CTeenConnection

Wow… I can’t believe the Shabbaton is over. While we were in New York, it felt like we had been there for weeks. But looking back on it, it feels like less than a day. It was an extraordinary adventure. I experienced so much in 72 hours. I strengthened and formed friendships, reached high levels of Torah, which I never thought I could, learned about my heritage and myself, got inspired, and so much more.
One of my favorite memories from the incredible Shabbaton, was the subway ride to Times Square. As I reflected upon the weekend I thought about the last time the Jewish people were crammed in trains, screaming. Our people were on route to a place where all hope was lost. They screamed screams of fear and anguish and worried for their families. But this time was the opposite. Saturday night we overfilled the New York Subway System. We declared our Jewish pride, so everyone in New York could hear. We fearlessly chanted words of Torah that our ancestors once had to whisper. “Shema Yisroel HaShem Elokeinu HaShem Echad.” I had no worries for my family because the state of the Jewish people is great. We are thriving and will continue to thrive. We stepped off the subways and made the ground shake. We stood in the center of the world and showed everyone we are invincible.
A picture of the Rebbe overlooked us in Times Square. A man, who 80 years ago had to flee religious persecution and whose relatives were beaten and killed for spreading and practicing Judaism, now got the ultimate revenge – Am Yisroel Chai!