Dear USY Community, 

My journey into deep engagement with my Judaism began when I

attended USY on Wheels in 1969. I came home committed to exploring an observant Jewish life. As my Jewish study and practice deepened, I belonged to my chapter at Congregation Beth Emeth in Philadelphia. I attended many regional events, and served on the regional board. Attending USY Eastern European Pilgrimage in 1972 had a profound effect on me, and set me on a path into Jewish leadership. I later staffed USY on Wheels in 1974 and Israel Pilgrimage in 1975, as well as several summers as staff at Camp Ramah and Ramah Israel Seminar.

My experiences in USY helped pave the path to where I am today, starting as the first woman ordained as a Conservative rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. I also serve as a spiritual director, peace and justice educator, and teacher of Mussar (a classical Jewish system of spiritual development). Additionally, I am now chair of the Racial Justice Subcommittee of the Conservative Movement’s Social Justice Commission. Recently, I served as the Coordinator of Jewish Engagement for Faith in Action Bay Area, a multi-faith, multi-racial social justice organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to that, I directed the Pardes Rodef Shalom (Pursuer of Peace) Communities Program, teaching Jewish civil discourse to rabbis, synagogues and Jewish organizations. 

USY empowers thousands of Jewish teenagers to create exceptional Jewish experiences, yet it can do so much more than that. Please consider making a contribution to USY’s annual campaign to ensure that USY has the resources to operate, staff, and expand its programs throughout the Jewish world.

Bivracha,

Rabbi Amy Eilberg