The Youth Commission is having a busy and productive year. Our United Synagogue Youth (TOLUSY) group, made up of 8th through 12th graders, began the year with an exciting kick-off event, followed with a joint synagogue hayride and ice skating. TOLUSY members and their friends enjoy just hanging out in the Youth Lounge or working hard, such as at the Purim Carnival. Our Kadima group, made up of 5th through 7th graders, has also been having fun, eating pizza in the Sukkah, bowling, etc. Encourage your teenagers to participate in USY or Kadima. They can enjoy themselves, be leaders and perform public service.

USY President Alana Rudkin has done a wonderful job this year in obtaining donations for our youth, including busses for events and a DVD player for the Youth Lounge. USY Board member Brea Furman does a great sales job with bagels and beverages for the Hebrew School students on Tuesdays. Rayna Gross has attended the most regional events this year while serving as the TOLUSY Treasurer. Board Member Abbey Farkas performed excellent work with other USYers at the recent Purim Carnival.

In late March, some TOLUSY members are attending Regionals, a large Central Region USY (CRUSY) event in Cleveland, where they will interact with other USY members from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Western Pennsylvania. TOLUSY has participated in other CRUSY events this year, socializing and working with many other Jewish teens.

All of the TOLUSY Board members are selling “Support Israel” bracelets for $2.00, with part of the proceeds going to charity. Do you and your family have your bracelets? If not, please contact Alana, Brea, Rayna or Abbey. Plus, the Youth Commission sells gift certificates for all of your favorite stores, including Barnes and Noble, Blockbusters, Paneras, TJ Maxx, CVS, Starbucks, etc. Your purchases help TOLUSY and Kadima without costing you anything extra. Each dollar you spend on a gift certificate is a dollar you can spend at the store of your choice. Please contact Reva Rossman for your gift certificates. Your support of the Youth Commission is greatly appreciated.

Finally, scholarships were awarded to USY members, Max Eichner and Scott Eichner, for travel to Israel this summer. Scholarships are available to eligible teenagers for travel to Israel or for participation in Jewish camps or USY trips. Applicants must be active members of USY or Kadima, attend at least 3 USY or Kadima events, write about their experiences and be prepared to talk about their trips in the Youth Lounge during the High Holidays. Scholarship funds are limited so any tax deductible donations will be greatly appreciated to help Tree of Life’s youth.

Carol Sikov Gross