Dear Mom and Dad,

Today we woke up in Venice ready to go to Slovenia. After getting breakfast in, and taking the train off the island, we boarded our bus for a three hour ride. I awoke to the gorgeous mountains painted with trees in Slovenia, when I looked down I saw some of the clearest waters I have ever seen with a turquoise tint.

After we pulled over, we took pictures and began to get into our wetsuits to begin one of the best things I’ve ever done, white water rafting. We split up into groups of eight and we each got a raft guide. We began paddling down the most gorgeous river I have ever seen and soon we jumped out of the raft and began to drink the water that came from the mountains. It was the best water I have ever had.

Once we returned to the boat, we began to paddle, while counting to three in order to make sure we paddled correctly. Our guide taught us how to count to three in Slovenian. Eventually we pulled over our raft and got out. The guide then flipped the boat leaning it against rocks making a slide we could climb up and jump off from. Even though the water was freezing it felt amazing because of the heat.

Today was amazing and I cant believe how lucky I have been to go on such an amazing trip. I want to say thank you and that I love you and miss you a lot!
Love, Matthew

OMH!!! (Oh My Hashem) The first Shabbat on Euro Ice was beyond amazing!! We started off with mincha and mariv in the most beautiful shul from the sixteenth century. After that we went to Gimmel Garden and had a delicious shabbos meal. The whole Shabbos was spent in the memorable Jewish Ghetto of Venice. We learned from our advisors that during the times of the Holocaust and many centuries before that the Jews were forced to stay inside this area in Venice, but now it is filled with Shuls, shops, and delicious kosher foods. Oh Shabbat day, in the late afternoon we went on an inspiring walk around Venice, Italy. It was so beautiful how all transportation was by foot or boat. It was so peaceful to not hear cars honking and it really felt like Shabbat. We walked around and saw the beautiful Saint Marks Plaza. We ended off Shabbat by singing beautiful zemiros, hearing amazing speeches and joining in the best Havdalah ever! I can’t wait for another Shabbat with Euro Ice! #bestsummerever

Love,
Chaya Kenigsberg & Enya Smilovic

Dear Daddy,

So far this trip has been amazing! On Wednesday we arrived in Italy. Our first stop was Lake Como. We took a walk around the lake, taking in the beauty of the country. We them took the Vinicular (cable car) up to the lookout where we saw some absolutely spectacular views. We then got a cool dip in the lake, which felt amazing in the heat. When we left the lake we went to dinner at Resalamone where we were treated to a delicious meat dinner. We then headed to the hotel in Milan and were given an inspiring shiur on Heaven and Hell by Rabbi Lashak.

On Thursday we went to the center of town for some sightseeing and shopping. We spent the second half of the day traveling to Venice by bus and by train. When we arrived in Venice we ate a delicious dinner of Sicilian pizza at Ghimmel Garden. The restaurant was on the canal and it has absolutely stunning views. It is so pretty here and I can’t wait to experience all of the beautiful things here this Shabbos.  Love and miss you!

Rebecca

Dear Mom and Dad,

We’re finally here! We had two flights which together were really long, but we finally made it! Switzerland is such a beautiful country! I have never seen anything like this before. Today we went on this really cool monorail train that was so steep. It took us up the Swiss Alps, to one of the highest points in Switzerland. Standing on top of the mountain was one of the most amazing things that I have ever done. After that we went down to a lower part of the mountain where we were each given three times to go tobogganing down part of the mountain. We were given a sled like object to sit in, which we were able to steer with a lever. It was so much fun. After tobogganing we went to an area that had some of the strongest waterfalls that I have ever seen before. The water in Switzerland is so clean! The lakes are blue and you can see through the water to the floor. It is so clean that we can even drink it from the tap. We are on our way back to the hotel now – on to Italy!

All the best,

Moshe

Rabbi Israel Lashak was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He attended high school in Baltimore Ner Yisroel Yeshiva where he also received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Talmudic Law. He has an additional Masters degree in administrative science from Johns Hopkins University. In 1992, Rabbi Lashak received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Yochanan Zwieg in Miami, Florida. Rabbi Lashak began his career with NCSY over 20 years ago and became the Regional Director of the Southwest region in 1996. Along the way, Rabbi Lashak has had an immense impact on Klal Yisroel. From founding a school to running Birthright Israel trips, Rabbi Lashak has left no stone unturned in his quest to inspire all Jews of the Dallas community. Of course, his greatest impact has been on the Jewish teens of Dallas, and those from around the country, who have come to thousands of Latte & Learning programs and Shabbatonim or traveled to Europe and Israel on NCSY Summer Programs. He is also a co-founder of NCSY in Latin America and has spent countless hours teaching Spanish-speaking students of all ages, all over North and South America. Rabbi Lashak is also known as a passionate and dynamic public speaker who has thrilled audiences of all sizes and all ages in English, Spanish and Hebrew in twenty-seven different countries.

Hi I am Yaakov Borenstein. I am originally  from West Hempstead, NY and now live in Washington heights. I have been involved with NCSY for 15 years starting as an NCSYer and continuing as a staff member. I went on Euro Ice 10 years ago as a camper and this will be my fourth year on the program as staff. I have a degree in mental health counseling and I am currently getting my PhD in counseling psychology. My family comes Colombia, South America and I am fluent in Spanish. I love to travel, I love soccer and having a good time.

I’m Elliot Tanzman, also known as Tanz. I grew in Hillcrest NY and went to Rambam in the 5ts. Where I played on 5 sports teams (hockey, softball, tennis, soccer &……….. BOWLING, high score of 269). I spent 2 years in Shraga, followed by 3 years in YU.  Majored in business management. I work year round for NCSY recruiting all of the kids and staff for summer programs!!! This will be my 6th summer with Rabbi & Wifey…. Yes we call her Wifey…

Can’t wait to meet all of you at the airport next Sunday!

Hey All. My Name is Eliana, and I cannot wait to be staffing Euro Ice for my second time, this summer. I am from the awesome, underrated town of Edison, NJ, and recently graduated from Queens College, with a major in Psychology. During the year I work for NJ NCSY, and was also an advisor for the Southwest Region. I love singing at the top of my lungs (YES I am tone deaf…but you’ll love it anyway 🙂 ), dancing in the rain (doesn’t everyone?), and long walks on the beach (I actually hate sand…but I felt like that went, right?). Some cool things you should know about me are that I have a twin brother, love to color in coloring books, and am always up for a game of beanboozled. Can’t wait to get to meet you all in the airport next week and get ready for the best summer of your life, cuz it’s go time in #8days!!!!

Gavriela Colton is from Teaneck, NJ. She attended Ma’ayanot for High School and then spent a year in Eretz Yisrael at MMY. She is currently a student at Stern College. Gavi loves all parts of NCSY, having done Brooklyn NY NCSY, Seattle NCSY and now is spending her second summer with NCSY SUMMER! Gavriela is known for her love of sports and tons of energy! She has a really hard time sitting on airplanes since shes so tall (5″11- eat your veggies people), and is always up for randomness and making EVERYTHING fun! Breakfast is for sure her favorite meal of the day, usually opting for ice cream but even better if its an all you can eat 😉 She cannot wait to have a crazy, unbelievable time and party it up with all of the EURO ICEers coming this summer!