Exceptional among the exceptional – August 2nd

Well, we have a lot of exceptional here.

Tonight, we got to celebrate some of the exceptional people who make up this community, and an exceptional number of awards were given out.

But first, after dinner, we were entertained and beamed with pride as the Ozo class of 2026 went through a perfectly touching and comical graduation ceremony (more on that later). Then we got the Kadima play, which was amazing. There is something pretty incredible about watching these kids come together after working so hard, putting all of their different talents into one production, and then getting up there and doing it with completely unashamed gusto. Full heart, full commitment, and full of glee. Nobody is too cool for it. They sing, they dance, they act, they support each other, and they absolutely go for it. And, of course, the rest of camp goes right along with them.

Then we moved on to some very special awards.

We gave out the Michelle Solle Kadima Award. This honor is given to a Kadima camper who embodies the spirit of Herzl Camp, demonstrating a true love of camp, menschlichkeit and ruach. The award honors the memory of Michelle Solle, who died in 1991. Michelle spent some of her happiest and most memorable moments at Herzl Camp, where she was truly free to be a kid.

I love that last part, free to be a kid. Because if you’ve been reading these Ted Talks all summer, you know how much I believe that is one of the greatest gifts this place gives our campers. There aren’t that many places left where kids get to do that so completely.

We also gave out the Netta Epstein Memorial Award, which was established just last year to honor the memory of our beloved former Ozo, Netta Epstein.

This award celebrates campers who shine, connect deeply and strengthen our community. Netta’s life was tragically taken in the October 7 attacks in Israel in a selfless act that saved another. He embodied the very best of Herzl, inclusive, caring and full of energy, passion, humor and heart.

The Netta Epstein Memorial Award is presented to an Israeli camper whose character reflects Netta’s legacy, bringing people together, spreading warmth and laughter, and strengthening the bond between Herzl and Israel.

May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration for generations at Herzl Camp.

And then tonight, at our final staff banquet, we also gave out awards. The most notable is the Kol Hakavod Award.

To honor camp staff’s integral role in creating a successful summer, the Fiterman family created the Kol Hakavod Award in 2003. Each year, six exceptional Herzl Camp staff members are chosen by their peers to receive this honor. The recipients are people who have demonstrated outstanding job performance, exceptional leadership abilities, a consistently positive attitude and excellence in their overall contribution to camp.

I think the “chosen by their peers” part is what makes this one particularly special. These aren’t awards handed down from Hanhallah. Your peers, the people who have worked alongside you, lived alongside you, watched you on the great days and the really long days, are the ones saying, “You made this place better.” That’s a pretty special honor.

And we’re not done.

Tomorrow we’ll give out Water Skier of the Year, Climber of the Year and a few other distinguished honors to members of our outstanding camper community. And, of course, another new member has been added to the Mensch Bench, one of my favorite new traditions of the summer.

So yes, there is a lot of celebrating going on around here right now. A lot of names being called, a lot of applause, and a lot of people being recognized for the things they have contributed to this place.

Before I close this out, I wanted to share with you the speeches from the Ozo Class of 2026 Valdictorians. The Valdictorians embody what it means to be part of the Ozo program and balance becoming staff members while at the same time being part of an age group (campers), and they act as a leader with campers and amongst their peers (there it is again…the respect of others is a ubiquitous lesson here…that’s right, I said ubiquitous). I have put their speeches below my sign off because paraphrasing them won’t do it justice (there is some inside baseball throughout them, but you’ll be captivated nonetheless). 

But here’s what I noticed tonight.

No matter whose name gets called, everybody cheers. Nobody needs the award to be theirs in order to celebrate it. When someone’s friend gets called, they explode. When someone’s counselor gets recognized, their campers lose their minds. When someone from another cabin or another program gets honored, people still clap and scream and celebrate because they understand that person’s accomplishment belongs, in some little way, to all of us.

That’s the beauty and the amazing gift of this place.

Of course we celebrate individual excellence. I believe we should. We want our kids and our staff to work hard, lead, grow, contribute and become the best versions of themselves. But Herzl also teaches something else, somebody else’s light doesn’t dim yours. You can cheer just as loudly when the name being called isn’t your own.

And when you have a community filled with people who genuinely want to see each other succeed, who are proud of one another, who lift each other up, and who can find as much joy in someone else’s moment as they do in their own, you’ve built something much bigger than an awards ceremony.

You’ve witnessed Herzl Magic

And tonight, ours was pretty exceptional.

All is well. Safely rest.

,לילה טוב

Tommy

Valedictorian speeches:

Good Evening Herzl Camp, but specifically good evening ozrim.

The summer of 2022 was when my childhood truly began. I arrived at Herzl for the first time, and suddenly, schtickiniess was commonplace. screaming and dancing at the top of your lungs at 8am, and loving Israel and Hashem proudly was just how life was. Since that summer, Herzl has been synonymous with childhood.

Every school year was filled with reliving summers of memories and childhood, yearning for camp, to be around jews, and to be with the people I loved most. However, that feeling dissapeared following my first summer away from camp in 2025, and only increased as the school year went on. I lost touch with my camp friends, swiping up on stories occassionally and hanging out maybe twice a year. I fell into a rhythm at school: loving my life, but at the cost of fearing my future.

As the year progressed, I got increasingly more anxious about the start of camp. I was scared that nothing would be the same: that friends would be distant, that responsibilities would pile up and ruin summer, and that Herzl wouldn’t feel like my home.

When we first got here, the only thing I could think was “it’s not the same.” My fears of change had realized: we didn’t mock anymore, ate food with campers, and had hadrachas instead of b’yachad time. It was all different. I was stuck in this way of thinking for a while, but then I wasn’t.

I can’t tell you that a switch flipped or that a change distinctively happened, but I can tell you that my sense of childhood and my togetherness with all of the ozrim was reinvigorated.

Writing this speech, I had no idea how to sum up the summer. I could talk about crazy camper experiences, our days off, hadrachas, bo cleanings, or endless muckbangs, but I would be remissed if I did not focus this speech on what truly changed my mind and keeps us coming back to camp: our love.

With you guys, I feel so whole, special, appreciated, and apart of something larger. Over the past 8 weeks, we’ve learned together, hiked together, fallen asleep together, brushed up together, almost killed and revived fish together, and lived together. I truly cannot put into words the gratitude I have for each and every one of you. For the creativity you harness, the laughter you foster, the memories made.

My fears from the beginning of camp of change has dissipated, but I am still scared. I am scared to be alone in 2 days. I am scared of what teh future may hold. I am scared of losing our bonds and the energy that I have at camp. But now, I face this fear with bravery and strength because of you all. I am ready to experience senior year, to graduate, and to live.

Though GWARAI and FFOKREJ hold a special place in all of our hearts, the most important thing that I’ve learned this summer is that in my life, I love you more. It will always be you – it will always be us.

I once thought that it was the land and the memories that makes this place so special, but that’s not entirely it. It’s the childhood that emerges when we’re together: our ruach, our passion, and our love. And now, as graduating ozrim, it’s the childhood that we impart on our campers, and the legacy we leave.

Before wrapping up this speech, I want to say some thank yous.

To Tommy, Danya, and everyone on the administrative team for making this camp the incredible place it is, to the fifth year staff for raising us, giving us the most incredible experiences as campers, and inspiring us to be great staff and continue coming back to camp.

A special thank you to PUMPUM, who without none of us would be here today. You guys have truly made this the best, your love and care for all of us is so visible in your supportivenss for us and all of camp.

And finally, to all of the Ozrim. This has truly been the best summer ever, growing up with you has been the biggest blessing, and I will always cherish the summers spent hanging out, dancing, mocking, and having fun with all of you.

This may be the last time we’re all together eating dinner, so if there’s one message I want to leave you all with, it’s to not forget the love we all have for camp, the love we have for life, and the love we have for each other. Keep coming back, keep being yourself, and keep being a kid.

Thank you.

Speech 2:

In 2024, when I stepped on the bus to leave Byachad summer, so many emotions ran through my head. I was unsure if I’d ever be back at camp and that thought kept spinning around in my head. As I integrated back home, I realized I belonged back at Herzl for Ozo summer. While I still maintained connections with my camp friends at home through JSU, BBYO, and School, that spark was never the same.

When I came back, I didn’t know how our whole age would mesh together again and I over thought how people would react to seeing each other again. Throughout the next few days, I learned it seemed like we had never left.

Across the summer, I’ve learned so much through my peers, staff, hans, and the campers. Not everyday was easy or fun and fading was tempting. not every hadracha was I awake for but.. I never forgot to fiercefully Ffokrej.

As our time is coming to a close as a program, I will forever remain grateful to the other 58 ozrim for working together towards the best possible camp experience. Although we were never all together, every single one of my fellow ozos has taught me something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

To Izzy, Maddie, Sol, and David, your dedication and work to making sure we had amazing lights outs, programs, trips, and experiences through the whole summer cannot be overstated. Your work with the rest of camp is truly something to admire and your commitment to this community will stay forever.

^Make lasting connections, build bonds, and have fun with the rest of your peers.

Thank you, and remember, 60:04 has never been done before.