1,500 Teens Stranded in Snowy New York After Flight Cancellations

Hours after 4,578 Jewish teenagers from 60 countries filled Nassau Coliseum for CTeen’s closing event, nearly 1,500 of them find themselves stranded in New York after a winter storm cancelled flights across the East Coast.

With rescheduled flights not expected until later this week, CTeen is extending the experience with workshops, activities, and programming, giving teens more quality time together in an environment most of them rarely get back home.

Kira Rothschild, who traveled with the Sydney delegation, is among those still waiting in New York. “Unfortunately, I have to miss some important schoolwork,” she said, “but I get to enjoy this experience with everyone and embrace the New York spirit. It’s just so amazing to be part of.”

The teens come from across the globe, from Brazil to Barcelona, and many have never seen snow before. For a large number of them, this weekend marked the rare experience of being surrounded by Jewish peers; back home, many are the only Jewish student in their school.

“The Rebbe taught us that one is never stuck,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Chairman of CTeen International. “We can’t always control our situations**, but we can control** how we respond. Instead of seeing this as a setback, the teens are seizing the opportunity to grow and connect in an uplifting environment.”

The CTeen team worked around the clock with shluchim, Crown Heights vendors, and generous community members to create the extended program, with engaging workshops, activities, meals, and lodging.

Nava Emanuel of CTeen Skokie had planned to fly home, but instead finds herself on an overnight road trip back to the Midwest with 50 teens from six cities across three states. “We were all really worried about spending so long cooped up on a bus with 50 people,” she said. “But it’s actually been fun. Some of us got to study Torah with the rabbi, we all said Shema together, and we got to spend more time with each other and meet teens from other chapters.”

For teens who rarely have access to a large Jewish peer group, the unexpected detour gave them exactly that.

“Even though we may be ‘stuck’ in New York, to me, there is no use being worried**. G-d** put us all here for a reason,” said Ethan Hobbs, a leader at KCTeen Kansas. “I look forward to finding out!”