4,578 Teens Will Travel to New York for Largest CTeen Shabbaton This Week

Noam, a young Jewish teen from Perth, Australia, will embark on a 30-hour journey this week, traveling 11,620 miles to reach New York City. He’ll be the furthest-traveling teen ever to join CTeen’s International Shabbaton.

Noam will be one of 4,578 teens from 486 cities arriving in Crown Heights for the 18th annual Shabbaton, the largest gathering of Jewish teens in the world, and the largest in the event’s history.

“This year we’re seeing growth like never before,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302 and Chairman of CTeen International. “It speaks to what’s happening in communities around the world. Teens are seeking out Jewish life, and CTeen is where they’re finding it.”

Noam is a case in point. After his bar mitzvah, he regularly attended Chabad of Perth, helping younger boys prepare for their own bar mitzvahs. And soon, he’ll be taking a leadership role in getting more teens to be involved in CTeen.

“Noam got involved in the Chabad house and just kept showing up,” said Rabbi Shalom White, who directs Chabad of Perth and its CTeen chapter, together with his wife Oda. “When he heard about the Shabbaton, he wanted in. He’s breaking the ice, paving the way for more Perth teens to make the trip in the future.”

Halfway across the world, CTeen’s growth looked different but felt just as real. Last year, Rabbi Mendy Rabinowitz tried to encourage his Hong Kong CTeen chapter to fly to the Shabbaton for the first time. “I got the biggest ‘meh’ possible,” Rabinowitz said. “They looked at me like, ‘Who cares about New York? We’re not interested.'”

He nearly gave up. Two days before registration closed, a pair of parents got on board and convinced their kids to sign up.

“They had the best time of their lives,” Rabinowitz said. “It wasn’t New York that was fun. It was the powerful Shabbos and program. That’s what got them.” Two teens proudly kept Shabbos for the very first time.

The proof came fast. When the Hong Kong teens returned home, the entire school was talking about it. This year, Rabinowitz is bringing 16, including girls for the first time.

The four-day Shabbaton runs this weekend, from Beis to Hey Adar, and spans Crown Heights, New York City, and, for the first time, Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. The closing “Live the Life” event on Sunday is expected to draw 8,000 participants, and will feature Nissim Black, four freed hostages, and a delegation of teens from Bondi Beach.

On Friday evening, 2,000 girls will sit down together for the largest all-girls Shabbos dinner in CTeen history.

“This will be the largest Shabbaton we’ve ever produced,” said Rabbi Shimon Rivkin, Director of CTeen International. “But the turnout only tells part of the story. What matters is what these teens carry home. From Perth to Hong Kong, to a school where they’re the only Jew in their grade, they return inspired and ready to bring Jewish pride into their daily lives.”

Security coordination with the NYPD has been extensive, with numerous planning meetings held ahead of the weekend.

Across six continents, teens are already packing their bags and heading to airports. By Thursday evening, 4,578 of them will fill the streets of Crown Heights for a Shabbos of a lifetime.