Shabbat at Herzl Camp rules! July 25th

Shabbat at Herzl Camp Rules!

We just wrapped up Kadima Shabbat, and as is the case with every Shabbat at Herzl Camp, it was special in its own unique way. Every Shabbat has its own personality, and this one was no different.

Kadima chose a theme that tied directly into their play, Wicked, which they’ll be performing next Sunday. Sorry to say, folks… so many people camped out for tickets that we’re completely sold out!

Their theme was “Change for the Better,” and it couldn’t have been more fitting. They executed it beautifully.

On Friday night we keep the campers at the Mercaz while the staff makes their way over to the Chadar to get settled before dinner. During that time someone tells a story, and this week it was my turn (it’s my turn a lot for some reason…).

I’m feeling a little funny about telling you what I shared because it was somewhat personal, but that’s also the point of these Ted Talks. You’re getting my observations in real time. You’re getting them from a parent, a camp alum, and someone who cares deeply about this community and its future.

I started with the story of the frog and the scorpion. It’s a story about the nature of animals and whether they can change their character. But as humans, we’re given something different. We have the gift of self-assessment, choices, growth, and change. Of course, I had to tie it back to our dear old Machaneh Herzl.

As I stood there looking out across the Mercaz, I saw the younger Amudim campers sitting toward the back and the older Kadima and B’Yachad campers sitting up front. I told them that if you want to see change happen, you can see it right here at this very Mercaz.

As these kids grow through the Herzl system, we’re lucky enough to witness an incredible transformation. Sure, some of it is simply maturity. But so much of it is this really beautiful metamorphosis (my SAT word of the day) into a Herzl camper.

It’s not that our Amudim campers aren’t bona fide Herzl campers, they absolutely are. They’re simply at a different point in the journey. They haven’t yet developed the appreciation that naturally comes with time, experience, and belonging.

The older campers genuinely model participation. They don’t just attend services, they’re fully into it. They sing every prayer with the Herzl tunes. They know all the Herzl movements and had motions. Before Aleinu, we actually pause for about ten seconds so everyone can coordinate their weaving back and forth and their bobbing up and down. They completely embrace the uniqueness of it all. They embrace their Judaism. And they do it in a place that is so full of love, so full of passion, and so completely free of judgment.

Meanwhile, those younger campers, some of whom are probably daydreaming because we don’t let them play cards or fiddle with Rubik’s Cubes (although a few get snuck through) during services are watching and you absolutely see them starting to participate, the Herzl way, a little more evey week. It totally works because they’re watching the older kids who, in their eyes, are the coolest people in the world. And what are those cool kids doing? They’re being proudly Jewish, singing, participating, and loving every minute of it. They’re showing the younger campers that being Jewish is cool.

I also tied the story to my own journey because I wanted them to understand that every staff member and every camper comes here with a different Jewish story.

Some of our campers come from very observant homes. They keep kosher, lay tefillin, know all the prayers, and have deep Jewish traditions. Others arrive knowing almost nothing other than the fact that they’re Jewish.

That was your pal Tommy.

When I first came to Herzl Camp way back in the olden days, I didn’t know what Tisha B’Av was. I barely knew many of the prayers..like I discussed a couple nights ago. I learned them here.

I’ve said before, and I’ve said this in talks throughout our community, that I came to Herzl Camp Jew in 1988, and I left Herzl Camp Jewish in 1988.

That’s what so many of these kids are discovering here. They’re discovering that their Judaism can be their own. They may all express it differently, but they come to understand how important it is, how lucky they are to be Jewish, and maybe most importantly…how cool it is to be Jewish.

The other thing I have to tell you about happened during services this morning.

Two boys in Kadima had not yet become bar mitzvah. Without anyone asking, the staff took it upon themselves to tutor these boys enough so that they could actually become bar mitzvah during services today. It was amazing.

These boys were absolutely beaming. There wasn’t an ounce of embarrassment or self-consciousness. They were all in, and they were so proud. Of course we printed certificates, gathered a few gifts, threw candy, and celebrated the whole shebang. But we celebrated it Herzl style.

At the very end, after the boys had finished, one of our more vocal and boisterous Ozrim stood up and shouted an old Herzl chant that happens whenever someone does something special on the bimah.

“When I say Yasher, you say Koach!”

“Yasher!”

“Koach!”

And then, as only Herzl Camp can…we all yell

“GO JEWS!”

I got chills, it filled me with pride.

It’s not just Aden, our Jewish Life and Learning Coordinator, it’s not just the rabbis that visit, it’s not just the staff, it’s everybody. Everybody is into it and everybody somehow leads it.

You hear little campers walking around randomly singing prayers, Birkat Hamazon, or songs from services. Throughout the day those melodies become little earworms floating through camp. It just sounds Jewish here.

And if we’re going to keep this alive, keep our people alive, and keep Judaism vibrant, we need more places like Herzl Camp. We need more proud Jewish kids. Thank you for helping make that happen by sending them here.

Of course, lest we forget, after Havdalah tonight, which the Kadima campers led so beautifully, we celebrated those new b’nai mitzvah boys with a party in the Ulam.

The staff transformed it with dancing, games, activities, and music pumping through the room. The campers were laughing, celebrating, and then suddenly, the Hora started.

Before long, the boys were up on chairs, everyone was dancing, and the joy was practically pouring out of the Ulam. And when the party ended, they kept singing all the way back down to Kadima Land.

Finally, after a fantastic song session last night, where so many Kadima campers got up to lead songs, showing both their talent and their courage, although courage doesn’t take much at Herzl because everyone cheers everyone on, the lights came back on and people started saying “Shabbat Shalom” as they made their way back to their cabins.

As I looked around the Chadar, I noticed something. There were tears, tears of joy, tears of belonging, tears of love, and tears that quietly said, “Oh my gosh… we only have one Shabbat left. I don’t want this to end.”

Those are tears that I love…I suspect you know exactly why.

So thank you, thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp, and thank you for giving them the gift of an amazing Jewish camp experience.

All is well. Safely rest.

,לילה טוב

Tommy