Our Movement
NFTY is a movement that builds strong, welcoming, inspired communities through teen-powered engagement. Together, we pursue tikkun olam, personal growth, youth empowerment, and deep connections, all rooted in Reform Judaism.
For over eighty years, NFTY – The Reform Jewish Youth Movement, has offered thousands of young people the opportunity to explore and live Reform Judaism through teen-powered weekends and engaging social justice ventures.
Stemming from a historic tradition of both Jewish and non-Jewish European youth movements, NFTY is the Reform Jewish youth movement that fosters leadership at the North American, regional and congregational level. Today, hundreds of Reform congregations throughout North America sponsor Temple Youth Groups, bringing the NFTY experience to thousands of teens. Through opportunities offered by congregations in the 19 NFTY regions, and on the North American level, NFTYites strive to forge an identity in consonance with the goals and values of Reform Judaism.
NFTY is advised in partnership between teen leaders and adult Jewish youth professionals. NFTY also functions as a youth organization, a program of the Union for Reform Judaism, a ‘snif‘ (branch) of Netzer Olami, the international Reform Zionist youth organization, as well as a partner in the URJ Campaign for Youth Engagement.
Whether functioning as an organization, program, or youth movement, NFTY is a Reform Jewish community for all high school students who are interested in connecting to their Judaism. Teens forge and build friendships, lifelong Reform Jewish identities, and leadership skills through community building, worship, social action, and experiential youth-led Jewish educational programming. Many NFTYites serve as NFTY leaders on the local, TYG, regional, and even North American levels. Many NFTY Leaders continue on to become both lay and professional leaders of the Reform Jewish Movement.
NFTY is Supported by a number of generous organizations and donors
NFTY is able to achieve incredible things thanks to the financial contributions of…
WRJ: Women of Reform Judaism
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago – JUF
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
…and hundreds of individual donors
Thank you
Our history
NFTY was founded in 1939 as the youth arm of the Union for Reform Judaism. It was created at the urging of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods in order to provide an outlet for young people to engage in the life of their synagogues.
Today, NFTY boasts hundreds of Temple Youth Groupss in 19 NFTY Regions throughout the United States and Canada, has both NFTY regional events and NFTYx events run by synagogues and supported by NFTY, and has sent tens of thousands of young people to Israel. In the more than eighty years of its existence, NFTY has touched the lives of literally thousands of young American Jews through the programs it runs and the relationships it fosters.
Take a moment to read about NFTY’s full and robust history.
Our Values in Practice
As a part of the Reform Jewish Youth movement, NFTY strives to provide meaningful and engaging experiences. These experiences are inspired by 13 values-based principles, ensuring that our movement’s mission and journey are based on our shared values. Together, these 13 Principles guide us as we create a holistic Jewish environment, allowing NFTY to continuously evolve, and remain a dynamic Jewish Reform Youth movement for years to come.
As a movement, we do our best to welcome participants into the community we shape as teens for teens. We seek to prioritize inclusion in the experiences we offer, upheld by the agreements we make in our shared community covenant – NFTY’s Brit Kehillah.
Listening, acting, and responding are central to our attitude in promoting the wellbeing of fellow teens. While we aim to make our teen spaces one of trust and safety, we will always acknowledge incidents that may make teens feel unsafe or unwelcome. If a teen feels this way at an event, NFTY’s Misconduct Reporting Form is always accessible by a QR code in bathroom stalls and with the link below.
As teens and adults, we understand it is our responsibility to uphold our Brit Kehillah and model exemplary leadership.
OUR PEOPLE – PROFESSIONAL STAFF
Rabbi Esther Lederman
Vice President – Leaders in Action
Rabbi Esther L. Lederman (she/hers) is the Vice President of Leaders in Action at the Union for Reform Judaism, overseeing the strategic leadership of NFTY in addition to fundraising for teen engagement. Previously, she was the Director of Congregational Innovation & Leadership for nine years and served as Associate Rabbi at Temple Micah in Washington, DC. Ordained in 2008 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, she holds a B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from McGill University (1996).
Rabbi Lederman is on several boards, including T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, the Habonim Dror Foundation, Ameinu, the Advisory Council of Avodah in Washington, DC, and the Federation of Greater Washington. A proud alumna of Habonim Dror, she believes in the power of youth to transform our world and communities.
Rachel Margolis, RJE
Director, NFTY Experiences & Strategy
Rachel Margolis, RJE (she/her) is the Director, NFTY Experiences & Strategy at the Union for Reform Judaism. She works to identify and activate leaders around the URJ so they can mobilize and organize others in action. Rachel is a graduate of Cornell University and has a joint masters in Jewish Education and Jewish Non-Profit Management from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. After serving as Director of Education for a congregation in Los Angeles, Rachel helped write curriculum and re-envisioned youth engagement and teen learning for family schools, Religious Schools, synagogue day camps, retreats at synagogues and community programs around the country.
Rachel is past chair of the HUC-JIR Alumni Leadership Council, serves on the HUC-JIR Board of Governors Executive Committee, and was co-chair of HUC’s Teshuvah Working Group. In her free time, you can find Rachel knitting, braiding challah, or exploring local parks. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Rabbi Ari Margolis, their three daughters, and their very-beloved pandemic puppy.
Julie Lambert, RJE
Director, Integrated Program Strategy & Business Operations - Leaders in Action
Julie Lambert, RJE (she/her) is the Director of Integrated Program Strategy & Business Operations for Leaders in Action of the URJ. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and Hebrew Union College-JIR with a Join Masters Degree in Jewish Educational and Jewish Non Profit Management. In 2022 Julie received her Honorary Doctorate from Hebrew Union College in Jewish Education.
Julie facilitates collaboration and integration with other URJ teams to ensure the successful implementation of strategic initiatives across the organization and aligns with URJ annual targets for measuring impact with a particular focus on mobilizing leaders across the system. Julie brings over 25 years in Jewish professional leadership with experience in congregational leadership, educational leadership, and program design, implementation, and evaluation. A proud NFTY Alum, NFTY parent, Camp Jenny supporter, URJ Camp Coleman parent, and URJ OSRUI alum, she is thrilled to be a part of the team imagining, building, and strengthening the Reform Jewish Youth movement. In addition, Julie is an adjunct professor at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the School of Education teaching professional learning to current executive masters students. Julie works from her Miami home office with her 3 canine associates, Clyde, Charley, and Lou Lou. When not working Julie loves to bake, read and travel with her husband Lawrence, and two daughters Abbie and Sydney.
Dori Singer Zoot
Program & Events Manager – NFTY
Dori Singer Zoot (she/her) is thrilled to have come home to NFTY as the Program & Events Manager. In this role, she gets to lead impactful initiatives to strengthen teen leadership and engagement across the URJ.
Over the last 18 years, Dori has traveled the country enjoying 18 summers at 5 Jewish camps and attending 66 NFTY events (and counting!). Receiving degrees in Nonprofit Management and Youth Service Leadership from Arizona State and Gratz College, Dori has committed her career to studying and practicing how to build intentional communities where Jewish youth get to grow, laugh, and belong. Since starting at the URJ in 2017 as the NFTY Ohio Valley Regional Director, Dori has deepened her knowledge in the field and loved working with youth, families, congregations, and community partners to make Reform Judaism accessible and meaningful. After living one version of her dream job as an Assistant Director at URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute for five years, she is excited to live a different dream and return to the program that introduced her to her love of working with teens, and looks forward to working with the team and teens to create what comes next.
Dori and her NFTY/camp best friend (now husband), Austin, live together in Cincinnati with their daughter, Sophie. Aside from her love of Jewish youth engagement, Dori also loves all things Disney, baking challah, and going on adventures in her Chacos!
Rabbi Isaama Goldstein-Stoll
NFTY Program & Operations Director
Rabbi Isaama Goldstein-Stoll (she/her) is the new NFTY Program & Operations Director. A product of the Reform Movement, Rabbi Isaama grew up in NFTY and at URJ Camp Harlam, and is an ordinee of HUC-JIR (Cincinnati).
She brings an expertise in building Jewish community, a passion for life-long Jewish learning, and a commitment to affirming and celebrating Jewish diversity. After serving as the Senior Jewish Educator at the Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale University, and as a Religious Life Consultant at Be’chol Lashon, Rabbi Isaama is glad to return “home” to the Reform Movement.
Rabbi Orli Moss
Director, Heller High
Rabbi Orli Moss (she/her) has dedicated her career to working with individuals and communities working on Israel education, Jewish peoplehood, value clarification and experiential and creative Judaism. In July 2023, Orli joined the URJ as Director of Heller High and is delighted to work with teens, empowering them to create a vibrant and intentional Reform community. Allowing teens to explore aspects of Reform life, including ritual, spiritual, and social justice, while fostering a unique and distinct identity for Heller High students who come to Israel for a semester-long, identity-forming, and life-changing experience. With strong local ties, Orli is committed to connecting students to Israelis and Israeli society in an authentic way.
A product of the Conservative movement and ordained at HUC-JIR Jerusalem, Orli is dedicated to building a strong liberal Jewish voice in Israel. Having grown up in a youth movement and worked with gap year programs in the past, Orli believes in empowering youth through experiential learning. Rabbi Orli Moss searches for new sustainable ways to encourage Jewish pluralism in both informal and formal settings. In 2015, she returned home to Israel with her family after three years of Shlichut (emissary for the Jewish Agency) in NYC, where she established and ran the Israel Engagement Department at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation
Orli holds an MA in Jewish Pluralist Education and a BA in Sociology & Anthropology from Hebrew University, Jerusalem. In 2021, she was ordained at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute for Religion, Jerusalem. She lives in Kfar Saba with her husband Jonathan and their children Nomi, Tomer, and Poppy.
Emma Jaszczak Maszi
Program & Operations Associate - Leaders in Action
Emma Jaszczak Maszi (she/her) serves as the Program & Operations Associate for the Leaders in Action flagship of the URJ, working to implement systems and strategies across the URJ’s Leaders in Action programs. A proud autistic woman, she believes her neurodivergence is her greatest professional asset.
She is an alum of NFTY-STR and the URJ Kutz Camp, as well as a staffing alum of NFTY in Israel, URJ Camp Newman, and URJ 6 Points West. In addition to the URJ, Emma has worked at organizations such as BimBam and Tkiya Music, and is a curriculum consultant in the intersectional field of Jewish civic engagement. A passionate Jewish and arts educator, she holds master’s degrees in Arts Education from The Florida State University and in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles, as well as a master’s concentration in Israel Education from the iCenter.
She lives in Cleveland, OH with her wife, Emily, their daughter, Ruth, and their two dogs, Aggie and Franklin, In her free time she enjoys spending time with family, watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, and laying in her hammock.
Shoshana Maniscalco
NFTY Fellowships Manager
Shoshana Maniscalco (she/they) is thrilled to be serving as the NFTY Fellowships Manager! She previously worked at Jews United for Justice as a community organizer focusing on labor and housing justice at the county and state level in Maryland. Originally from Western Massachusetts, Shoshana attended Ithaca College where she studied sociology and counseling. She also spent 15 summers attending and working at URJ Eisner Camp.
OUR PEOPLE – North American Teen Leaders
Lillian Spratt
President – NFTY
Hi! I’m Lillian and I’m so honored to serve as NFTY’s North American Board President this year. I’m passionate about building meaningful, inclusive Jewish community and empowering teen leadership across North America. This fall, I’ll be heading to the University of Pittsburgh to study Public Health on the pre-med track. I’m so excited for what this year holds—please don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s make it amazing together!
Maddie Rothstein
Marketing VP – NFTY
Hi! My name is Maddie and I’m from Long Island, New York. I’m so excited to serve as the VP of Marketing for NFTY, I have so many ideas and I can’t wait to bring them to life to help increase the NFTY pride and unity as a community! I’m very active in my Temple where I am President of my Youth Group, BNTY, as well as a madricha and the self declared Elvis Presley of the Temple. I’ve also attended L’Taken RAC twice and look forward to my next year where I will be RAC cubed! Outside the Jewish community I am a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, DECA Member, and Co-founder of a club at my school. I love traveling and also napping. I’m so excited for what this year brings and I can’t wait to see how NFTY grows!
Mira Krain
Programming & Partnership VP – NFTY
Hi, NFTY! I’m Mira, and I live in Little Rock, AR. I’m so grateful and ecstatic to be your Programming and Partnership VP this year. I’ve served on the NFTY SO board for 2 years, participated in the RAC Teen Justice Fellowship, and attended Henry S Jacobs Camp for 9 years. I enjoy programming, finding the best ways to convey an idea throughout a program, and organizing everything carefully. I’m also super excited to explore all kinds of new partnerships and strengthen NFTY’s existing connections. I love Cuong Nhu and Circus Arts; I spend every day after school sparring, practicing my katas, or learning a new sequence at the circus studio. I’m usually pretty busy, but in my free time I love to read (please share some recommendations!), build insanely complicated 3D puzzles, hang out with my friends, and bother my little brother. I’m always looking to learn new things, and I love meeting new people, so please reach out to me and say hello, I’d love to chat!
Mischa Dolgin
Engagement & Recruitment VP – NFTY
Hi my name is Mischa Dolgin and I am a high school senior at in Chicago. At school I am in the music program and over my years I’ve participated in volleyball, the school musical, and other clubs. I love NFTY and its community, and care a lot about Jewish teens being able to find a space where they can be themselves and be proudly Jewish. I am so excited to share the magical community of NFTY with as many teens as possible!
Josh Cooper
Development VP – NFTY
Howdy! I’m Josh Cooper and I’m so honored to serve as NFTY’s North American Board Development Vice President this year. I’m passionate about building meaningful, inclusive Jewish community and empowering teen leadership across NFTY as a whole. This fall, I will be starting my senior year in high school, as well as applying to colleges! I am so excited for this year soooooo let’s work together to make it amazing!
NETZER OLAMI
Netzer stands for Noar Tzioni Reformi (meaning ‘Reform Zionist Youth’) and is the International Reform Zionist youth movement, home to thousands of young people in a range of countries spread over four continents. Netzer Olami (meaning ‘Worldwide Netzer’) is based in Jerusalem and serves as the headquarters for all of Netzer’s sniffim (branches) around the world.
NFTY is Netzer’s snif in North America. We share common values, and both work to advance Progressive Judaism in our respective areas. Every year, our leadership joins together at Netzer Veida, a leadership summit in Israel. Netzer even runs a gap year program open to NFTYites called Shnat Netzer!
Both NFTY and Netzer believe in youth empowerment and in young people running things for themselves. A central feature of Netzer snifim is that young people organize and run the activities, as well as taking responsibility for the major decisions affecting the movement.
While Netzer’s most recently updated platform contains 14 operatives, the ideology is set forth in three main pillars that help guide chapter programs, including NFTY events.
- Progressive Zionism
We are a Reform Zionist Youth movement, who encourage our members to develop a personal relationship with Israel. - Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
We strive to be active in our commitment to Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World) on all levels, from self (Tikkun Atzmi) to social action on a range of communal and global issues. - Youth Empowerment
Youth Empowerment is fundamental to the running of our Youth Movement. Camps and programs are organized and run by youth members, for youth members.