60 Faces of NCSY

Often, a person has no idea of the impact he or she has made on someone else. 60 Faces of NCSY was created to change that. The people we feature every day were nominated by NCSY alumni and NCSYers to express gratitude to someone that inspired them.

Nachi Sonnenblick

Former NCSY advisor; teacher at Shalhevet High School for Girls

Nominated and written by Eli Weinstein, NCSY advisor 

I started attending NCSY events when I was in sixth grade. One of the first people that came over to me and made me feel comfortable at my first Shabbaton was Nachi Sonnenblick. At the time, he was an advisor for West Hempstead NCSY. On that Shabbaton we became good friends, but it didn’t stop there. Over the years, our friendship grew and he continuously pushed me to become more involved in NCSY and do more religiously. What made it so easy for our relationship to thrive is the fact that he lived close by; it was easy to see him and talk to him whenever I needed. I remember Nachi taking some friends and I to Carvel after chapter meetings and we had the best time.

Over the years, Nachi kept asking me to learn with him and I would make excuses not to. Eventually, I gave in and it was the best decision I ever made. We ended up learning together throughout high school and finished a mesechta together. At that point, Nachi was like a brother who I could turn to for anything.

To me, Nachi was the best advisor because he cared so much for everyone and gave us the time we needed to grow. He was always there for us if we needed to talk or just wanted to have fun. But the most inspirational part of him was his commitment to Torah and Judaism. That is what inspired me to become more observant and take on more things. Because of Nachi, I realized the impact you can have on someone’s life as a good advisor, and it inspired me to become an advisor. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for Nachi Sonnenblick.