Editors Note: For today's article, PPN invited senior and PPN writer Jordan Bitton to share his profile essay on Schechter students' current relationship with Jewish youth groups. As studied in Schechter's senior-level College Writing course, profile essays are generally about an interesting person, place, or activity, and the writer seeks to share his or her fascination for the subject with the reader. Frequently, profiles incorporate quotes based on interviews, which are reflected here. Note that the content of this essay does not necessarily reflect the views of all students or of the Schechter School of Long Island.
It’s the end of November, after Thanksgiving. Trees are bare, and snow is on the radar in New York. Students dread the coming weeks as winter break approaches. For most students, winter break is the only goal in sight, whether they are travelling around the world or enjoying a much-needed “staycation.” However, a few students have a different goal in mind: Youth Group Fall Convention. A handful of current students at The Schechter School of Long Island are involved in a variety of outside youth organizations, with the most popular being United Synagogue Youth (USY) and B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO). But some Schechter alumni and staff who participated in these youth groups remember a different atmosphere, a day known throughout the narrow confines of Schechter as "convention Fridays," when SSLI would lose over half the student body to a USY convention.
Along with countless alumni who return to visit SSLI, current staff members Josh Jurysta and Myles Resnick can easily recall their own experiences and attest to a unique vibe around these organizations that seems to have dimmed in recent years. Therefore, an important question must be asked: What do students at Schechter do outside of school instead of participating in these groups, and why has the amount of participation and leadership emanating from Schechter diminished?
Over the years, Schechter students have held leadership positions in these outside Jewish youth organizations at the chapter (local), regional (state/area), and international levels, stemming from the Jewish values taught at Schechter and from leadership skills developed by students. USY has led as the prominent youth organization at SSLI, with countless Schechter students holding high leadership positions; indeed, over the years, many of our student leaders have passed the torch to other Schechter students. During the 2025 fall convention season, however, Schechter sent a total of roughly nine students, split between USY and BBYO, to these conventions. Only three of those students hold leadership roles, and only one of them has a regional position.
Over the years, Schechter students have held leadership positions in these outside Jewish youth organizations at the chapter (local), regional (state/area), and international levels, stemming from the Jewish values taught at Schechter and from leadership skills developed by students. USY has led as the prominent youth organization at SSLI, with countless Schechter students holding high leadership positions; indeed, over the years, many of our student leaders have passed the torch to other Schechter students. During the 2025 fall convention season, however, Schechter sent a total of roughly nine students, split between USY and BBYO, to these conventions. Only three of those students hold leadership roles, and only one of them has a regional position.
SSLI Marketing Coordinator, Schechter alum, and USY alum Myles Resnick reflected on his experience as a USYer and recalls around “300 people from New York alone” in comparison to the 100 people that attended the most recent USY convention, composed of teens from New York, New Jersey, and New England. According to Resnick, Schechter, on its own, used to send a “lowball of 30 and highball of 70” students to these conventions, depending on the weekend and the location of the convention. Resnick was a very involved leader in USY, holding chapter, divisional, and regional titles. Reportedly, he was not alone: “On my regional board, four out of nine of us were Schechter students, and on my divisional board, three out of six of us were Schechter students.”
Junior Madison Hoffman, who is very involved locally, regionally, and internationally in BBYO, shared that “usually, regional events bring in around 200-350 teens with around 1,000 teens involved with BBYO on Long Island and over 50,000 involved internationally.” Currently, only three Schechter students attended the regional convention, and only five are registered with BBYO in general.
What are Schechter students doing instead of the organizations? SSLI Interim Head of School Ofra Hiltzik, more commonly known as just "Ofra" for both her name and job title, does not know exactly what her students are doing if not USY or BBYO. As a strong supporter of USY and the organization’s mission, along with the “products they produce and send out to the real world,” she said that she “can’t put her finger on why participation and leadership in these organizations aren’t able to reignite at Schechter.”
One interpretation offered by Resnick is that the weak presence is due to the Schechter students' “lack of need” for these organizations. He further explained that the COVID-19 pandemic showed students that they don’t want or need extracurricular activities such as USY. His main point is that, unfortunately, the lack of need during COVID reflects the lack of need now.
Why does any of this matter? Why should students participate and gain leadership in USY or BBYO? SSLI Athletic Director and SSLI and USY alum Josh Jurysta shared that his experiences in USY supported the Judaic Studies and Hebrew curricula that he studied at Schechter, teaching him important leadership skills and how to be a more mindful and observant Jew. Jurysta added that Schechter students should definitely join USY or youth groups in general because the experience is very valuable and worthwhile. He did note that, although leadership roles in these groups require a specific kind of person, most students at Schechter hold the capacity to grow into these roles and should do so through youth groups like USY.
Current sophomore Jake Siegel is an active participant in USY who recently traveled across the country on USY’s summer trip and has attended local and regional events for the past two years. Outside of USY and SSLI, Siegel attends other Jewish programs including Camp Ramah in the Berkshires and a teen leadership development program with the American Jewish Committee; both programs are common among Schechter students. Agreeing with the notion that SSLI students don't feel the need to participate in outside Jewish leadership/organizations, Siegel noted that Schechter students are surrounded by the Jewish community solely by going to Schechter, so most students might not be as eager to go out and do other Jewish programs.
Why does any of this matter? Why should students participate and gain leadership in USY or BBYO? SSLI Athletic Director and SSLI and USY alum Josh Jurysta shared that his experiences in USY supported the Judaic Studies and Hebrew curricula that he studied at Schechter, teaching him important leadership skills and how to be a more mindful and observant Jew. Jurysta added that Schechter students should definitely join USY or youth groups in general because the experience is very valuable and worthwhile. He did note that, although leadership roles in these groups require a specific kind of person, most students at Schechter hold the capacity to grow into these roles and should do so through youth groups like USY.
Current sophomore Jake Siegel is an active participant in USY who recently traveled across the country on USY’s summer trip and has attended local and regional events for the past two years. Outside of USY and SSLI, Siegel attends other Jewish programs including Camp Ramah in the Berkshires and a teen leadership development program with the American Jewish Committee; both programs are common among Schechter students. Agreeing with the notion that SSLI students don't feel the need to participate in outside Jewish leadership/organizations, Siegel noted that Schechter students are surrounded by the Jewish community solely by going to Schechter, so most students might not be as eager to go out and do other Jewish programs.
That said, Siegel mentioned that between living Jewishly post-October 7 and wanting to meet other Jewish teens, USY is a comfortable and fun experience. Siegel shared that he can learn more about Judaism and how other Jews might practice it firsthand while still having fun and enjoying the company of his friends. He also expressed interest in possibly holding a leadership position in USY in the future. Even when surrounded by Judaism, especially as a Schechter student, Siegel remains an active participant in USY and a handful of other leadership organizations outside of Schechter and encourages others to do the same.
In recent years, the Jewish conservative movement as a whole has been struggling and losing presence nationally, especially in its youth divisions. Both Resnick and Ofra agree that the conservative movement itself and synagogues and youth groups have been facing hardships since COVID-19 and are facing a difficult situation as they try to return to normal operations. Even five years after the pandemic, the Schecter School of Long Island has produced around 90% fewer organizational leaders than it did even just six years ago. Out of 86 students between the 8th and 12th grades at Schechter, only around 10 students are actively involved in USY or BBYO, and just four of these students hold leadership positions. Ofra notes that “The crème de la crème of my children are leading the right positions, and I'm so happy and proud of them for being there.” As a strong admirer of these youth organizations, Ofra has labeled them as “a gift that keeps on giving.”
Schechter students at a USY event. (J. Bitton)
Ofra’s final message to the student body is simple: “USY is a youth movement that I strongly believe in, for which they stand for, and the qualities that they teach in leadership are unbelievable, and if I were you, I would join it.”
Jordan Bitton is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since November 2022. Jordan is currently a senior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: Jbitton26@schechterli.org
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