Founder: Rabbi Nachum Bulman a”h Rabbi Nachum Bulman moved to Newport News, VA, where he served as the rabbi of the Orthodox shul and, together with his wife Shaindel a”h, founded an NCSY chapter. Afterwards, they founded an English-speaking community in Israel, Kiryat Nachlie. Bulman is survived by five children and numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. First Part-Time Director: Rabbi Israel Grama a”h In 1958, Rabbi Israel “Izzy” a”h and his wife Susan moved to Newport News, Virginia. In 1964, he helped create an NCSY chapter. The Gramas then moved to Englewood, NJ, where Izzy became the first principal of the Moriah day school and founded the NCSY Englewood chapter. He and Susan dedicated their lives to educating Jewish people about their faith. They had four children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. First President: Carol Feibush
Greater Chicago T.S.Y.
(Traditional Synagogue Youth) 1961 First Part-Time Director: Eric Rothner Upon returning from a year of study in Israel, Eric Rothner, then 20, was hired by Sy Okner a”h as the first regional director of TSY and ran the region for two years. Today, at age 70, he is active in the leadership of the Chicago Jewish community and serves as a board member for many organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Hebrew Theological College and NCSY. As owner and CEO at Hunter Management, Rothner remains a dedicated financial supporter and advocate for NCSY. He and his wife Gale have seven children and 26 grandchildren. First Youth Commission Chairs: Anne and Sy Okner a”h Marce Glass a”h and Lenny Glass ybl”ch In the early 1960s, there were a number of large traditional congregations with Orthodox rabbis, yet with little framework for youth involvement. The Okner and the Glass families stepped up to the challenge and created the first Traditional Synagogue Youth (TSY) chapter at Congregation Ezras Israel. TSY then expanded to many synagogues around Chicago. Later, with the encouragement of Rabbi Stolper, TSY merged with NCSY. Together, the Okner and Glass families gave endless amounts of time and energy to ensure
that Jewish teens stayed connected to Judaism. Today, the Midwest region still carries the legacy of the Okner and Glass families. The Midwest NCSY Winter Conclave was permanently named the Sy Okner Winter Conclave following the death of the Okners in 2008. First President: Myron Glassenberg
Seaboard March 1961
Seaboard region was renamed Atlantic Seaboard in 1967. First Part-Time Director: Rabbi Dr. Zalman Kossowsky Rabbi Dr. Zalman Kossowsky became the first Seaboard NCSY director in 1962. He received his Ph.D. and became the rabbi of the Young Israel of Greater Miami and a chaplain for the United States Naval Reserve. He eventually led the largest synagogue in South Africa, and then became the Chief Rabbi of Switzerland. He and his wife Danna have seven children. First Youth Commission Chair, Washington, DC: Dr. Noah Cohen a”h While working for the CIA, Dr. Noah Cohen a”h served as the chairman of the Washington Youth Commission. He was heavily involved in Shabbatons. He is survived by his wife Dina and their three children. First Youth Commission Chair, Baltimore, MD: Gilbert Cummins a”h Gilbert Cummins was a member of Beth Jacob Congregation in Baltimore, MD, and was passionate about bringing youth into the synagogue. As the NCSY Seaboard region grew in the 1960s, Cummins became its first youth commission chairman. Cummins drew upon the resources of two other shul presidents in Baltimore for the youth commission — Manny Reich a”h of Greenspring and Chester Silberman a”h of LJC. Both of whom eventually led the commission. First President: Hank Cummins
New Jersey
May 1961
First Part-Time Director: Cantor Aaron Lieber a”h Aaron Lieber a”h joined Congregation Sons of Israel in Lakewood, NJ, in the late 1950s as the cantor and youth director. In 1958, he created MCOY, the Metro Commission of Orthodox Youth. After a meeting with Rabbi Stolper,
Lieber merged MCOY with NCSY in 1961. He expanded NCSY to include Lakewood, Passaic, Linden and Fair Lawn. Lieber remained involved in NCSY until his death in the early 1990s. First President: Dr. Alan Weinstock Despite growing up in a non-observant home in Long Branch, NJ, the Weinstock family attended the local Orthodox shul, Congregation Brothers of Israel. When the shul launched an NCSY chapter in the 1960s, Alan Weinstock became involved as a 10-year-old. Five years later, Weinstock became fully observant and served as the region’s first president. He resides in New Haven, CT, with his wife, Joan. They have four children, all of who were involved in NCSY. Influential Pioneer: Rabbi Rafael G. Grossman A friend of Lieber, Rabbi Rafael G. Grossman was the rabbi of Congregation Brothers of Israel. Dynamic and passionate, Grossman founded the Long Branch chapter in the early 1960s. Later, he served as the longstanding rabbi of the Baron Hirsch Synagogue in Memphis, TN. He and his wife Shirley live in the Northeast.
Sullivan Ulster 1961
Founder: Rabbi Irving Goodman While living in Woodridge, NY, in the 1950s, Rabbi Goodman and his wife Lea became involved with NCSY. He was instrumental in mobilizing local rabbis to create an NCSY region. Goodman is now the dean of the Hebrew day school in Sullivan and Ulster County and the rabbi emeritus of Congregation Ohave Shalom. First Part-Time Director: Rabbi Nahum Solnica a”h Rabbi Nahum Solnica a”h was the rabbi in Woodbourne. First Youth Commission Chair: Rabbi Shalom Morrow Rabbi Shalom Morrow was a rabbi in Liberty, NY. First President: Phyllis (Gibber) Victor As an Orthodox Jew in public school, NCSY was a vital Jewish outlet for Phyllis Victor. At 16, she became the first regional president of Sullivan Ulster. After high school, Victor attended Cornell University and earned a masters’ degree in Speech Therapy. She and her husband David have nine children and many grandchildren. Influential Pioneer: Vivian (Osdoby) Luchins ROSH HASHANAH 2014
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