By: Avital Moss
Elliot Tanzman Midwest
ome elements of a Shabbaton educate, others inspire, and some elements are purely ridiculous. If you looked at the Midwest NCSY Shabbaton in Chicago recently, there’s a chance you may have seen an advisor dressed up as a cheetah — complete with an umbrella, earmuffs and a hat. This was none other than Elliot Tanzman. It was a moving moment in Tanzman’s life because it was the day he realized that absolutely everything that is done on a Shabbaton is for the NCSYers. Elliot graduated from Yeshiva University this past June. His first Shabbaton was last year in Kansas and since then, he’s never looked back. He emphatically believes that “NCSY is for everybody.” His greatest strength as an advisor is his ability to relate to the teens: be it college applications or a religious struggle, he understands being a teenager is difficult. He views the role of an advisor as integral to the NCSY system because it “makes sure no one falls through the cracks.” “There’s something for everybody as long as they’re willing to look for it,” he says. “If NCSYers take the step to come to us, they won’t be let down.” Elliot is deepening his involvement with NCSY this year by joining the NCSY Summer Programs team. He attended NCSY’s ICE as an advisor.
Ariel Muskat-Brown Canada
or advisor Ariel Muskat-Brown, a student at York University, becoming an NCSY advisor seemed only natural. She grew up in a traditional home and felt the changes that happen to a person as they grow in Judaism. She knew first-hand the journey that many NCSYers make on a daily basis. “When you speak to a teen and they’re so excited about the Torah they’re learning, it reminds me of the time I began learning,” she says. “All people need role models,” she says. “As advisors, we have the unique opportunity to be a positive influence in someone’s life because we’re only a few years older than them.” She loves being an advisor because she gets to help kids become stronger Jews. Her goal is that “NCSYers can go to their schools and not be embarrassed to stand up and say that they’re Jewish.” Although modest about her own talents as an advisor, she says that when NCSYers have questions, they know she’s there for them.“If it’s about Judaism, or life in general, they need to know someone is there for them,” she says. “If not advisors, then who?”
Apply to be an NCSY advisor: Visit www.ncsy.org/advisors
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