Patriotism for two different flags, united in one place! 2nd Session July 4th
Today was every bit as amazing as you’d expect it to be. There was a whole lot of red, white, and blue all over camp and a whole lot of love for Israel.
Last night’s Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Caravan, and the songs throughout the evening were one giant love letter to Eretz Yisrael.
Our Israeli campers and staff led Caravan. They shared themselves with us, invited all of us into their traditions (which of course are not too far from ours at camp), and helped create a Shabbat that celebrated who we are, where we’re from, and what is so important to us. And of course, all of this happened on the eve of our own celebration of freedom as Americans. I don’t think I quite have the words tonight to fully describe what happened here over the last 24 hours.
One of the most moving moments came during a new Prayer for Israel song that was taught to our Shira team by the fantastic Barak Malichi from our friends at the Jewish Agency for Israel, the organization that also helps bring many of our Israeli staff to Herzl Camp. The song is about hope and love for a homeland that lives in our hearts, and how fortunate we are to have Israel. We pray for peace. We pray for God to watch over her and to keep love alive in our hearts.
As we sang it at the end of Shabbat services, nearly the entire camp was swaying together, clapping together, smiling together, while our Israeli staff and campers stood proudly on the Mercaz singing with joy. They were loving us as we love them and reminding us that we are all one…Am Achat.
Lunch today had its own unique Fourth of July flair. There were costumes everywhere and spontaneous bursts into American classics like Born in the U.S.A., Party in the U.S.A., and American Pie, all a cappella, of course. It was a blast.
Two things especially stood out.
First, our awesome new food service partner, TasteBuds, put together an American flag cake. Well…it was technically a giant collection of cupcakes, but they assembled it into one enormous American flag that covered almost the entire serving table. The staff rolled it out while everyone sang patriotic songs, and each camper got their own piece of the stars and stripes, complete with strawberries, blueberries, and fluffy whipped cream. They’ve been doing a bang-up job this summer, and we’re really excited about this new partnership.
One of my favorite Saturday traditions is that a couple of Ozrim creatively announce the afternoon Rotations, letting everyone know which parts of camp are open and which staff are assigned where. The two doing it this year have creativity that rivals…well…I’m not sure what it rivals, but it’s thoroughly entertaining.
Today they came out dressed head to toe in red, white, and blue, complete with American flags as capes, and performed a medley explaining every Rotation Bet assignment. The playlist… conveniently not too dissimilar to the songs that had already been permeating around the room – Born in the U.S.A., Party in the U.S.A., and American Pie. Not exactly the usual way one receives work assignments.
After our typical Saturday night dinner, with Team USA jerseys representing virtually every sport imaginable and, of course, the ever-coveted Chipwich, the Twelve Gates team put on a performance that really could rival Saturday Night Live. There were special guests, inside camp jokes that only people living in this little community would understand, and plenty of opportunities for everyone to participate. The Chadar was full of campers and staff who were completely engaged, laughing, and having a great time together.
After that came Israeli dancing, and because it was Israel Shabbat, there seemed to be just a little extra enthusiasm. Now that many of our campers have been here for a couple of weeks, they’re remembering the dances. They’ve learned them during Tzrif Time and with their cabin mates, and by the second Shabbat you can really see the progression. The younger campers who may have been a little hesitant at first begin jumping in with both feet. That’s one of the beautiful things about camp, trying something new until one day it simply becomes yours.
A little weather rolled in this evening, so we moved Havdalah from the sports field into the Beit Ruach. Our Israeli staff and campers handed everyone a small Israeli flag as they walked in. Those flags waved high as we sang a beautiful Havdalah, standing arm in arm in prayer, celebrating with love and gratitude for our Israeli family and for this extraordinary Herzl Camp family we all get to be part of.
Finally, because it was the Fourth of July, we ended the night with Ruach Fest! Our Shira team, along with a whole bunch of special guests, put on a concert of cover songs that had everybody dancing around and throwing their hands in the air like they just didn’t care.
There was so much energy that it’s actually hard for me to describe. I wouldn’t necessarily call this Shabbat “restful,” although those who wanted to sit on the swings with a book certainly could, and those who wanted to spend the afternoon simply talking with friends and work on their friendship bracelets found plenty of places to do that. But today felt like one of those days when more people wanted to be in the water, on the tennis and pickleball courts, or running around with friends. There was even a really spirited game of floor hockey going on in the Beit Ruach during Rotation Bet that I caught a quick glimpse of…or is it “of which I caught a quick glimpse”? Those pesky prepositions…
Anyway, thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well. Safely rest.
,לילה טוב
Tommy