Sophie Shifra Gold knows exactly what Jewish pride stands for. An incoming sophomore at Edmonds Woodway High School in Seattle, Sophie enjoys the distinction of being the President of NCSY/Our Way (National Conference of Synagogue Youth), a youth group for Deaf Jewish Teenagers in the United States.
Due to previous complications, Sophie was a premature baby, born after only 28 weeks of pregnancy. While she was developing, her mother characterized her as strong and vocal, and did not realize her to be deaf until the late age of two. Fortunately, Sophie easily integrated into public school in Seattle where they have a magnet deaf program. This program allows deaf students to share homeroom together, and the rest of the classes that are offered are interpreted.
Gold has long been involved with her Jewish heritage, attending Sunday School classes interpreted by her mother, and accompanying her mother to her Klezmer concerts. She attends Friday night and Saturday morning Shabbas services as much as her schedule allows. Sophie is Jewish because she was raised Jewish and has a deep understanding of Jewish values.
However, in Seattle, there are very little if any Deaf Jewish teenagers, and Sophie wanted to seek out others like her, leading to her involvement in NCSY. In Seattle, the Deaf teenager population is very small, and the Deaf Jewish teenage population is even smaller. Her wish to meet others like her changed her life. She first found out about NCSY from Rabbi Lederfiend in New York, a strong supporter and head rabbi of NCSY. Sophie’s curiosity was triggered, and she decided to check out a convention. The rest is history.
Being president of NCSY has influenced Sophie far more than people will ever know. Raised as a reform Jew, her participation in NCSY allowed her to learn about the Orthodox and Conservative branches of Judaism. Now, Sophie realizes that there is much more to Judaism than just keeping Kosher and praying. The conventions itself, are a highlight during the year for Sophie. She enjoys meeting and socializing with people of her heritage and background. Says Sophie, “Being involved in NCSY helped me meet other Jews in other countries or states and helped me realize how they evolve in her religion at home.” Since her involvement in NCSY, Sophie’s priorities have changed. She realizes the importance of keeping her heritage strong and alive regardless of who may be sharing it with her. One of Sophie’s goals as president is to educate people the importance of keeping Judaism strong and alive, and community unity. As a result of one of her goals, Sophie would like to see more people become involved and more active in NCSY. NCSY is not a purely social organization. Like most other organizations, NCSY endorses volunteer activities. This year, NCSY is active in “Torah Tuesday”. This program enables members to pair up with someone in their community and discuss a selected Torah portion of the week. Not only are Torah values and meanings taught, these lessons are valuable because, “we are supposed to reach to our partners the importance of keeping our heritage strong.”
“I sometimes feel lonely,” says Sophie, “but if I go to some of the NCSY conventions, it makes me feel whole all over again because I get to socialize with other Deaf Jewish teens. Recent conventions include one in May at Camp Sternberg in Narrowsburg, New York, and the year before in Cleveland, Ohio. These conventions serve as social gatherings as well as educational outings reflecting on many Jewish issues that have an impact on Deaf Jewish teenagers’ lives.
Sophie encourages all Deaf Jewish teens to become a part of NCSY. The regular conventions provide an excellent opportunity for new friends and greater knowledge. She hopes that all Deaf Jewish teenagers, NCSY members or not show their pride to people around them. The displaying of Jewish pride is the essence of Jewish pride.
Serving as president of NCSY has been a milestone for Sophie and hopefully the experience will last her a lifetime. Her goals include improving the NCSY committee and contacts, organizing more activities, and making the flow of issues more efficient and current. Ultimately, Sophie would love to see membership rise and increased involvement in NCSY. Sophie’s presidency has already heralded new changes in NCSY, and hopefully signify a new era of involvement of NCSY.
