Hate Won’t Stop Them: 500+ Young Professionals to Descend on Crown Heights for CYP Encounter

Over three hundred young Jewish professionals have already locked in travel to New York City for CYP Encounter: Crown Heights—set to run on 2-4 Shvat, 12-14 January. Despite humble beginnings as a semi-formal gathering of fifty young Jews in 2019, CYP’s Shabbaton is now looking ahead to another blockbuster year, with signups pouring in daily. 

While the program isn’t radically new, this year’s Encounter is seismically different. Seeing their people under threat, young Jews are moving to embrace their Jewish identity and explore deeper participation in Jewish life. 

With 250 chapters serving more than 300,000 young Jews worldwide, Chabad Young Professionals says they’re seeing heightened interest in immersive Jewish experiences like CYP Encounter. “Being Jewish, especially for younger Jews, has never felt more isolating,” says Rabbi Beryl Frankel, CYP’s director. 

Rabbi Frankel says that, for participating young Jews, the program is a profound experience of Judaism at a critical stage in life. “The Encounter is designed not only to give a profound sense of belonging to Jews in their 20s and 30s but also to show them a vision of how Judaism belongs in the life they want to build, for themselves, their marriages, and their families.” 

Aiming to jumpstart the efforts of young Jews seeking to start a Jewish family, CYP Encounter will feature Met@Chabad, CYP’s values-driven speed-dating program that pairs AI technology with the timeless know-how of shadchonim. 

But, of course, it’s not all future-focused. The Shabbaton includes the legendary Crown Heights Crawl—wherein young professionals explore the ins and outs of 770 and the Rebbe’s Library, as well as restaurants, flower shops, safrus workshops, mikvah pools, and the vast bustle of Kingston Ave. After a spirited shabbos of learning, talks, meals, and davening, the program heads to the Ohel for its spiritual finale.

For Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, CYP’s chairman, this year’s Shabbaton comes at a uniquely impactful time for participants. “Young Jews today are asking themselves, ‘How can I build a more Jewish life.’” he says. “We’re eager to greet record numbers of participants, and we’re looking forward to a deeply impactful program that promises to uplift, inspire, and leave an enduring impression.”