Danya’s Shabbat Message – Week 5: The Magic of Ordinary Moments
Dear Herzl Families –
I’m delighted to share this week’s Shabbat message from the shores of Devils Lake. I’m Danya, the Director of Camp & Culture at Herzl Camp. I get to spend my summer with our incredible staff, Ozrim, and campers. For the past few years, I’ve sent a weekly Shabbat message to camp families. This summer, you’ll receive one each week so you can share in a little of the Herzl magic and stay connected all summer long.
Third session has been so much fun so far, with a fantastic group of campers. Yesterday, the RKs planned an “RK Switch”, trading programs with one another for a few hours. They announced it at breakfast, and the campers were really into it, even though some of them weren’t sure exactly what they were cheering for. For a few hours, they spent time with a completely different program – it was such a simple and creative idea that reminded me, once again, why the staff are so good at what they do.
The “new Habonim RKs” planned an evening program where the campers were split into teams and given a list of random items to collect for points. With more than 100 Habo campers spread across Herzl, it was exactly the kind of organized chaos that only works at camp. I was in Ozo Park when four Habonim campers came sprinting toward me.
They asked if I would come back to their k’far with them; apparently, I was worth a very respectable number of points. So I told the people I was talking to I’d catch them later, and stood up to walk over. The Habo campers yelled “Danya is ours!” to anyone in the vicinity, and I was off to the k’far, escorted across camp like I was in the witness protection program.
One camper held onto my arm the entire way, another kept scanning the area to make sure no one else came too close to me. All through the walk from Ozo Park to the k’far, multiple groups of campers came by and asked if I would come with them to earn more points. The campers who first claimed me were having none of that, and held onto me a little tighter every time someone dared to approach. Before I could respond with my sincere regrets, my security detail made it clear it wasn’t happening.
We finally arrived at the meeting spot, and the points were officially recorded for the team. My value instantly diminished, and before I turned around, they were off again to get other items on the list. I sat down on one of the benches right in the middle of all the action and watched the campers excitedly searching for something or someone on their list. I must have sat there for 10 minutes, taking everything in. The whole scene hit me with a wave of nostalgia. The evening programs I remember the most from my own camper days were a lot like this one.
When the program ended, the staff and campers gathered themselves into a circle for Rad Hayom, the song we sing to end the day. Afterward, the campers made their way back to their cabins, and on their way they were all talking at once, all about the fun they had that night, and what the plan was for lights out. I could hear their counselors reminding them it was time to wash up at the Haks and to hurry because they had a fun lights-out planned. It was such a familiar scene, one I’ve watched play out countless times over the last few summers. But tonight, even the sound of the screen door opening and closing between each camper coming in and out was more familiar than ever. It brought me right back to 1990.
An ordinary evening with simple moments that seem so insignificant until one day they’re the moments remembered most.
Wishing you all a peaceful Shabbat and restful weekend.
-danya