Hello AZA and BBG!

Courtney Saxe here, and I’m SO excited to introduce my first #KeepingPace – the official blog for the Grand Aleph Godol and Anita M. Perlman International N’siah! Monthly, my co, TJ, and I will be pushing out shofar articles filled with updates, shoutouts, and celebrations from all over the order, (and many silly moments while on the road!)

Wellllll…. June 1st marked the first day of my term serving as the 79th Anita M. Perlman International N’siah (AMPIN), and it has already been so crazy! I was lucky enough to ring in the first day of the term with the 99th and 79th Grand and International Boards at our Inaugural Board Retreat. To be in a space with such a unique and outspoken group of people makes me feel so grateful to be in this space.  Teens coming from 5 different countries all united to plan and dream the Centennial year. The night before retreat, TJ and I were lucky to meet with the AMAZING DC presidents for quick ice cream!

Board Retreat was filled with brainstorming sessions, dreaming of the Centennial and August Execs, and lots of ways to bond! My favorite highlight would have to be when the board and staff went to “Beat the Bomb.” We split up into groups and put on hazmat suits.  We went through a bunch of hi-tech game rooms, and laser mazes, all to disarm a paint bomb. Luckily, my group beat the bomb but still got completely covered in paint. We had powerful shabbat services, a super fun havdalah with special guests Matt and Olivia Grossman. We had programming in the national mall, and got to do a little sightseeing around the DC area. What a powerful and amazing way to start the year!

In between Board Retreat and getting ready to head to ILTC, my time has been filled with some calls, various appointments, and lots of packing! Arriving back to the beautiful space of Perlman camp is always so nostalgic and unique. The feeling of so many memories from my time at ILTC 2021 and August Execs 2022 gives me so much joy and optimism for the weeks ahead. We spent the advance days doing lots of prep, scripting for separates, bonding with the INCREDIBLE madrichim, and getting to know the staff. On arrival day, teens from all over the world arrived to the beautiful camp. So far, the experience has been so amazing. Coordinating alongside the outgoing Grand Aleph Mazkir, Aaron Perrotta, has been such a treat. We are excited to see whats to come for the International Leadership Training Conference. Until then, keep in touch! (702) 802-1127