CYP Encounter Guatemala 2026 Brings 100 Young Professionals to Antigua for Sold-Out Seventh Year
Before sunrise on Friday morning, Asher Rost stood near the summit of Acatenango Volcano watching Volcán de Fuego erupt across the Guatemalan skyline.
For Rost, who joined the trip through CYP Fort Lauderdale, the moment captured what has made him join CYP Encounters for the past four years, since his first experience in Panama. “What keeps me coming back is my love for traveling, being outdoors in nature, and spending Shabbos in different places with fellow young professionals.”
Rost was one of nearly one hundred young Jewish professionals who arrived in Guatemala with their Rabbis from twenty CYP communities across North America and beyond. Based at Chabad of Antigua, the group moved through a weekend that combined physical challenge with spiritual growth.
“Across the world, we’re seeing a generation of young Jews looking not just for information, but for experiences that support who they are and how they live,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Chairman of CYP International at Merkos 302. “CYP Encounters are about creating those environments, where connection, identity, and leadership can develop in a real and lasting way.”
Across CYP chapters worldwide, the Guatemala Encounter has developed a reputation for feeling distinct from other organized Jewish trips.
“This trip consistently shows up as something people don’t expect,” said Rabbi Beryl Frankel, Executive Director of CYP International at Merkos 302. “There’s something about being out there, physically removed from everything familiar, that makes the connections and conversations land differently.”
Participants began the trip in Antigua before traveling to Hobbitenango and then ascending Acatenango Volcano, spending a night at basecamp overlooking the active Volcán de Fuego.
Rabbi Mendel Fayershteyn, Rabbi of CYP Fort Lauderdale, who joined with a group of participants, described the atmosphere. “The energy was unmatched, bubbling like the volcano,” he said, “but at the same time, as they say here: tranquilo. Everything felt very relaxed and organic. There was no sense of clock-watching or pressure. It was just people being together in a very real way.”
He also noted the shift he saw in group dynamics over the course of the trip.
“On the first day, people are kind of separate, figuring each other out,” he said. “By the end, you see real friendships forming across groups. People who didn’t know each other are sitting together, talking, continuing those connections.”
The group returned to Chabad of Antigua for Shabbos, led by Rabbi Chaim and Daria Silber. Programming included Shabbos services, study sessions, and communal meals with participants from across the CYP network.
Friday night featured a musical and reflective Shabbos experience led by Rabbi Avremel Matusof of CYP Madison, WI, followed by dinner at the Chabad Shabbos table.
Many pointed to Shabbat in Antigua as the highlight of the weekend. “Shabbat and meeting such amazing people really stood out,” said Shira Zeller. “It gave me the spiritual boost I needed.”
For Corey Lipschutz, the defining moments of the weekend weren’t only found at 13,000 feet. “The hike was incredible, but more than that, it was about the people. It was wonderful to meet and spend time with so many new faces,” he said.
Rabbi Nissi Lepkivker, Director of CYP Encounters at Merkos 302, who coordinated the program on the ground, pointed to the intensity of the shared experience, as well as the broader growth of the Encounter model.
“When you have young professionals in that kind of environment,” he said, “they go from being strangers to real community extremely fast. And we’re seeing that expand across the board, from Guatemala to regional programs to the Israel Encounter. There’s a real demand for this kind of immersive experience.”
Shabbos morning featured study, meditation, and prayer, with additional learning and discussion sessions throughout the day.
A “Crossfire Q&A” on Shabbos afternoon opened space for unscripted conversation between participants and the rabbinic team, followed by havdalah and a bonfire gathering on Motzei Shabbos.
For Rost, the trips have carried a deeper personal significance. “My first Encounter, in Panama in 2022, was a pivotal moment in my Jewish journey,” he said. “Each trip since has strengthened my connection and helped me grow in my Jewish observance.”
The weekend concluded on Sunday with an ATV tour through surrounding villages and coffee-growing regions outside Antigua, followed by departure from Guatemala later that day.
“By the end, you don’t even feel like you’re wrapping up a program,” reflected Fayershteyn. “It feels like people are just figuring out how to continue something they already started together, and that’s really the point.”
For those interested in joining this growing network of CYP shluchim and communities worldwide, contact shluchim@chabadyoung.com.
