'Today's Kids Face Greater Spiritual Challenges'

NCSY International Director, Rabbi Micah Greenland

My son in law has it right. Here is an interview with Rabbi Micah Greenland in Arutz Sheva.

Rabbi Micah Greenland, International Director for NCSY, explains to Arutz Sheva why Jewish identity - not observance - is now a key issue.

Orthodox Jewish leaders met in Tarrytown, New York last week for the OU International Convention, to discuss the future of the Jewish people in Israel and abroad. 

To understand what the Orthodox Jewish community leaders have planned for instilling Jewish values into the next generation of children and teens, Arutz Sheva spoke to National Council of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) International Director, Rabbi Micah Greenland. 

"Spirituality in our teens really depends on exploring multiple avenues with them," Rabbi Greenland stated. "It starts with thinking outside the box:what are the avenues we can introduce our own teens to real spirituality?" 

Rabbi Greenland explained that, in his view, the foundation for a strong Jewish identity begins at home - and with the parents' example. 

"It starts with our own willingness to integrate spiritual experiences into our lives, that then we involve our kids in," he said. 

The point is not a matter of the technical details - how to keep Jewish law - but more a matter of instilling within the younger generations why it is they observe Torah law, so that their practice doesn't "fall by the wayside" after children leave home. 

To that end, he noted that today's generation faces greater challenges than before, as "we live in a socioeconomically very strong world" and "the more material wealth our kids are growing up with, the more difficult it is to focus on spiritual areas.