Live at 12:00 PM: 4,000 Jewish teens from 60 countries gather to close out the largest Jewish teen summit in the world. They came from communities shaken by war, from campuses where being Jewish takes courage, from social feeds flooded with hate, from towns rebuilding after wildfires and hurricanes, and from schools where they’re the only Jewish student in their grade. After a weekend of sharing stories, learning from each other, and finding strength together, they’re heading home with a clear message: being Jewish isn’t something you have to defend — it’s something you live, boldly and unapologetically.
The ceremony will feature Eli Tzives from UCLA, who was physically blocked from class by masked protesters, Ellie Zeiler from San Diego, a TikTok star with 10 million followers who rediscovered her Jewish identity through CTeen and now uses her platform to stand with Israel, Rosemary Acker from Asheville, who mobilized Jewish teens to lead hurricane relief efforts, Daniel Yehuda from Tampa, who overcame his own hesitation to start wrapping tefillin publicly with others, Oliver Rak from Budapest, who discovered the power of Torah learning to light up his life, and Roei Sabag from Maslul, Israel, who chose Shabbat over a career-defining BMX tournament. They’ll also honor Eliyahou Haïm Ben Itshak Emsallem, a former CTeen France participant who stood at this very Shabbaton just five years ago and fell this year fighting for Israel.
“The Rebbe taught that a closing event isn’t an end — it’s the beginning,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, chairman of CTeen International. “Every story they heard and every experience they had this weekend aims to empower them to live proudly as Jews. Now, they’re bringing that light home to hundreds of communities — as Jewish advocates and leaders everywhere they go.”
Watch The “Shine On” Closing Ceremony Live
Sunday | March 2 | 12:15 pm ET
At chabad.org/shineon
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