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The room was filled with high school students standing on chairs with their arms wrapped around each other, singing together with great feeling and enthusiasm. The sun was setting, and although Shabbat was fading away, the voices raised in song grew louder and more powerful.

Shalosh Seudot (the third meal of the Sabbath) at the recent New Jersey NCSY Senior Winter Regional Convention, held Dec. 4-7 in Asbury Park, was incredibly moving, and as one NCSYer commented, "Shalosh Seudot was the most meaningful part of the Shabbaton for me."

Others were uplifted by other parts of the program; the regional was comprised of so many different aspects that everyone found at least one activity to enjoy. These included community service projects, singing, dancing, praying, humor, intellectual and educational programs and speakers, comedy, and free time to socialize with other Jewish teenagers.

The convention began Thursday night and lasted until Sunday. I was an advisor at the convention, and as the buses pulled up to the hotel in Asbury Park, the first thing I noticed was the large number of NCSYers slowly arriving and filling the lobby. Approximately 350 teens attended from towns all over New Jersey - Teaneck, Fairlawn, Cherry Hill, West Orange, Twin Rivers, Englishtown - including 45 from Highland Park and 15 from East Brunswick. Under the leadership of Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, director of New Jersey NCSY, there has been continuous growth in recent years, and this was one of New Jersey's biggest regional conventions.

Over the weekend I was fortunate to meet high schoolers of different ages and backgrounds. One particularly significant aspect of New Jersey NCSY is the fact that it brings together those who have grown up in religious homes and kept Shabbat all of their lives and those who attend public school and have never before kept Shabbat.

The theme of the regional was freedom, and the Shabbaton began with an intense multimedia program that, among other things, challenged the teenagers with the question, "What do you do with your freedom?" The young people demonstrated their freedom on Friday morning by taking part in different community service activities, such as cleaning up a beach, cleaning a park, painting a community center, and visiting a nursing home. I joined the group that went to the nursing home, where we visited the elderly. One 11th-grader commented to me, "At first I wasn't sure what to say to them, but then I had a lot of fun." Another added, "One woman told us how glad she was that we came. I really feel like we made a difference."

Freedom took on a new meaning on Friday night when the aunt and uncle of Rabbi Ethan Katz of the New Jersey Region captivated the group by speaking about their traumatic experience of being on a hijacked plane in the 1970s. They were flying from Israel to the United States with their 2-year-old daughter when Arab terrorists hijacked the plane and held them hostage in Jordan for several weeks. I found their story to be astounding and awe-inspiring, and in addition their delivery was absolutely mesmerizing. The courage they demonstrated under the circumstances left me in awe of what they went through. Many were touched by their words as well and at the end of the presentation the entire room stood up and applauded.

Candle in the wind

The most moving part of the weekend for me was the optional kumsitz led by Rabbi Glasser that began just before midnight on Saturday. About 100 NCSYers sat in a circle in a dark room to sing and then pass around a candle; each recipient of the candle took a moment to reflect on something they gained from the Shabbaton. The thoughts expressed that night revealed the extent to which NCSY touches the lives of Jewish youth.

One girl told the room, "NCSY makes me love Judaism more than I already do." Others spoke of the connections they made with other students and advisors, and some began by saying how they ended up becoming involved in NCSY. "My friends made me come on this Shabbaton," one girl admitted, "but so far I love it. I'm having such a great time." One boy took the candle and said, "This is the first Shabbaton I've ever been on, and it's the first time I've ever kept Shabbat." Although the mood of the kumsitz was sober and quiet, the room erupted in applause after his short speech.

Many upper-classmen described the role NCSY has played in their lives and the impact it has had on them. "NCSY is my life," one said. "I've been doing NCSY since Junior NCSY and this is my 13th regional convention," another said proudly. Listening as an advisor, I was inspired by so many people whose Judaism meant so much more to them because of NCSY.

The weekend ended with singing and dancing, which reminded me of the enthusiastic singing and dancing that took place during davening Friday night and before and after Havdala on Saturday night. As I looked around the room, I reflected on two things: How much effort Rabbi Glasser and the entire staff of NCSY put in to create a powerful weekend that inspired so many, and how the NCSYers were able to inspire each other. Many of the students there have already developed a passion for Judaism they were able to share with their peers. The variety of experiences that were presented at the convention had an impact on each and every one of us, and as an advisor I am grateful that I was able to be a part of all that took place.

Tamar Novick is a resident of Highland Park and a senior at Stern College. She graduated from Bruriah High School for Girls in Elizabeth.