North Shore Delegation Shines at JCC Maccabi ArtsFest in New Orleans

New Orleans —   Maccabi doesn’t always mean athletics. Sometimes it signifies the creative arts.

Twenty talented North Shore teens traveled to Tulane University in New Orleans to immerse themselves in the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, which provided them the opportunity to express themselves in acting/improv, broadcast journalism, culinary arts, dance, digital photography, jazz ensemble, musical theater, rock music, visual art and vocal music.

This was the first time the North Shore sent a delegation to ArtsFest, which is in its fourth year. The local teen delegation, one of the largest to attend, was given the trip through the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore and the North Shore Teen Initiative.

“We were looking for the most exciting things for the kids to join,” said North Shore Teen Initiative Executive Director Adam Smith. “The kids stayed with Jewish host families, and at the end of the week there was a large-scale gala. Artsfest is an entry point for teens to engage in Jewish programming.”

Emma McGuirk, a junior at Marblehead High School, was a musician in the jazz ensemble, along with 16 teens from across the country.

“It was really cool to travel across the United States and have something in common with fellow musicians,” said McGuirk. She enjoyed learning to improvise on flute and being part of a performing ensemble.

Delegation head, Swampscott High teacher Mark Schwartz, who has led Maccabi athletes in the past, said ArtsFest gave the teens a unique opportunity to gain an appreciation of their own talents as well as an understanding of what it takes to create a professional performance.

“All 133 teens had to work together in three days to create a performance,” Schwartz said.

Allison Solomon, also a junior at Marblehead High School, was drawn to the culinary arts.

“I was able to learn new skills while in New Orleans,” Solomon said. “I’m considering a career in this field, so the experience was great. I am grateful to the North Shore Teen Initiative for the opportunity, and to my host family and the chef who taught us.”

“The week I spent on the ArtsFest trip was one of the best of my life,” said Shoshana Kranish, a ninth grader from Beverly. “The people I met, the things we did, were just the experience of a lifetime. I had so much fun, and I think everyone who has the chance should go!”

North Shore teens attending ArtsFest the first week in August included: Bettina and Samantha Bucco and Emma Quateman of Wenham, Jacob Cline of Hamilton, Zoe Golub-Sass, Emma McGuirk and Allison Solomon of Marblehead, Ben Hyams of Waban, Samuel and Shoshana Kranish and Alanna and Zachary Krowiak of Beverly, Sarah Levitin, Jared Solomon, Scott Powell and Melissa Resnic of Swampscott, Zoe Stone and Lior Shemesh of Danvers, Emma Ottenheimer of Rockport and Daria Shnider of Manchester.