Today, Euro Ice 2014 woke up in the spectacular city of Venice, Italy. As we gathered for breakfast, we bid farewell to one of the most culturally rich places in the world. Although we would be saying goodbye for the near future, no one was too upset.

When we boarded the bus everyone was eager and anxious to greet Slovenia. The transition views from northern Italy to Slovenia were nothing short of incredible. As soon as we exited the bus we suited up for (world famous) water rafting in the Sochio river. The water was pretty chilly, but amazingly pure and blue. It tasted fresher than bottled water, I kid you not. Everyone had a blast.

While on the way to the hotel, (although not on the itinerary) we had to stop on the side of the road- not because of car trouble, because the view was so breathtaking that a short drive-by wouldn’t suffice. Everywhere we looked we saw something outrageously stunning. From waterfalls to snowcapped mountains to rock faces covered in thousands of trees, I heard more than a few kids say (including myself) that this was the most beautiful thing they had EVER seen. Trust me, I’ve traveled and seen nothing that even comes close to the beauty we witnessed today. When we arrived at the hotel, we finished with a bang- laundry! Good thing too, most of us were running out of underwear. I can’t wait to spend my second day in this magnificent country.

– Chana Kaufman
Orange County, California

Hi! My name is Chana and I am a rising junior. I love traveling, trying new foods, meeting cool people and snowboarding. I’m having the summer of my life with NCSY.

Hey ya’ll! My name is Zoie Wittenberg, I am 14–but my birthday is in less than a week– and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. This is my first summer on an NCSY summer program; so far, I am having the Best. Summer. Ever. Each beach that we visit is more stunning than the previous, and every historical site is awe inspiring; to think that a couple thousand years ago enemies of the Jewish nation–my forefathers–roamed the same squares that are now filled with a group of aspiring Jewish teenagers is purely mind boggling.

While in Santorini last week, Rabbi Lashak gave a dvar Torah in which he mentioned that Greece merited nine tenths of the world’s portions a beauty after Yefet covered his father Noach’s drunk, passed out, naked body. However, unlike Yefet’s older brother Shem, Yefet covered Noach’s body because he felt that the magnificence of the human body should not be exposed at such a low point. Yefet deserved a reward fit for his desires and beliefs, therefore, Hashem rewarded Yefet with the beauty the he praised; his descendants, the Greeks, merited nine tenths in the world. After seeing even one city in Greece, that is apparent.

Sunday morning we boarded a ferry to the Cycladic Island of Milos. The breathtaking beauty was visible even through the seawater splattered, fogged windows of our ferry as we docked at the port. The air smelled fresh and clear especially after breathing in the city air of Athens all of Shabbat followed by the cramped boat air. I looked around, no stared around. Milos was easily the most magnificent, awe striking place that I have ever been. The beaches are either covered in multicolored smooth pebbles or silky, fine sand. Mountains splattered in greenery line the sky as far as the eye can see in one direction and crystal clear blueish green water spotted in small white capped waves in the other. A picture of Milos should most definitely be next to the definition of perfect in the dictionary. We spent the afternoon hanging out at the beach, riding tubes at 200 kilometers per hour (I am American; I don’t even know what that means, but it sounds fast), and driving peddle boats a little bit too far out into the sea. But the best time on the island was yet to come.

Monday morning we drove to a more remote beach with soft, smooth sand and, in shifts, were shuttled on small motor boats to two big, open air sail boats. Just sitting there, with the boat anchored 100 yards from the shores not even moving, we could see miles of clear water and rocky layers of cliff on the island behind us. Then we pulled out, Music blasting and wind howling, into the open sea. Wow! The beauty was so breath taking, so stunning I couldn’t figure out where to look. All I could say was, “Guys, are you looking at this? No, for real, look!”

Bari and a small group of girls including myself took the opportunity to meditate. We sat in the shade with our eyes closed and breathed picturing our exact location with the only difference being that in our heads, we were the only soul in miles. When we opened our eyes, everything was clearer, brighter, more beautiful. We sat and spoke about Judaism and remaining calm until the boat stopped.

We were informed that if we wanted to swim, we could grab a snorkel or just jump. I spent the next ten or so minutes cracking up at my friends doing flips of the side of the anchored boat and taking videos and pictures. Then it was my turn. I jumped. My body felt a rush of cool, clear sea water. Not only was it a thrill, but I had an epiphany. Only The Master of the Universe could create such wonder.

We swam on through a tunnel into an open cove full of schools of small fish, crabs, and endless boulders covered in seaweed. We swam back around through another tunnel, this time, every one was more dispersed swimming at different paces and taking time to look at different things. I found myself with only a couple of other people swimming through the short tunnel. I slowed down to look at the rocks. There were little crabs crawling about and water trickled from the walls. I pulled my snorkel over my eyes and peered into the water. “Guys, do you mind giving me a minute alone?” I hung back while they swam towards to boat. The water was so crystalline, and the rock that was eroded into the tunnel that I swam through was so diverse. The layers of rock were each such a different color; some were white while others were chocolaty brown and more still made up every shade in between. The rock had to have been millions of years old. I looked back into the water as a school of little sparkly blue fish swam by. The boulders beneath me must have been infested with sea life. Everything was in its Gd given place. It was perfect. I took a deep breath above water and dunked back under. It was time for me to talk to my Creator, the universe’s Creator. Little bubbles flowed from my mouth as I thanked Gd for giving me the opportunity to see such natural beauty. It isn’t every day that you see something that confirms your belief in Heaven. Monday was that day for me. Seeing the fish and crabs in their natural habitat, no doubt surrounded by their predators, but still managing to survive throughout the years healthfully and happily; the hundreds of thousands of years worth of rock buildup formation cascading downward in a majestic manner; and water fresher, clearer, and cleaner than any other salt water body that I have ever seen inspired me to believe in Gd, Melech Malchei HaMalachim. Never in my life have I ever been so certain about anything, let alone my belief in The One Above. As I thanked and praised Gd for perfecting His creations and bringing me to this unbelievable place, I also asked Him for something. I asked Him to allow everyone in this world to find a place like that little nook off the shore of Milos to rediscover Him, to be inspired, to confirm their alliance with Him.

The irony only hit me later: I am in one of the most anti-Semetic countries in the world, a country that has prosecuted Jews countless times over the centuries, the most physically beautiful place in the world feeling inspired to do more of the very things that past generations of Jews were punished for doing. I am in Greece. The land blessed with solely physically beauty seeing Yad Hashem. I guess everyone has to have that one place–whether it be in their head, their bedroom, a forest, or off the shore of Milos–that convinces them to appreciate the One Above. I guess that for me it is here in Milos. I see that Gd fulfilled His promise to Yefet: He gave his children the beauty that Yefet admired. It is up to us to see that everything, even the most unspiritual seeming places in the world, come from Gd.

With each day that passes we come closer to the end of our trip in Greece, but the fun is here and the memories will live on. As we prepared for Shabbat on Friday night we reflected back on the amazing week we left behind us and continued to learn about Ancient Greek in relation to Jewish history. We arrived at shul and were amazed by the unique customs and styles of the Roman Sephard people. Through this, we learned how over 2500 years, many of the customs of the Greek Jewish people have adapted to the surrounding society of the native Greek culture. Although, we looked and sounded different, our Jewish identities united as one.
On Saturday, the skies opened up and the water flowed down the main street in Athens like the Jordan River. Nonetheless, we hiked four miles to the Acropolis, where we all saw the Parthenon. Finally, the sun came out from behind the clouds and we were able to learn about the Ancient Greek people and their beliefs, from our wonderful tour guide, Rania.
The weekend finished off with a boat ride to Milos where we were able to enjoy sports and swimming in both beautiful Greek beaches and an infinity pool.
There have been many opportunities to bond with all the incredible people on this program and I am so excited to spend time in Israel with them this upcoming week and make memories that will last a lifetime. I look forward to the many adventures and the shawarma that is just around the corner.

Jayson Kreidstein was inspired on TJJ to spend a second summer on an NCSY program. He loves baseball, works part time as a super model, has 6 pet snakes, and lives in Toronto. His nickname on the trip is Jayson. After Euro ICE he is going to spend his days wondering the wonderful streets of Toronto.*

*Based on true facts

We made it to Athens! With not much time to spare, we made it in time to the Great Synagogue of Athens in style likavod shabbat kodesh. We had the honor of meeting the Rav of the synagogue and to have our shabbat meals with the Chabbad rabbi of Athens in the only kosher restaurant in all of Greece! We sang our hearts out  all shabbat long and were inspired by the words of Rabbi Lashak, Akiva Bruck, and Hadar Ramot.

We  toured the Acropolis,  the Agora, and the Parthenon with our awesome tour guide Ranya! We finished off shabbat with an amazing ebbing, a session of “Shoot the Rabbi”, and a beautiful havdalah sung by Elliot Tanzman.

We’re looking forward to an awesome two days in Milos!

Hello all! This morning we had a tour with Ranya and visited the History Museum of Thera. We are heading to the ferry and will Gd willing, be in Athens for a wonderful Shabbos! We would like to kick off the blogs with Aaron Traub, One of the members of the media team. Shabbat Shalom!
Hi my name is Aaron Traub. I am a 16 years old, I’m from Hollywood, Florida, and this is my first time on Euro ICE!! The first week has come to a close and I loved it! The experience started with a very memorable plane, boat and bus ride to the island of Mykonos where I got to meet everyone on the program.

We got to Mykonos and on the first day, we toured the island and learned about the history of the island. The next day, we did activities known as “ice breakers” where we did activities to get to know one another (need help with details). We then went to the beach and swam in the ocean along with playing a competitive game of volleyball where boys went against the girls.

After Mykonos, we went to the island of Santorini where we went to the beach canoeing and rafting. After that, we explored the island of Santorini.

At the beginning of the trip, many of us just saw a bunch of kids from a different state. It seemed to me like a lot of them knew each other from before and felt comfortable talking with their friends and hanging out with them. Surprisingly some of them just met! I was nervous at first but after a couple of days, everyone came together and stepped out of their comfort zone, which is what euro ice is about!!

In Mykonos on the second day, I had a great time on the beach; it was beautiful and I had a lot of fun playing volleyball with everyone, laughing and just having fun! Santorini is a beautiful place. The bus rides have been great for meeting the campers and advisors. The tours have been really informative, and just from the first week I foresee this trip being an amazing one.

Wishing everyone a fantastic Shabbat and weekend!

Aaron Traub

It was a long journey, but we got here and are loving it! From the flights to the high speed ferry, we were able to view the beautiful islands from so many different vantage points! We rested up and had a wonderful first few days. We were grouped up into our respective chaburot and got to learn various different topics with the advisors.

Our advisor Shosh created some fun ICE breakers for us. We split up into groups to design posters representing ourselves. We then played a game of  speed dating and got to meet the people we haven’t been able to introduce ourselves to previously.

We then got to travel around Mykonos, and visit various sites and shoppes around the area. Discussions about the significance of Shiva Asar Bitammuz with Nathan and Rabbi Lashak were held, and we will be concluding the evening with a breakfast and night swimming!

We’ve been having a great time so far, and we look forward to more good times to come!

Hello to all of our future ICErs! Some of you are returning to the program for yet another year, some of you will be experiencing this incredible summer program for the first time, and some will be looking at how amazing our summer is and start making plans to join us next year!

The countdown is on, less than three weeks until we head to Greece, tour the Acropolis, sail to the capital of Crete, shop in the boutiques in Plaka, and more! After that, it’s two weeks filled with adventure, touring and experiencing Israel from top to bottom. NCSY Euro ICE is shaping up to be one incredible program!

Rabbi Lashak and his team are working hard to make sure that this summer is filled with fun, Torah, and adventure. They are also happy to answer any questions that teens and parents have regarding packing, dress code, rules, or any other questions of concerns one may have.

We can’t wait to meet you all! Get ready for the #BestSummerEver #NCSYEuroICE2014

We can’t wait to meet you all!

Sincerely,

Euro ICE 2014 media team

During my summer on Euro ICE I had many experiences that I never thought could change me in such a way as they have now. As I’m sitting on the bus writing this blog, ready to leave Israel in eight hours, I can really look back at all my experiences and reflect on how much each one has molded me into what I will be leaving this program as. Through all of the amazing moments and unforgettable memories, one particular moment will forever be imprinted into my heart and soul. On Friday morning of July 26th, we all got woken up as our usual wake up calls went; crawling from our beds like zombies as our advisors insist that we hurry up and get down for davening. We had to wake up extra early that morning because we had to avoid the scorching heat of the desert that Masada lays in. When we arrived to the mountain I had fear and excitement all strung together inside my heart. We started hiking and it felt effortless. After a few minutes I started to feel the puffs of humid air entering and releasing from my lungs. But then my friend Noah Marlowe and I arrived at the first set of steps and he mentioned that this part is where the climb actually starts. AlI I could think is “what the five sheck?”. After a brutal climb and many stops to try and catch the breaths I left behind along the way, I felt the best breath of air Hashem could bless me with. The first gasp for air at the top of the mountain. After all the pain, heat, and sweat I endured I had made it. A mountain I’d never thought I could climb, I did. And with this physical climb came an emotional one. We all had the chance to pray at the top of the mountain. This was the first time I’d ever cried and felt a tug in my heart while reciting Shacharit. After putting in more than my body could endure, my soul became uplifted with pride. Experiencing this moment allowed me to see how much better it feels to actually push yourself to climb a mountain, rather than expecting it to climb itself. Through the physical struggle came a spiritual moment. Climbing a mountain isn’t just physical, climbing a mountain takes desire. With this moment I saw the emotional desire I must attain in order to climb this blazing hot mountain. Not only is it amazing to me that I had accomplished something I would say months ago I’d never be able to do, but I did it feeling Hashem every step of the way. A mountain is only there to do one thing; show you that you can either give up simply trying, or prove to yourself that all that intense pain and struggle was worth it when you can stand at the top and stare down at where you started.

Natasha Raizel Zucker

I was mc for the talent show and I decided to make it really funny. At first I was introduced as goofy and did my funny goofy voice. I introduced some people and then I was in one of the performances with Sam, Samantha, David, Aaron, Shannon, and Naomi. We made fun of the meetings the counselors have after curfew. The subject of our meeting was to come up with a new idea about how to wake the kids up in the morning. I played Rabbi Lashak, everyone said I was funny and that I did the greatest impression. Later I switched costumes into a rock and roll chiller (סטלן). I wore shorts, an undershirt, sunglasses, and boxers on my head. I brought my fake guitar and wore a pink bed sheet for a cape. I introduced some more people and then switched into someone from the hood “You know what I’m sayin?!” Was the infamous line used throughout the night. Our talent show was one of a kind. Congratulations to Hannah and Eli for winning with their hit single 42 (brothers and sisters).
Peace out!

From the magnificent Slovenian alps to the holiness of the kotel EURO ICE has definitely been a trip of a lifetime not to forget the forty two brothers and sisters that I made. Ice has changed me. I’ve learned so much about myself and who I am as a Jew. Seeing different cultures and ways that other Jews live has really impacted me and made me more aware of who I am as a Jew.

In Europe, we visited some of the most beautiful places on earth and learned about different cultures. It was a surreal experience. However once we arrived in Israel Rabbi Lashak reminded us that this is the place where we belong, there is no place more holy. Every time we came to a holy place Rabbi would tell us to “rip out our hearts” and try to take as much out of these experiences as we could.

As we leave Israel and head back home I’m so happy to have met amazing advisors who I know will always be there for me as well as forty two brothers and sisters that will always be close to my heart.