the weekend are catalysts for long-term Jewish commitment. “What I’m taking home with me, what I’ve decided, is that the night before my marriage I want to go to the mikvah,” Elliana Tesler, 15, from St. Johns, Fla., tells Chabad.org about her resolve to create a Jewish home for the next generation.

Tesler says that her highlight of the weekend was “meeting different people from different backgrounds and having one thing in common, that we’re all Jewish and connecting with them on a religious level.” Her friend, 16-year-old Auriel Henderson, another teen from the St. Johns chapter, says she’d like to bring the Shabbat spirit she experienced in New York back home to her family. “In my household, we don’t always do Shabbat and Shabbat candles,” Henderson says. “I’d like to bring that home and start doing it with my family and celebrating our Judaism more.”

A group from St. Johns,Fla. From left: Gabby Vainshelboim, Auriel Henderson, Dini Sharfstein, co-director of Chabad St. Johns, and Elliana Tesler.

Over the din and screams of excited girls yelling the refrain, “I’m proud to be a Jew!” Gabby Vainshelboim, 15, a third girl from St. Johns, says that what struck her was “seeing so many Jews, all together in one place. It’s something you never see, especially coming from a small community like I do. It really brought the Jewish community to me.”

Shane Goldstein, from Charlotte, N.C., says he left his hometown “kind of apprehensive to wear a kippah in public. And now, I’m going back and I have no such feelings.” Goldstein says he loved every moment of the weekend. “It was jam-packed. We went from place to place, walking with your friends is the best thing. We were never bored. We got to see all these awesome people. It was pretty great.” What he enjoyed most, though, was the Times Square concert. “We took over the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world and just partied.”

Heading back by subway to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, where the program continues, Shai Kaszynski, 16, and Walter Belenkiy, 15, both of Deerfield, Ill., share their experience. “I’m having so much fun,” Kaszynski laughs, as he stands in the crowded subway car filled with teens. “It was crazy; there were so many teens there all sharing the same experience.” He says he’ll take that “outward pride of being Jewish” home with him by wearing a kippah at school.

“I really liked the whole Shabbos experience, hearing all the speakers; it was really inspirational,” Belenkiy says. He says he’s come away more committed than ever, “commitment to doing mitzvahs.”

Thousands of teens packed Times Square (Photo: Shalom Srugo)

(Photo: Shalom Srugo)

Speakers acknowledged the Rebbe's ongoing influence. (Photo: Shalom Srugo)

Holding the Havdalah candle in a cermony witnessed by thousands. .(Credit: Dov Ber Hechtman)

The Havdalah ceremony was a spiritual highlight of the event .(Credit: Dov Ber Hechtman)

Heading back by subway to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, were from left: Walter Belenkiy, Shai Kaszynski and Rabbi Chaim Schanowitz.(Photo: Mendel Super)