417 NFTYites in one region....

This past weekend I attended my first NFTY-MAR event in the year 5768. Oh what an event.

Friday night we all got there on the buses, had some mixers and dressed our best for Shabbat. As a songleader, I had the honor of helping out in services Friday night in the Washington DC shul. I got to stand up there with my guitar side by side with fellow Rabbis, songleaders, and others who were on that stage. Whoops, I mean beema...or is it really that?

Instead of a sermon we had a special presentation. None of us had any idea what was going to happen, but there was a huge projector in the middle of this area, or rather I mean synangogue. [Keep in mind there was probably around 600 people here on this very Shabbat] During the time of this all the sudden the lights dimmed down and a huge HUGE projector came from the sky, or rather top of the synagogue coming down.

The Rabbi held a remote and pressed play. We started to watch a newscast from ABC about a young woman who was a high school teacher teaching 150 students in an inner city in Long Beach California. She had to deal with kids in gangs as parts of the bloods and crips and whatnot. Yes we saw the newstory of "Freedom Writers" the incredible story of the one woman who changed lives of many teenagers by having them read books and learn about the Holocaust and teaching them in such styles that they would actually go to school. Truely, an extremely touching and fantastic story.

After the [at least] 20 mintue news story, the actual teacher got to speak to us. All 600 of us. She had an amazing speech, extremely moving in that black microphone. No notes or nothing.

It may seem as though I'm getting off track, but I'm not.

My parents attended the service and couldnt believe what they just saw. A projector RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a service!? RIGHT BEFORE the aleniu!? WHAT!?

I was at shock also. I feel they could of presented this a lot better. What do you think? A projector in the middle of services...?