Session 3 – Day 14: Chofesh!

Hi Herzl Family!

As I’ve said before, it amazes me how much happens here in an hour.

Tonight‘s focus is going to be on Chofesh (free time). Most every night after dinner campers get an hour to do what they want to do. We staff multiple areas in camp, from the golf course, to the Beit Ruach, to the Tayelet, to the waterfront… and now we’ve added waterskiing to the mix. 

I tried to hit as much as possible in the 50 minutes there was for full activity time tonight. Here’s what I saw…

Four kids were at the climbing wall and getting timed for how fast they could scale the wall of course it became a competition.

At the golf facility, there was a closest to the pin contest going on with about sixteen campers against two staff…staff were winning. 

Every tennis court was full, three of them with doubles pickle ball games going on and one with a tennis match that had a really hard time keeping the balls inside the fence. 

As usual, there was a dozen kids playing ultimate on the sports field.

Each Kfar had a healthy cadre of campers just enjoying a picture perfect Wisconsin night and some quality “chill” time. 

Then Enzo and I went down to the boating side where we jumped in a watch boat and went out onto the lake to see some B’yachad campers waterskiing just as the sun started to dip behind the mighty pines, oak, and maple trees of Machaneh Paradise. 

Over on the swim side, we could see some of our Ozrim, who are all lifeguard certified doing one of their in-services, brushing up on their LGT skills. 

Lastly, we caught up to our pontoon with a couple of our staff had taken out some campers to go bass fishing in the north end of the lake. When I approached them they were so proudly cheering, they caught a truly prize winning bass…the biggest I’ve seen in this lake! (Of If I knew how to post a picture on this blog, I could prove it. You just gotta take my word. I was so excited because timing and luck was on my side. 

I got back up at about 8:20 and Tochnit Erev (evening program) was off and running. The Bass Fishermen were a little late…great excuse though. 

We have one week of paradise left for this summer, and like I said last night we are full on milking it! 

And now from the Porch, as the Loons continue to sing through the darkness of night with the stars in what feels like over abundance above us, just know that…

All is well, safely rest.

Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp. 

‏לילה טוב

Tommy