| NCSY | |
| Predecessor: | Torah Leadership Seminar |
| Formation: | 1954 |
| Founder: | Harold and Enid Boxer |
| Type: | Jewish youth organization |
| Vat Id: | (for European organizations) --> |
| Status: | Subsidiary of a non-profit religious organization |
| Headquarters: | 40 Rector, New York City, New York, United States |
| Location: | United States, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Israel, Mexico |
| Coords: | 40.7053°N -74.014°W |
| Owner: | Natan Cohen |
| Leader Name: | Rabbi Micah Greenland |
| Parent Organization: | Orthodox Union |
| Formerly: | National Conference of Synagogue Youth |
NCSY (formerly known as the National Conference of Synagogue Youth[1] [2]) is a Jewish youth group under the auspices of the Orthodox Union. Its operations include Jewish-inspired after-school programs; summer programs in Israel, Europe, and the United States;[3] weekend programming, shabbatons, retreats, and regionals; Israel advocacy training; and disaster relief missions known as chesed (kindness) trips.[4] [5] [6] NCSY also has an alumni organization on campuses across North America.[7]
In 1959, NCSY hired Rabbi Pinchas Stolper as the first National Director in the United States.[8]
During the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, the Orthodox youth of NCSY opposed social change, choosing instead to emphasize religious tradition.[9] In this period, at least one NCSY chapter took public action on this point, passing a resolution rejecting marijuana and other drugs as a violation of Jewish law. At the 1971 NCSY international convention, delegates passed resolutions in this vein, calling for members to "forge a social revolution with Torah principles."
According to the Orthodox sociologist Chaim Waxman, there has been an increase in Haredi influence on NCSY since 2012.[10] Waxman based this on NCSY's own sociological self-study.[11]