Jewish Pride to Shine Bright as 8,000 Fill Nassau Coliseum for CTeen Main Event
On Sunday, February 22, an expected 8,000 teens, shluchim, and community members will fill Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for “The Live the Life Event,” the largest CTeen gathering to date.
The event marks the culmination of a four-day Shabbaton bringing 4,578 teens from 486 cities across 60 countries to New York for the largest gathering of Jewish teens. For the first time, CTeen is opening the closing event to the broader Jewish community, inviting families, supporters, and community members to join.
“CTeen has become a global phenomenon,” said RabbiMendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302 and Chairman of CTeen International. “The growth is driven by teens themselves. They want more, and they’re showing up for it.”
This year’s theme, “Live the Life,” is a call to live fully, fiercely, and Jewishly, seeing the world through the lens of Torah. The lineup brings together musicians, educators, activists, entrepreneurs, and teens who live that message, each one a voice for Jewish pride in their own right.
Headlining the concert is Nissim Black, the internationally known rapper whose journey to Chassidic life has made him one of the most recognized Jewish musicians in the world, and Israeli sensationNoam Buskila, a singer, musician, and paratrooper in the IDF.
Also taking the stage are viral Jewish social media influencers Mendel Richter from “Reggie Torah Shorts,” lifestyle content creator Miriam Ezagui, Raizel Namdar from “That Jewish Family,” sports entrepreneur Marcus Sharf, proud Jewish athletes Michael Shapira, Justin Schoen, and Scarlet Gurevich,and Rebbetzin Goldie Plotkin, educator and shlucha. Hosting the event is Eli Tsives, the UCLA student whose stand against campus antisemitism made national headlines.
A special delegation from Bondi Beach will also appear on stage, including Leibel Lazaroff and CTeen Bondi representatives led by Priva Schlanger.
Among the most anticipated moments, three freed hostages will address the crowd, sharing words of hope and inspiration with thousands of Jewish teens.
The program also explores love, identity, and finances through a Torah lens, with interactive games, a live game Show, and a closing Ohel workshop where teens will write personal letters to be placed at the Rebbe’s Ohel.
“Every person on that stage chose to live their Judaism out loud,” said Rabbi Shimon Rivkin, Director of CTeen International. “That’s exactly what we want these teens to see. There’s no single way to do it. You find your way and you go all in.”
CTeen, which began with 40 teens in a Crown Heights dining room, now spans nearly 900 chapters in over 60 countries. The move to Nassau Coliseum reflects that growth.
The event will be livestreamed at chabad.org/7210744. Tickets for the in-person event are available at cteen.com/livethelife and are already 80% sold.
