United Synagogue Youth (USY) is the youth movement of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. USY operates in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The goal of the movement is to bring Jewish teenagers closer to Judaism and Israel through learning and social interaction. The organization was founded in 1951, under the auspices of the Youth Commission of what was then the United Synagogue of America.
USY runs a variety of summer tours sponsored by the "USY: Great Escape" program. Israel Adventure is a four-week, Israel-only trip which consists of three weeks touring around Israel and one week spent in paramilitary army training called Gadna.[1] The Eastern Europe/Israel Pilgrimage consists of exploring the history and cultures of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Berlin for two weeks and spending the remaining four weeks touring Israel. The trip's itinerary before 2008 included Hungary instead of Lithuania.[2] This summer they will be going to Germany instead of Lithuania or Hungary. The Italy/Israel Pilgrimage consists of one week touring prominent historical locations in Italy and then four weeks touring Israel.[3] The Israel Pilgrimage/Poland Seminar consists of nine days touring prominent Jewish locations, former Jewish communities, and Nazi concentration camps in Poland before spending four weeks touring Israel. Past groups have visited Sobibor, Majdanek, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Treblinka, Warsaw, Kraków, Lublin, Kielce, and many others.[4] Etgar! Outdoor Adventure: Israel is a five-week program that goes beyond the souvenir stands to discover the Israeli side of Israel, combining volunteer work with challenging nature hikes in the Galilee, Golan Heights, and the Negev.[5] USY on Wheels is a six and half-week bus tour across the United States and Canada, which visits different Jewish communities and tourist attractions across America, including the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Mount Rushmore, and many others.[6] In Mission Mitzvah, participants engage in community service projects and social action.[7] Summer in the City is a co-ed, four week pre-college program that takes place in New York City. The USYers live in the List College dorm. Participants choose a class to take at Barnard College in the morning with students participating in Barnard's Pre-College Program and the entire group takes a class at the Jewish Theological Seminary in the afternoon. In the evenings and on weekends, the group enjoys New York activities such as a New York Yankeesgame, a Broadway show and visits to museums. The group spends one weekend at the New Jersey shore. USY High is an eight-week program in which high schoolers (juniors and seniors) live at the Israel Goldstein Youth Village in Jerusalem, studying and exploring Israel. In the campus classroom, participants are introduced chronologically to each historical period. Campus class time is interspersed with time experiencing the "classroom without walls" - the Land of Israel. Participants learn in an ancient cave, a mountain fortress, an army bunker, riding on a camel, or at the beach. It is the sister program of Tichon Ramah Yerushalaim (TRY), which is done by Ramah. TRY is seventeen weeks long and is for sophomores and juniors
- wikipedia
| Name of region | Details of name | Areas covered | President |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRUSY | Central Region USY | Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, | Ilana Kramer |
| CHUSY | Chicagoland USY | Northern Illinois, Milwaukee, Madison | Elan Sykes |
| ECRUSY | Eastern CanadianRegion USY | Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island,Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut | Jonah Eisen |
| Emtza USY | Hebrew: אמצע, "middle" | Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, | Ben Usem |
| EPA USY | Eastern PennsylvaniaUSY | Eastern and Northern Pennsylvania from Harrisburg to Scranton | Jake Wasserman |
| Far West USY | Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, | Rory Carmer | |
| Hagalil USY | Hebrew: הגליל, "theGalilee" | Northern and Central New Jersey | Scott Greenberg |
| Hagesher USY | Hebrew: הגשר, "The bridge" | Philadelphia area, Main Line, Brynmawr, South Jersey. | Saul Shaaltiel |
| Hanefesh USY | Hebrew: הנפש, "the soul" | Connecticut and Western Massachusetts | Penina Beede |
| Hanegev USY | Hebrew: הנגב, "theNegev" | Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Southern North Carolina,South Carolina, | Marc Sznapstajler |
| METNY USY | Metropolitan New YorkUSY | Greater New York City and Long Island | Morgan Brill |
| NERUSY | New England Region USY | Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, | Daniella Levine |
| New Frontier USY | Northern California, Reno, Nevada | Sara Rochman | |
| Pinwheel USY | Pacific Northwest USY | Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta | Zara Pollack |
| Seaboard USY | Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Northeastern North Carolina | Jordan Brandt | |
| SWUSY | Southwest USY | Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mexico | Eliana Horowitz |
| Tzafon USY | Hebrew: צפון, | Upstate New York, Western Massachusetts, Southwestern Vermont | Daniel Rubin |
