BIKKURIM!!! – Session 1
BIKKURIM!
That’s right, folks. Today was Bikkurim. In Hebrew, I think it actually means “first fruits,” but at Herzl Camp, it means Color Wars!
Bikkurim has been going on here since the dawn of time, and it’s one of the highlights of every summer. There is so much to do. During First Session, we divide camp into four colors (six colors during Second and Third Session) and spend the day competing in a myriad of events. There’s basketball, dodgeball, plaque drawing in Amanut, soccer on the soccer fields, and countless other competitions.
But the crème de la crème is the Marathon (I’m very impressed with myself that I put those little things over the e’s).
The Marathon is truly the one event where the entire camp is doing something together. It starts at one end of camp and winds its way through a seemingly endless series of challenges, from wheelbarrow races, Frisbee throws, hopscotch, saying poems forwards and backwards, cartwheels around various camp landmarks, to just about anything else the planners can dream up. They throw everything at this one.
The Marathon is the grand finale, and generally speaking, whoever wins the Marathon wins Bikkurim.
This year, the Yellow Team prevailed. They are your First Session Bikkurim Champions!
For those of you with kids on Yellow, I’m sure you’ll be hearing all about it. It will undoubtedly become one of those Herzl memories they carry forever. I have staff members who still come up to me and say things like, “When I was in Habonim, I was on the Purple Team and we almost won…” The details may get fuzzy over the years, but the memories never do. Bikkurim becomes part of a camper’s Herzl story.
The festivities actually began last night with the big Bikkurim reveal at the Flag Circle, where the theme was announced. This year’s theme was, of course, the World Cup. We had Team France, Team Brazil, Team USA, and Team Spain.
The Chadar gets transformed into something that looks a lot like our Shabbat setup. Four long tables stretch across the room so each team can sit together. There’s chanting, cheering, singing, and lots of enthusiastic declarations of “We’re the best!”
There’s also the Judges’ Table, where campers race to bring judges their food, clear their plates, and make sure they have everything they need. It’s an entire culture unto itself. It’s honestly hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it, so I’ll simply say this, It is so much fun, and it is so much camp.
After the Yellow Team was crowned champion, we rolled right into Chugim and continued with a normal camp day.
Well… normal until about 3:00 p.m.
That’s when the bus rolled in and Taste of Herzl arrived.
Instantly, camp almost doubled in size, and the noise level quadrupled.
A whole group of bright-eyed, first-time campers walked into the Ulam and received the same welcome every new Herzl camper gets, a room full of singing, dancing, Im Tir Tzu, Heveinu Shalom Aleichem, and Am Yisrael Chai.
I’m always impressed by the Taste campers. You would think younger campers might have a harder time adjusting, but for some reason they jump right in. They arrive full of excitement and enthusiasm, ready to embrace every bit of the Herzl experience. They love the singing, the dancing, the cheering, and the energy. You can practically watch them become camp people overnight.
Of course, there’s a little homesickness. Of course, there are occasional bladder-control issues. That’s all part of the deal.
These kids are learning independence at a remarkably young age. They have wonderful staff members in their cabins, plenty of support, and lots of guidance, but they also begin learning how to do things for themselves. They start figuring out community living, responsibility, and self-confidence. And honestly, they adapt far more quickly and smoothly than most adults would expect.
I’m writing this tonight just after returning from the opening bonfire for our Tasters. We gathered at Nir Howie, our main bonfire site. There were guitars, camp songs, and introductions to some of the Hebrew songs they’ll be singing on Friday night.
The Tasters head to bed pretty early…but they also wake up pretty early.
As I type this, the sun has set, the moon has risen, and the loons are talking across the lake. I have a feeling I’ll be doing a little early-morning rover duty tomorrow, making sure these newest Herzl Campers are embracing wake-up and getting themselves moving toward an awesome day at Machaneh Paradise.
I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
But for now, thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp.
All is well. Safely rest.
לילה טוב,
Tommy