Rabbi Benyamin Moss says he genuinely believes there’s never been a better time in history to be Jewish.
But that doesn’t mean he’s unaware of the many obstacles and challenges faced today by young Jews of all levels of observance and affiliation.
“It’s not easy. We’re definitely facing an unprecedented amount of antisemitism,” he said. “We need each other to feel connected to the Jewish community, and to feel like we’re not alone.”
A Baltimore native and seasoned Jewish educator, Rabbi Moss was recently named regional director of NCSY’s Baltimore-based Atlantic Seaboard chapter.
He succeeds Rabbi Jonah Lerner, who transitioned into a position on NCSY’s national team.
Operated under the auspices of the Orthodox Union and formerly known as the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, NCSY offers opportunities and programming for Jewish teens to develop a positive Jewish identity while strengthening their engagement and commitment to the community.
Rabbi Moss previously served as NCSY’s district director for Baltimore. He and his wife, Tali, and their five children live in Pikesville and belong to Congregation Derech Chaim.
Rabbi Moss, 38, earned his master’s degree in social work from Yeshiva University and was ordained by Aish HaTorah, as well as by the former chief justice of the Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem.
He is co-author of the 2023 book “The Power of Pain” (Mosaic Press), which explores spiritual resilience through personal adversity and Jewish learning.
Prior to joining NCSY in 2022, Rabbi Moss worked for more than a decade as a Judaics teacher and 11th grade advisor at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Pikesville.
“I absolutely loved teaching at Beth Tfiloh,” he said. “It was just such a wonderful opportunity to learn, to grow, to develop as a professional.”
Beth Tfiloh’s Rabbi Dr. Eli Yoggev called Rabbi Moss “a star in the Baltimore Jewish scene. He makes what he’s teaching exciting. Kids flock to him, they love him. He has a unique blend of sensitivity to people with deep Torah knowledge, and also the ability to relay that in an exciting way. It makes for a charismatic leader.”
During his tenure at Beth Tfiloh, Rabbi Moss became acquainted with Rabbi Lerner and was offered a position with NCSY.
“It was bittersweet,” Rabbi Yoggev said of Rabbi Moss’s departure from Beth Tfiloh. “We knew this would be good for his career, and he’d be able to help Jews on a wider level. But we would miss him and our students would miss him. It’s tough to fill the gap that he left.”
Rabbi Moss said he views NCSY’s mission as “to inspire Jewish teens and try to expand their connection to Israel and the Jewish people through informal Jewish education, leadership development, retreats and summer programs.”
Among NCSY’s initiatives is its Jewish Student Union program, which Rabbi Moss described as a national endeavor engaging approximately 400 Jewish culture clubs in public and private high schools across North America.
“JSU’s mission is to help Jewish teens in these schools explore and embrace their Jewish identity,” he said. “It’s fun, it’s welcoming, non-judgmental.”
The objective of the JSU program is to provide spaces where young Jewish students can feel like part of a community while expressing their Jewish identity and viewpoints, Rabbi Moss said.
“It’s one of the best kept secrets in the Jewish educational world,” he said. “It’s really like Hillel for high schools.”
In addition to JSU and different sports leagues, NCSY offers programming such as BGCUBED. Standing for “Building Girls to Gain and Grow,” Rabbi Moss described it as an extracurricular all-girls program.
Rabbi Moss said he’s proud and honored to succeed Rabbi Lerner and chart the future course of NCSY. “I felt ready and excited to take on the new challenge,” he said.
In addition to the Baltimore metropolitan area, Rabbi Moss’s new position oversees NCSY activities in Washington, D.C., Maryland, northern and central Virginia, Philadelphia and South New Jersey.
Rabbi Moss supervises a staff of more than 15 professionals and over 75 volunteers. The Atlantic Seaboard region oversees informal social and educational programming for more than 2,700 teens.
While there is a lot to learn about his new role, Rabbi Moss said he is eager for the chance to build on the foundation left by Rabbi Lerner. He said his primary goal is expansion, hoping to significantly increase the number of students participating in NCSY programs like JSU.
“I have full confidence he’s going to do what he always does,” Rabbi Yoggev said of Rabbi Moss. “He brings people closer to HaShem.”
For anyone interested in becoming involved in NCSY, Rabbi Moss said he has a clear message.
“There’s never been in the American Jewish experience a time like we’re in right now,” he said. “I think there’s no better time than the present to invest in understanding what it means to be a Jew, and to be proud of being a Jew.”
For information, visit atlanticseaboard.ncsy.org/.
Jesse Berman is a Florida-based freelance writer.
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