Making history, the 18th annual CTeen International Summit held its closing ceremony at Nassau Coliseum, bringing one of the largest gatherings of Jewish teenagers in the world to Long Island for a four-day Shabbaton.
On Feb. 22, roughly 8,000 teenagers from more than 60 countries filled the venue, celebrating their Jewish identity. Organizers said more than 4,500 teens traveled to New York City for the summit, with participants representing countries including Ukraine, Israel, Venezuela, Mexico and Australia.
There are seven active CTeen chapters on Long Island and more than 900 worldwide, where teens take a leading role in organizing events and community initiatives.
Throughout the summit, participants attended leadership workshops focused on combating antisemitism, mental health, Jewish identity and community leadership.
The closing ceremony featured remarks from four former Hamas hostages, musical performances by Jewish artist Nissim Black, and appearances by business leaders, public officials and teen representatives from around the world.
Among the speakers was Australian Priva Schlanger, who spoke in place of her father, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia on Dec. 14. Organizers also announced the creation of 100 new “safe spaces” for Jewish teens worldwide in response to rising antisemitism.
