They say home is not a place, it’s a feeling. It’s where your people are. It’s where love resides, memories are created, and friends and families belong. For 40 years and counting, USY has been and will always be my home.
My first experience with USY was when I was much younger than most kids get to experience the USY magic. Back when I was Stacy Sherman, my mom was the Youth Advisor/Director of a temple in Southern California. I had the pleasure of having USY teens as my babysitters and role models. I got to tag along to events and conventions, both regional and international. These kids who seemed so old to me then, and seem so young now, were who I wanted to be like when I grew up.
I remember counting down the years, months, and days until I would be a 4th grader and get to officially join Kadima. But for me, being a member was not enough. I wanted to be a leader. By the time I was in 6th grade, my final year in Kadima, I made sure that the group established a board position for the Kadima kids, too, so that the younger kids would have leadership opportunities to use as training for their future in USY. Like the big kids taught me, I went before the chapter board and brought forth the motion. The board voted, and as the presidential gavel sounded, making it officia,l my heart burst with pride. And the best part was, my peers voted me in as the very first Kadima President for Temple Beth Emet in Anaheim, CA!
As I transitioned from Kadima to USY, my family transitioned from our small synagogue in Anaheim to Congregation B’nai Israel in Tustin, CA, where my mom took a larger position with their USY chapter. When you move from one home to another, the move is often made easier because you are usually doing it with your family by your side. The same was true for me. I was moving, but I had my USY family at my side. Yes, my family was changing, and yes, there would be new and different members, but the foundation of that family, that love, and that home remained the same.
Over my years in USY, I held several chapter leadership positions, including chapter SATO VP, Kinnus Chair, and Executive Vice President. My leadership extended beyond the chapter. I had the honor and privilege of serving as the Far West Region SATO VP, sitting on the International SATO general board, and chairing the Far West Region’s convention. I attended countless chapter and regional programs. I went on Far West on Wheels twice ( a mini version of wheels ran by the Far West region) and the Poland-Israel Pilgrimage. I learned lifelong leadership skills that I have utilized in every job in my professional career over the past two decades, including today.
Growing up, I never felt fully comfortable in my own body, and the social environment of a traditional American grammar school, middle school, or high school always amplified these feelings and made them worse. At USY, I was always comfortable, and I always fit in. I experienced various struggles growing up, but through it all, no matter what, I had USY. I don’t know if I would have survived without USY. Whenever bad things happened, USY was a home to me; it was my salvation.
When I graduated from high school, I had the opportunity to go from being a member of USY to an advisor. I even chose a college path (sociology and psychology) based on my SATO (Social Action & Tikkun Olam) experiences in USY. After college, I worked a variety of jobs, putting my Sociology degree to work to try to “Make a Difference,” but I always felt like I was making more of a difference in the lives of the people who needed me in my second job, as a USY chapter advisor, assistant director, and youth director.
Eventually, my family relocated to another state, and I could no longer work at the local USY chapter, my synagogue in California. The absence of USY after so many years as a member and staff felt like a hole in my life.
Then, an opportunity presented itself to work for USY on the national level. I jumped at the chance and was fortunate enough to be selected for the position. Starting a new job can often feel scary and overwhelming, and yet I knew this transition would be the same as it had been when I was a kid. New people, new time frame, new place, but the foundation of that family, that love, and that home would be the same.
Only a month after returning to USY, I found myself once again at a regional event after
years away. All my years in USY came back to me, and I found that I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. It was like riding a bike, and I was back!!! But it was much more than knowing what to do. It was clear that I was back home. The people were different. Years had passed. But I was back with my family, even though I had never met most of these people. They were still family, because that is how USY is.
I felt the magic of USY once again. As I stood at the side of the Sloach song circle in a dark hotel banquet room, listening to the chorus of voices sing arm in arm, I was transported back in time. I remembered watching the big kids sing and yearning to be in that circle. I remember sitting alongside my closest friends in the entire world, singing loudly to myself and feeling comforted by the warmth of the embrace. And as I stood there watching another generation of teens, goosebumps covered my own arms, and my heart was filled with the love, the memories, and the warmth of being home.
The names and terminology within the organization have changed. Regions are becoming communities. The titles of positions have changed. But the core of it all, the second family, the home away from home, the magic of the movement is still exactly the same. USY is still my home. It is not and never has been a place. It’s a feeling. It’s where my people are. It’s where love resides, where memories are created, and exactly where I belong.
There really is no feeling like home!
