Teens from Around the World Gather for USY’s 68th International Convention

January 8, 2019
Teens from across the country celebrate Opening Session of USY International Convention with teens from the Metropolitan New York area. Photo credit: Alloor Photography.

Nearly 1,000 Jewish teenagers, educators, and USY staff and alumni recently came together in Orlando, FL for USY’s 68th International Convention.

Teens from Westport USY, of the Conservative Synagogue in Westport, CT., accept the International Chapter of the Year Award from Zachary Zabib, the 2018 International USY president. Photo credit: Alloor Photography.

The largest annual gathering of Conservative and Masorti Jewish teens, the convention brought together young adults from across the globe to experience and give back to the local Orlando community, engage in interactive learning, gain leadership skills, and build a strong Jewish future.

Twelfth graders deliver care packages to a police officer who was working Christmas. Photo credit: Alloor Photography.

This year, with almost 600 USYers registered, the convention welcomed more teens than it has the last two years.

Tenth graders from HaNegev, the Southeastern region, spent Christmas with the elderly at Kinneret, an Orlando independent living facility, Photo credit: Alloor Photography.

The North American USYers had an opportunity to meet and learn from teens from Israel and Argentina, who are members of NOAM, the Masorti youth movement.

Teens get creative with prayer at arts & crafts shacharit. Photo credit: Alloor Photography.

And also heard from Israeli youth on behalf of the Jordan River Village Camp, the only year-round, overnight camp and retreat center in the Middle East where children (ages 9-18) living with serious illnesses of all backgrounds can just be kids.

Ninth, tenth, and twelfth graders pose at Disney Springs. Photo credit: Alloor Photography.