Our Movement

Principles
History
Practices
Staff
Teens
Netzer Olami

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.

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A stylized logo featuring a black line drawing of a dog's face inside a heart shape, with a blue outer circle and a green background.
A group of young people sitting around a table at an event, with some smiling at the camera. There is a sign on the table that says 'NFTY - TOR', along with papers, a phone, and a wallet. In the background, more people are standing or sitting, and decorations are visible.
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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

  • A woman with curly blonde hair wearing glasses and earrings, smiling at the camera indoors.

    Rabbi Esther Lederman

    Vice President
    Leaders in Action

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  • A woman with curly brown hair wearing purple glasses and a colorful scarf, smiling against a plain background.

    Rachel Margolis, RJE

    Director Experiences & Strategy
    NFTY

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  • A woman with shoulder-length light brown hair, wearing a black top and a pearl necklace, smiling outdoors with a blurred background of trees and a wooden fence.

    Julie Lambert, RJE

    Director, Integrated Program Strategy & Business Operations
    Leaders in Action

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  • A stylized illustration of a hand making a peace sign with a blue and white color scheme, set against a purple circular background.

    Dori Singer Zoot

    Program & Events Manager
    NFTY

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  • Close-up of a colorful cartoon face with a yellow background, a white circle with a black smile, and orange accents.

    Rabbi Isaama Goldstein-Stoll

    Program & Operations Director
    NFTY

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  • A woman in a black shirt with a button that reads "Ask me about URJ Heller High," standing outdoors in a parking lot with buildings and greenery in the background.

    Rabbi Orli Moss

    Director
    Heller High

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  • A woman with shoulder-length hair smiling in front of a brick wall, wearing a sleeveless striped top.

    Emma Jaszczak Maszi

    Program & Operations Associate
    Leaders in Action

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Our People North American Teen Leaders

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    Lillian Spratt

    President
    NFTY

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  • A woman with long brown hair standing on a balcony overlooking a body of water with islands in the distance during sunset.

    Maddy Rothstein

    Marketing VP
    NFTY

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  • A woman with curly brown hair smiling and sitting on a moss-covered rock in a lush green garden or park, wearing a gray graphic t-shirt and blue jeans.

    Mira Krain

    Programming & Partnership VP
    NFTY

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  • A young woman with long, curly blonde hair wearing glasses and a black shirt, smiling at the camera, standing in front of a white backdrop with colorful logos.

    Mischa Dolgin

    Engagement & Recruitment VP
    NFTY

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  • A young man with glasses in a tuxedo taking a selfie inside a car, giving a thumbs-up gesture with a tree-lined background outside.

    Josh Cooper

    Development VP
    NFTY

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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.