First Shabbat Summer ’26 is in the books!
Hi folks!
I come to you sitting on the porch of the Directors House on a cool early summer night. It’s a windy one, so I can’t hear the loons singing to me tonight, but the flags on the Director’s House are flapping hard enough to create their own North Woods summer song. It was a beautiful day up here at Herzl Camp. Your campers frolicked in the water during Shabbat rotations, and Havdallah tonight was held under a starry sky that felt almost too perfect to be real.
Services at the Mer-Caz last night were beautiful. The sun was setting behind us, the lake was calm as glass, and our resident bald eagles were circling and fishing for their evening meal as campers and staff sang together heading into our first Shabbat of Summer ’26.
And just like that…Session 1’s first Shabbat is in the books.
And it ruled.
The middah (value) of the week is confidence, which feels especially appropriate for so many first-time campers. During Shabbat Sichot (learning and discussion sessions), campers played a camp game that started with a little awkwardness and embarrassment. At first, kids were hesitant. Nervous. Unsure. But as the game unfolded, they realized everyone was feeling the same thing. The embarrassment became collective, and somehow through that shared vulnerability came confidence. Real confidence.
Our staff then tied the lesson directly into the courage it takes to come to overnight camp, especially for first time campers. The bravery required to sleep away from home. To put your own stuff away in cubbies. Brush your teeth without reminders. Set the table. Navigate friendships. Learn routines. Figure things out. Camp gives kids freedom, but it also gives them responsibility, and watching them rise to meet that challenge is one of the truly special things about this place.
There were campers who had homesick starts less than 24 hours ago who now walk around these grounds like seasoned Herzl veterans. The transformation can happen that quickly here. It’s one of the small miracles of Jewish overnight camp.
We also had the privilege this week of hosting a very special guest, Barak Malichi, the Rosh Shira (Head of Song Leading) for the Jewish Agency for Israel. Barak has been with us through Staff Week and now into our first Shabbat, and watching him work with our Shira team has been an absolute treat. He is a master song leader with remarkable energy, warmth, and engagement skills. More importantly, he helped prepare our Shira team for what promises to be a summer full of meaningful, joyful, and deeply engaging Jewish music. And your kids were ALL IN. They were singing Jewish songs, Camp songs, American classics, with arms around each other, dancing and smiling. They were singing loud without caring how they sounded. The kind of joy that can only happen when people feel safe enough to fully participate.
(You’ll actually get to hear more from Barak tomorrow when the newest episode of HerzlCast is released.)
That’s a wrap for tonight, folks. Flag is only nine short hours away, and there’s a whole lot more to come. It’s going to be a fantastic summer.
I love the sounds that come from these grounds, your kids laughing, shouting, singing, splashing, and making new friends. Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp
All is well. Safely rest.
לילה טוב,
Tommy