Hallie Liberman: From CYJ Camper to National Mazkira

There are very few places where you walk in and instantly feel like you belong. Young Judaea is that for me and so many others. It is a place where you can be your full self, a place where you can be loud, proud, and fully Jewish without being judged.

For me, that feeling started at CYJ Texas where ruach, community, love for Israel, and the sense of belonging made Young Judaea feel like my home. That feeling continued at Camp Tel Yehudah. Once you feel that, you never forget it.

Every year when I went back to school, year-round didn’t feel like that. Real life is busy and it’s easy for Jewish community to become something you visit once in a while. I didn’t want that. I wanted that same feeling of belonging, the kind I felt at CYJ and Tel Yehudah, to exist all year. I also wanted to create a year-round space where Jewish teens could stand up for Israel and for themselves with real knowledge, real confidence, and real community behind them.

That’s why I started YJ Teens West.

When I started high school, there wasn’t a YJ Teens West to join. No consistent events, no active teen leadership, nothing that could actually last. It was basically an idea that needed someone to build it into something real.

So I did.

I built it from the ground up. What began as a single Shabbat dinner for teens grew into consistent, meaningful programming that created real momentum in the West. I introduced teens to YJ and made them feel like they belonged in the Young Judaea community. With the mazkirut team I recruited, we cultivated a community where teens didn’t just show up once, but kept coming back for more.

As the movement of Young Judaea Teens grew, I took on bigger leadership roles, including organizing and leading the first-ever SWeeT Convention (Southeast, West, Texas) that is now going on our second year, being hosted at CYJ Texas! This past January at Young Judaea’s National Convention, I had the incredible honor of being elected National Mazkira, the president of Young Judaea Teens nation-wide. My term officially starts next school year, and I’m going into it with the same goal I started with in the West: creating spaces where Jewish teens feel at home, not once a year, not only at camp, but year-round. Additionally, because I’ve experienced how hard it is to build a region from scratch, as National Mazkira, I will create the tools and resources I wish I’d had so teens who want to start YJ regions or va’ads (committees) can do it faster, stronger, and with real support.

That’s why I’m not just grateful for Young Judaea — I’m deeply committed to working with both national and regional mazkiriot to help YJ thrive and reach even more teens.

— Hallie Liberman, National Mazkira 2026-2027