Ted Talk 2024
Session 3 – DAY 20 – Tuesday, August 6th 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Well, folks, that’s a wrap!
I was wrestling with typing up some kind of long reflective blog to you all but, quite honestly I don’t have it in me yet. The buses just pulled out. I got a staff, along with myself of course (and most of all), with an eye full of tears, lumps in our throats, and that awkward smile/frown on a crying face. It was an amazing summer!
Thank you so much for sending your kid to Herzl Camp. It was a fantastic summer ’24. We’re sending back to you a proud Jew, a proud Zionist, and (hopefully) a lifelong Herzl camper.
Herzl L’tamid
See you next summer!
Tommy
PS – The final HerzlCast was released last night for your listening please as you drive to pick up your camper.
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 16 – Friday, August 2nd 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Sorry folks but it looks like Kyündra got into the wifi and HerzlCast got corrupted. We will post it after Shabbat late Saturday night.
Shabbat Shalom!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 15 – Thursday, August 1st 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
And the Purple Team takes it!!!
Watch for a new episode of HerzlCast tomorrow afternoon for all the fun details.
I’m tired and need to hit the cot for a 5:00 AM wake up for sunrise kayaking with some B’yachad campers followed by 7:00 AM ski club.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 14 – Wednesday (really Thursday if we’re splittin hairs), July 31 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
It was another fantastic day at Machaneh Herzl.
The day started off on a little bit of a more serious note for the older campers with the variety events for Tochnit Boker discussing antisemitism. For the younger campers we ran a program where you had to describe yourself in six words. The majority were things about positive messages and inspirational perspectives. It was impressive looking at a 10-year-old talk about themselves, but my personal favorite was the kid who said “I wake up and I pee.”
The older kids had a special guest. We had two professionals from the JCRC meet with the Kadima and B’yachad kids and they talked about antisemitism, what’s going on in Israel, and all the things that we know that our kids are going to have deal with when they leave this protective bubble of Machaneh Paradise, and get back into reality.
Was really refreshed to hear feedback that came out with the B’yahad group in particular (the campers who are in their high school journey. The visitors shared with me that they were impressed with the understanding of Israel from a reflection of more facts, historical perspective, and they have more knowledge of the complexities of war, sense of community, and (what makes me the most impressed and most proud), is they were all very confident or communicated that they are more confident about expressing their Judaism outwardly as a result of their summer here at Herzl Camp. My heart was full of pride as our guests from JCRC were sharing this feedback with me at lunch. We’re coming to the end of summer and to hear feedback like that and knowing that we’ve helped build some armor for our kids and get them continuing down a road of pride for who they are as Jews makes me really proud of our team and Herzl Camp staff and community.
Afternoon brought me on my typical walk around camp. I stroll past the volleyball court and caught a World League game going on between the team Family Guy and team Scooby Doo in a heated Nuke’em battle. Scooby Doo took the day. I walked over to the Beit Ruach, since I haven’t been there for a couple of days. A lopsided basketball game was going on court 1, and on the second court there was an International Olympics inspired game of Handball. If you don’t know handball, turn on NBC (from what I hear…I’m living in a bubble) and watch the Olympics and you’ll see how popular it is everywhere but America. Some of our International Staff was leading the chug and did a good job explaining the rules and teaching these kids something new to do. My bet is I’ll start seeing some more handball in the Beit Ruach over the next few days. Lastly, on my chug walk, over in the library, of course the beloved Herzl Camp book club is quietly in swing there’s something for everybody!
During free time I got to go down and hang out in the docks and join a boat while they water skied and wakeboarded, of course it was a steamy hot afternoon, so I had to jump in myself.
I probably could share a lot more but that first few paragraphs say so much. It makes me feel so proud! And tomorrow I’m hoping to have a big long report because at dinner… BIKKURIM happened!!!
I promise to remain unbiased, but I bleed purple…I’m just sayin!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 13 – Tuesday, July 30 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
I feel like this morning was a week ago…
Let me just run through a few highlights of the day and it will give you a taste of all we pack into 16ish hours.
We did have an early to bed night last night and then gave the entire camp an extra hour of sleep. So the ruach tank is topped off and oh man, did it show! At morning Degel (flag) you could actually hear the anthems, and Ozrim made breakfast sound like a pep rally at a Notre Dame football game.
After breakfast at Cornerstone team awarded the new person(s) of the week for each of the eight pillars. It’s a really fun moment, the Cornerstone Fellows all come running into the Chadar in colorful capes and masks and each represents these eight pillars of Jewish leadership like kindness, justice, integrity, holy community, the land of Israel, and more, and when the winners get selected the entirety of camp celebrates the integrity of these great staff or Ozrim.
I had a couple of meetings so I missed with Tochnit Boker and didn’t know what it was but I remember hearing a chant of some kind. Once I came out of my meeting, I saw the B’yachad lifeguard training crew (about 16 kids) preparing/doing review for their test, which is coming up this week, but they were more excited that it became full on pizza party.
I went out the back door of the Chadar and sat on the bench by the climbing wall and watched these campers navigate the challenging faces of the wall, but was extra cool today was there was an Amudim girl camper helping a Habonim boy camper navigate their way up. Coaching them on which grips to grip, which steps to step. And the climbing staff (who is amazing, like I’ve said before) watched with pride as this camper was helping another camper try something new and get up there to ring that bell.
I was in a meeting in our gazebo that we call Funkytown while the kadima play practice was happening in the Ulam. They are getting into their final rehearsals so it’s full cast members at every rehearsal, however there’s a lot of standing around time and in classic camp form I looked over to the front lawn of the Ulam and a group of boys were playing some form of makeshift baseball with a giant squishy ball and they were swinging a bat, which actually was some kind of prop from the Ulam. They were laughing and they were having fun and they were slipping and sliding in the wet grass…We had some pretty heavy dew this morning, really heavy, heavy heavy dew.
Speaking of heavy dew, I caught a few glimpses of some tzrif time activities, which included a group of girls from a cabin that dawned garbage bags over there bodies, and they ran to seek the biggest puddles they could could find, and they were literally looking to do puddle slip sliding in any puddle over various parts of camp -We have lots of Lake Herzl’s.
I got on my bicycle and rode up to the teva site because B’yachad was up there having a “sign install party” at their avodah project, which is rebuilding Teva for camping next year. When I was riding up there once I got out of main camp, there was no doubt where they were because you could hear the music probably from miles away. When I got up there I saw campers cooking over the campfires. I saw a good 25 people Israeli dancing and another 20 or so playing an ultimate game. So if you’re scoring at home, that’s campers cooking, campers dancing, and campers playing. It looked like the happiest family reunion you’ve ever seen. They truly have become one as a group!
While that was happening up there, back in camp the rest of camp was having a full on Ozo lead Carnival. There were bouncy houses, a dunk tank that I managed to avoid, Ozos were leading a fun trivia game where campers could earn tickets which they can use in Chanut. It looks like we will be giving out some Herzl hats tomorrow. There was an Art booth and a band on the Mercaz (open to guest singers of course). Lastly, there was a petting zoo complete with our goats and chickens (catching them at the end of the program brought an unexpected dose of comedy).
Lastly, I went down to the docks and drove a ski boat for 8:00 PM ski club…water was glass and smiles big and bright in the setting sun.
This morning felt like a week ago.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 12 – Monday, July 29 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
I got to have a fun stroll around camp today and got to be in the game just like I like it.
There’s a number of moments today that gave me that camp nachus. During Chug Aleph, Kadima was doing a relay of some kind on the sports field and they had set up four separate slip and slides across the field as part of the relay. Because it’s camp and camp has to be camp the kids were having more fun on the slip and slides than in the relay, so the relay kind of lost its way. The next thing I know all of Kadima was picking up the giant blue tarps, bringing them over to the small hill just north of the Mitbac, getting the hose to run down the tarps and getting the soap to get the slide on, and the sliding began! It started with two or three running and sliding on down and it soon became the entirety of Kadima zooming in a giant clump of happy teenagers rolling down the slide together! I’m hoping the photos showed up because there was grins a mile wide, there was laughter, there was pure joy.
The next stop in my Aleph journey was by the farm. One of the Israeli staff members was giving voices to the chickens and speaking in Hebrew with different voices for each chicken. It was absolutely hysterical. The kids were having a riot. The staff member even stopped himself, laughing at his own schtick. Campers were then running around pretending to be the chickens later in the day. You could hear them shouting out Hebrew voices trying to be this one or that one. …unplanned Israeli education maybe?
The afternoon chugim were full and active and just as it happens, somehow Pickleball became the sport de jour. That’s another thing that I’ve come to learn to love is no one could play pickle ball for a week and all of the sudden, there’s 20 kids standing around watching a Pickleball game and creating some kind of tournament, or creating some kind of competition. It’s awesome!
Tochnit Boker or Tochnit Erev (evening program and morning program, different for each group), had an awesome program about Jewish athletes today. Of course the staff looked at each other and said “wow, that program is gonna last a good six minutes.” It was clever, creative, and interesting and just another pathway to help build proud Jews.
I can’t believe there’s only a week left of camp. This is flying by. I think I’m gonna take the next 7-8 nights and make sure I do a late night stroll over to the flag circle take a look at the billions of stars that you get to see, and soak it all in. It’s going to be a be fun week! We’re going to see the Kadima play, B’yachad is going to finish up their projects, a couple of secret activities I’m sure are going to happen… but you didn’t hear that from me.
I love Machaneh Herzl, we’re having a blast!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 11 – Sunday, July 28 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Rosh weather kept the heat on high today and we adjusted accordingly with a little extra swim time and Yom Yisrael activities that involved a lot of water!
Oh yeah, It was Yom Yisrael today. I had to spend a lot of time doing some adulting and administrative stuff for camp so I didn’t get to go out and walk around as much as I like to, but the Yom Yisrael team did a great job setting up some pretty cool and unique activities.
One was the game with water balloons where they draped giant tarps over the volleyball nets, and kids had to lob water balloons over until the last person was standing dry. It was fun and swift. And then tonight there was, of course, Israeli dancing…always a favorite, as mentioned last night. And lastly, for tonight‘s Tochnit Erev (evening program), they turned the Chadar, both upstairs and downstairs, into a shuk where campers had to trade to get to accumulate shekels. It was a really fun and engaging game and the bargaining and bantering was pretty solid comedy.
I’m going to keep this one short tonight, the eyelids are having a hard time staying up.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 10 – Saturday, July 27 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Shavua Tov!
What a beautiful Shabbat, they’re always beautiful here at Machaneh Herzl! Starting with Caravan, which is a third session caravan, it feels like it goes on around the entire road. The flag songs, which now have their cadence of inside jokes and cumulative weeks of laughter. One of the “newer” traditions (meaning we didn’t do this “back in the day”, after all flags are lowered, the blessing of the children is said, just before we head to the Mercaz to welcome Shabbat, the individual groups of Ozrim from years past get together for one little quick circle and hug or chant or something (I saw a quick Hora come out of the 2022 Ozo men). I love this new tradition because then Campers who inevitably stand around and watch it happen as if they are seeing their future selves.
We had a beautiful Shabbat service last night led by B’yachad and it is as if our Bald Eagle neighbor enjoys a good Herzl Kabbalat Shabbat because who doesn’t, inevitably our neighbor always flies right by at the perfect time, in the middle of a song or the rare quiet moment of reflection. Shabbat shalom Bald Eagle.
Song session last night was perfect. Perfect mix of Jewish songs, folk, Israeli folk (thank you Israeli campers and staff!). The Shira team did a great job and a lot of the kids were guest singers, which was so cool. Kids getting up in front of hundreds of people with a confidence that they have is so admirable. And catch myself with an ear to ear grin watching them with pride and watching over the Pride.
It was a hot and toasty Shabbat. The humidity is about 1000% up here today and temperature was in the high 80s, but it felt like a cauldron. However, the waterfront during first rotation relieved the oppressive heat and invited the very welcomed sounds of Camp.
The afternoon rotation today was commandeered by the B’yachad v. Kadima Powderpuff football game, which was more walking around and talking and laughing and just being in whatever kind of get up they had designing for themselves than actual football. I think I could count on two hands the amount of plays that were actually executed inside the hour.
For most of camp, the highlight of the Powderpuff game was the halftime show which was the Kadima and B’yachad boys having fall on dance line “dance off”. To say that everybody’s winner at Machaneh Herzl isn’t always true but today Kadima won the football game 7-0 and the B’yahcad boys took the dance, so everybody really was a winner today.
Shabbat Sichot (discussion) were really cool. B’yachad did a pretty good job putting together some really interesting discussions. Campers could send a letter of a wish of what they want the end of camp too look like for themselves which they are going to send themselves in a couple of months, there was writing prayers to be placed in the Wall in Jerusalem, that one of our counselors is going to bring back with him to Israel and those prayers will be placed in the wall. The sicha that was the most occupied was the Darling of the summer Torah LARPing, which was, of course, based on today’s parsha – Pinchas and land inheritance – to give you a flavor of what TorahLARPing looks like, in one of the skits God was talking to Moses, but the two campers playing each part were talking is if God and Moses were in a discussion not only about land inheritance but also hanging out and what good restaurants they’ve been to recently. It was pretty solid comedy.
Of course dinner was anchored by the ever popular Chipwich, which has a chant ahead of distribution that gets you just as excited as if you’re going to an Olympic gold medal match. And then a 12 gates that included a lot of campers tonight and it was top-notch comedy…camp comedy at least, and then we close the night off with Havdallah on the Mercaz, which is a rarity, but it was beautiful and it was Camp in the amount of “Shavua Tov“ between campers and staff and one shoulder hugs and high fives and fist bumps. It helps you close out a week that makes you feel like you’re home.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 8 – Thursday (but really Friday at 12:33), July 25 (but really 26) 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
It was trip day today! Ha’atid went to the Siren Beach and had a beach party. Amudim went to a lumberjack show, which was a huge hit last session and sounds like it was equally exciting this session. Habonim went to Wild Mountain Waterpark. The word on the street is one of the campers did one of the slides over 100 times! I didn’t get much details, but I did watch all those kids walk off the buses today with very tired smiles on their face and of course, as all kids do, the rehashing of stories of the day that grew bigger and broader by the moment. It’s like the walleye that gets bigger at every telling of a story.
Kadima and B’yachad stayed in camp today. They got some special waterfront time today where they got to play on the inflatable, paddleboard, sail, swim, and ski. Kadima got to do the same, but also focused in on their play practice and the rotations had B’yachad doing their avodah projects. I love that part of the program.
B’yachad has been doing avodah projects since its inception. There’s still bridges, gazebos, and multiple other projects scattered throughout camp, celebrating years and years and years of the legacy program. Kids have more of a feeling of achievement once a camper gets to B’yachad. They’re giving back and they’re putting their mark on Herzl Camp that they know will be here forever.
Today they were making some new picnic tables, painting a fence, and rebuilding the Teva site with new platforms so we can start doing overnights again next summer, hopefully.
Avodah projects get me all excited. You rarely see a camper in B’yachad sitting around and if they are, they’re patiently waiting their turn to step in and do whatever part of the project is required of them. It’s working on and ratifying our intentions in our teaching without a classroom. It’s (pun intended) Herzl at work!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 7 – Wednesday, July 24 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Good evening from the porch. As I sit here scratching this out, I’m looking at the big play apparatus on the Tayelet to my right and I see 12 Habo age girls and two staff members deep in some fun conversation (there’s a lot of laughter) of which I have no idea of content, but they are super engrossed in some conversation, laughing, sharing experience, hanging around and, especially coming from a dad of a daughter, not on their phones!
Just beyond that there’s four younger girls throwing beanbags at the cornhole area and next to them looks to be about a dozen Kadima kids spending their Chofesh around the fire pit with the swings. The sun is just starting to set in the western sky, there’s very few clouds, not a breeze in the air, and all I hear is the sounds of camp around me.
My morning once again started with 7 AM ski club where we showed a couple of our Israeli family members how to properly ski in an early Northwoods morning. Of course one of our neighbor Bald Eagles showed us how it grabs a quick breakfast (every morning! It’s amazing). After that it was a mostly administrative morning for yours truly. We had our annual health inspector visit, which of course we passed with flying colors, and needless to say the health inspector himself said “how do I sign up for this!?”.
The afternoon was the camp highlight for the entirety of Machaneh Herzl. We gathered around “the wall”, which is a 15’ish foot wall that stands just outside of the Chadar. It is affectionately known as the Kadima Wall because it’s a Kadima right of passage year after year. All of Kadima climbed the wall and they did it in (what is always claimed as a record setting time) of 8:21. I think the record’s been set every year. It’s always a new record. They always set a record. They love the record! It’s so fun! The whole camp just gets right behind them and yells and screams and cheers them on. There is so much adrenaline and so much fun and when that last kid goes running up and gets caught by the people above who start pulling them over, it feels like the whole camp is going over that wall together, it’s an amazing trust game and unity game and it’s a right of passage for any Kadimanik across the land. My highlight was watching the Habonim campers who watched with stars in their eyes because they know that next year…it’s their record.
We had more Rabbi’s here today too. They held some programming for us in the Tayelet and also walked away toward the cars this evening and said “you know, we could stay” with a smile on their face.
In the Chadar at lunch today, some Israeli staff was teaching the aleph bet games that they learned as kids in Israel and there was a little dual going on around which Aleph/Bet game was better, the ones we American kids learned or the ones that the Israelis grew up with. They had a ruach filled moment where Jewish kids were having a fun competition around which Aleph/Bet is a better song! Like I’ve said before, we’re in a mission based organization and the mission will never be fully accomplished…but days like today make me feel like we’re making progress.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 6 – Tuesday, July 23 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
We got ruach, yes we do…
I got to play dock supervisor during Chug Aleph due to some day off scheduling and so forth. It’s so fun. It was a windy cooler day today, but the kids don’t care at all. They get into the lake and they want to try to water ski, they want to try to wakeboard, they want to try! I love seeing your camper trying.
Thanks to a robust wind, the sailboats were quite literally zipping across the lake. Watching these campers hone in on sailing skills that are proper regatta tactics is really fun to experience. I’m looking forward to our Pre-Shabbatta Regatta, which is in the works for final Friday afternoon of the summer. I just love being down on the waterfront! I think I tell the kids that I was Waterfront Director too much because today I got “we know Tommy, you were Waterfront Director in like 1893!” …it was 1993.
There was a lot of action on the farm today with the big anticipated arrival of the goats! The goats showed up this afternoon around 4:00 and everyone was really excited. The pen had been all set up the gates have all been repaired. The goats were placed inside the pen and they started eating weeds and grass, update… at 8:34 pm they’re still eating weeds and grass.
While I was walking back from the farm, I saw some kids on the north road of camp near the woods and they had compasses. When asking what they were doing, they told me they were in the Israeli Scouts Chug and the two leaders were Israeli staff who happened to be Israeli Scouts…anyway, they were teaching orienteering as part of activity today. Tomorrow they’re going to make Shakshuka …I promise I’ll pop by tomorrow
Dinner had a little extra electricity tonight for some reason and I can’t tell you why we had an extra level of ruach, maybe it was just because we had some more visiting Rabbis and they were showing off, or just because it’s camp.
They were quite excited about the Habonim v. Amudim basketball game, which I went to in the Beit Riach and had a decibel level that I hadn’t heard since an AC/DC show I went to in 1983. Habo won a nail biter by 2!
One of our visiting Rabbis asked me in Chadar during dinner with all the noise going on. “Do you ever get sick of the noise?” I said absolutely not, the purpose of what we do is SO much louder than the noise.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 5 – Monday, July 22 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Have fun, hang with friends, do new things, rinse and repeat. Today was one of those days where everything was nicely in full swing. Some programming got a little derailed due to some heavy dew, but our staff quickly adjusted and turned the Chadar into an awesome dance party with both good old American Pop and, of course, the ever popular Israeli dancing.
I was lucky enough to start my day with some campers and staff down on the waterfront for 7 AM Waterski Club. It was fun, not just to snare some quality time in with campers, but being down there and watching the campers (and staff) see the whole lake empty and to ourselves, but for a loon or two reminding us that we share this beautiful place with these beautiful creatures. And lest we forget, it’s almost always a guarantee to see one of the many eagles that live along the lake, skimming the water looking to enjoy some panfish for aruchat boker (breakfast).
We had a couple of Rabbis visiting to see their congregations campers and bring some kosher treats. The question they always ask us is how do we think it’s going…
I think it’s going great! Obviously it’s not perfect, and there’s lots of notes that I’m taking for things that we can do next year or for many years to come, but we have a full camp of Jewish kids doing fun and creative activities that include learning about Israel, hanging out with Israeli campers and staff, singing Jewish songs, and (one of our proudest highlights, especially when talking to a Rabbi) TorahLARPing is a top Chug week after week. So I think it’s going great.
This afternoon we had a PGA teaching pro show up (as planned) and he’s going spending a couple of days here to work with the kids at the new golf facility and put it to its full test.
Tomorrow we’re getting goats!
That’s all I got for tonight. I might have a chance to hit the sack before 12:30, so I think I’m going to take advantage of it.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 4 – Sunday, July 21 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
First full day with standard scheduling and full Chugim of 3rd session ’24. Everyone was on time to flag! Let’s hope that lasts (A boy can dream). After a banner Kadima Shabbat, we’re all pretty eager to get the Herzl Camp weekday rolling.
The Ozrim do such a great job making the mornings bright. Their ruach starts straight away at the flag circle with a bouncing around morning flag song ritual and then while we raise the flags, they head to the Chadar and create a human tunnel singing an old camp classic from any camp anywhere, “Rise and Shine”. Then they bring the same spirit right into the Chadar for breakfast. The amount of dancing and music provides a better jolt in the morning than any Starbucks with three extra shots or Folgers drip.
This year‘s Ozo dance, which wasn’t a thing back in my day (kids give me a lot of crap when I say “back in my day”…but I tell myself they like it), is really good, really fun, and really addicting. Choreographed dances aren’t a thing that I’ve come to master, but you just can’t help yourself and all the sudden you start moving your leg a certain way or rolling your arms a certain way or knowing what the next move is even though I’m shoveling some oatmeal into my mouth.
My stroll around camp started at Chug Aleph and I spent a lot of the day today watching World League in action. I was also showing our special visitor the Mercaz (we had today Rabbi visiting today and working with our team to make Tochnit Boker (morning program) & Tochnit Erev (evening program) a interesting and interactive Israel program), and I could see the boats out, paddle boards were all out, kayaks were all out, sailboats were sailing, and the waterfront was as busy as it can be, and as we were standing there on the Mercaz, we looked out and saw the ski boats buzzing with campers getting towed along. It could have been a picture on our brochure…I see that a lot! Back to World League, it’s been going on since the late 80s. It’s a whole variety of team competitions, today was flag football and a super competitive game of Nuke ‘em. I don’t know which team was which yet, I haven’t gotten the names, but I’ll report back on that as soon as I get that Intel. What was particularly cool today was the Nuke ‘em game that was going on in the volleyball court had spectators peeking their head out of the windows of the Ulam (which were the Kadima kids during play practice ) cheering it on, screaming, and rooting for one team or the other. Perhaps it was for a brother, for a cousin or just being in it just to be in it.
Tzrif time activities today were really funny. We had one cabin knock on the porch of the Directors House door doing a full on trick-or-treating program with costumes and tricks that had to be included. My favorite costumes of course were the two Israeli girls who dressed as typical American teenagers, they were so proud! Then there was a group of girls who came up to the porch and said “Tommy can you come with us real quick?” They were doing a scavenger hunt. They needed a person with the walkie-talkie and it was a race, so I got on my bicycle and zipped down to give them the points for the person with the walkie-talkie and then on my way back I watched another tzrif on the volleyball courts playing Top Gun themed volleyball…so there’s a lot of Tom Cruise high fives, muscle flexing, you could practically hear “Highway to the danger zone” in the air.
That’s what I got for today, I’m going to head out now and stroll around to lights out programs and see what’s goin on!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 3 – Saturday, July 20 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Shavuah Tov! It wasn’t just Shabbat, it was Kadima Shabbat! With Shavuot falling on the calendar as it did this year, we were somewhat forced to put the start of camp later in the week which means our campers welcome to camp had them walking right into Shabbat. The gift however is that Kadima has been spending 3 1/2 weeks preparing for what was an amazing Shabbat. You know how on Facebook or Instagram that when the campers get home or when kids come home from college, some people show the picture on the Internet that says my heart is full. I’ll tell you… our heart is very full right here at Machaneh Herzl.
With all these 3rd sessioncamp veterans, Shabbat services on Friday night had more electricity than all the weeks before. These campers know how to embrace it, know how to get involved, and look forward to the little micro traditions that carry themselves throughout the evening. We keep campers after services while staff head to the Chadar to staff the tables so that we have proper staffing spread throughout the Chadar. Last night a couple of our staff members did an extended d’var Torah that was a perfect mix of educating about the Torah portion and tying it to camp experience as well as bringing in good old-fashioned camp schticky humor.
The Matza Ball soup (which has awesome flavor this year), the chicken, the potatoes, the balsamic glazed Brussels sprouts made it a perfect Shabbat Dinner and campers went to town! The campers also couldn’t wait to get to the old tradition of Friday night song session.
We are so lucky to have a number of Kadima campers that have the gift and talent to lead a number of the songs we sang. I’m amazed at the talent of these campers. We had one camper who strummed the guitar and sang the Beatles staple, Let it Be. And a couple others lead an inspiring, harmonizing, and engaging rendition of Yerushalayim shel Zahav. It was so gratifying and comforting to walk up and down the rows with most campers arm and arm mesmerized by the entire experience. It was Herzl Shabbat at its finest.
Today I was wandering around as Iike to do during Shabbat rotations. During first rotation, I stopped into a gazebo that we call Funkytown and there were a bunch of B’yachad campers (boys and girls), preparing for their Shabbat, which is next week. They were choosing and rehearsing songs for their Shabbat and I sat there and just listened to them talk and work through the process. I think Ozo class of 2026 is going to be a fantastic crew, because if these B’yachad campers are taking this process that seriously so far ahead of their Shabbat, our future is big and bright. As I watched and listened to the happy, laughing debate, I watched campers the climbing wall during their Shabbat rotation. CAMP!!! It’s awesome.
A stroll around camp for afternoon rotations showed me, or I could hear validation of, these campers getting involved and defining their Shabbat free time for what brings them the rest, calm, avenue of reflection Shabbat is for. I saw two B’yachad girl campers sitting side-by-side reading a book at the Mercaz. Yes each were reading their own book. Of course, I had to probe, and probe I did. I said “if you two were at home what would you be doing right now? Would you be doing the same thing, or sitting asynchronous on your phones? Of course the answer was Phones…and they were so proud that they weren’t on them. I know I get a little overboard on the cell phone thing, but I just love that they get the break, and they actually admit that they want it!
There were a bunch of kids just hanging around trying to be a part of the action. I could hear the basketball bouncing as I passed the Beit Ruach, I could hear the pop of pickle ball rackets on the courts as I strolled on down the road and I finished my walk heading into the farm to check on the chickens and the campers and staff tending to them and some were even weeding the sensory garden. The veterans are here in camp. Also I’ve never seen so many joggers at camp by the way… everyone runs. I feel like a slacker.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 3 – DAY 1 – Thursday, July 18 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Good evening folks! Welcome to Ted Talk! For those of you that are confused and think I’m ripping off a motivational speaking internet site…it’s a takeoff on Theodore Herzl, hence the Ted…
My name is Tommy Hoffman. I am the luckiest guy in the world because I get to call myself Executive Director of the Herzl Camp Association. For those of you 3rd session parents who are new to this, I write these musings pretty much every night (except Shabbat of course) and I try to get them done at a reasonable hour, but inevitably it turns into 12:30-1:00 AM in a blink of an eye. It gets pretty busy here pretty fast. (Insert Ferris Bueller quote.) I am only “pushing” the notification tonight. Once you have the link, you’re all set. You’ll see when I update.
The only thing I promise is that it comes from my heart. It will have bad spelling and bad grammar as I will never use ChatGPT. I’ll do my best to give you some recap of the day or some insight that struck me. Some nights might be a paragraph, some nights it might be five, and some nights I may never get to it. But I want to show you camp through my eyes and paint the picture of the Herzl magic for you.
Things took off like a rocket today. Campers were greeted into the Ulam with raucous cheer and song. We got the crowd really quiet and I said into the microphone…”welcome home!” The cheers could probably be heard across Devils Lake. There wasn’t a face without a smile. Sure there were nerves and looks of cautious anticipation, but they knew they are home.
Of course, today was a pretty structured day. We start with swim test and Marp check-in. Then it’s get to know the cabin time, unpack, assign responsibilities and try to get level set for an amazing Summer ’24. I walked over to the swim test to say hi to campers and give some fist bumps and high-fives and get to know people as best I can, you’ll learn that I love being in it, I love being a part of it, I love watching camp in action.
I think most the most remarkable moment today was going into Ozo Park. A bunch of Kadima and B’Yachad kids were playing Ultimate and then off to the side of the older campers was a group of “fresh off the bus” Habo campers playing along side. It was like looking at one of those flashbacks in a movie where you can see the younger version of those B’Yachad and Kadimaniks growing into themselves. Anyway, it looked like those younger campers just picked up right where they left off from last summer, laughing, smiling, and throwing the disk around. It was so comfortable.
Our staff is ready, excited, and eager to give your camper an amazing camp experience. We’ve been receiving nice comments and compliments this summer, which is always our goal and intention, but the thing that impresses me most about this team is that I think almost everyone, if not everyone, isn’t doing it for themselves, they’re doing it for your camper. We do it for them.
There is a lot more to come, it’s going to be a great session and I’ll talk to you later.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 19 – Monday, July 15 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
I can’t believe we’re already at the last night of second session. This is the epitome of “time flies when you’re having fun.”
What a great and incredible three weeks we’ve had. Tonight we celebrated some camper accomplishments by giving out some special awards. We had second session waterskier, climber, golfer, and angler awards. Campers are going home with certificates and will have their names adorned on something that will hang high in the chadar and be one of the many ways they will leave their mark at Machaneh Herzl.
To add to it our climbing staff, who is amazing by the way, put together a climbing relay where they had a blue team and a red team. Each team had to go through all kinds of climbing obstacles, including the high and low ropes, the leap of faith, the climbing wall and ringing the bell, along with little team building/cooperative exercises. It was so fun! The kids were really into it and the teamwork that the kids expressed was so impressive. The red team won but it was a close one. All the campers tried their best… genuinely. They are so proud, but I think the climbing staff was even more proud for them. It was cool.
One of the things that I’ve been learning through this new life, this experience of mine, is not just the dedication of our staff, but along with that the devotion and dedication of people who work with children in general. I remember when I was in my previous professional life along with raising my kids and so on, we would meet with the kids teachers and I thought wow, they’re braver than me, they’re more patient than me, and their investment into our kids is so admirable.
These last five weeks I have learned so much, but one stand out (to say the least) is that these staff members, some of them are education majors in college, some of them who just love camp, some who aren’t in a campers everyday/hour connection but have some special skill that can feed the camper experience, they all want to be in this ecosystem and teach and protect their campers young souls. They make the magic of the Herzl Camp experience, make them laugh, make them get out of their shell and try!
Who knows what it is, but the genuine joy and gratification we all get out of this is truly indescribable. Watching two kids put their arms around each other and sway back-and-forth while they sing a song together gives me an ear to ear smile, watching two kids fist bump each other as they come across the tennis court taking each other on a hot day in July warms my heart, watching kids genuinely wanting to go and do dramedy around the Torah makes me feel like a proud Jew, watching 414 kids stand silent for 120 seconds in honor of Jewish hostages from their homeland brings a level of respect and admiration of capabilities and a proud tear to my eye.
The water skiing is fun. High ropes is fun. Camp is fun. I mean, a lot of fun comes out of this package. What your kid is coming home with is Jewish pride and love for Israel. They may not be able to articulate it in fine detail, but what we just gave them over the last three weeks are the bricks that will continue to strengthen their foundation and that foundation IS getting stronger!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 18 – Sunday, July 14 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Hi! I didn’t get a chance to scratch this together last night so you’re getting a delayed Shabbat update and a brief highlight of today.
Shabbat Shabbat Shabbat! Hanging out on Shabbat. One of the things I love about Shabbat at camp is the random hang outs I see around camp during rotations.
During the free rotations on Shabbat, where campers can pick their activity, I like to stroll around camp and be “in it.” (I also am knee deep in a daily steps competition with the staff and I’m struggling to stay in step – pun intended- with some of our awesome staff who are clocking north of 30,000 steps a day! How’s a guy supposed to compete with that craziness?!) I stopped by the Ga-Ga pit outside of Kadima Land and watched a fun and heated game that included campers across all different programs/ages. They were laughing, cheering, and being engaged! The staff, in this situation, didn’t have to coach anyone to get into it, the camper community took care of itself. They were the referees and rule makers and I watched independence, team work, and friendship at work. I love camp!
Just like a couple weeks ago, I saw a few boys and girls hanging around the Tayelet and in hammocks taking in a quiet moment to enjoy reading a book on their Shabbat.
Then I walked by some Amudim girls sitting on the porch of their cabin exchanging Jiggetts, which I had no idea what they were (the little things that the kids put in their Crocks for decoration) so I learned something new yesterday. Of course when I asked what they were exchanging, I got an in unison “Jiggets!” That basically said “Tommy, you idiot, everyone knows what these are!” …We didn’t have crocks in 1990.
Lastly on this Shabbat stroll, I went down to the waterfront which was at capacity in celebration of a top 10 weather day of this summer. I could have taken a picture that would have been a cover of Camp Magazine.
Lastly, lastly…to wrap up my Shabbat rotation stroll, I saw Jewish kids spending time with Jewish kids at a Jewish summer camp feeling safe, feeling proud, feeling together.
Next, if you didn’t get a chance to listen to my special edition podcast this morning that highlighted our very special guest, Yoni Buckman from Unpacked, I want to share with you the professional we brought in to talk about Israel and Israel discussion for our staff, Ozrim, and campers. We were lucky to have Yoni here, talking about conversations around Israel and being a Zionist. It was well received by everybody… staff and campers alike. He made some comments about his sessions with staff: “staff asked and tackled big questions, with a mix of tangible ‘how to’ (in prep for encountering antisemitism and anti-Israel and hate speech) and deeply personal of “big picture” questions about Israel, Israel history, and identity.
With B’yachad and Kadima he had an AMAZING session on Israel history. A large group opted into the extended conversation that leaked deep into Chofesh (free time). All around, he was incredibly impressed by the campers maturity and love for each other and Israel.
It was a great Shabbat!
Skipping ahead to my last highlight. Tonight after dinner we introduced a big surprise to the campers. The doors opened from the back of the Chadar and in came running the Israeli scouts!!! The crowd went crazy. They did their opening song and dance and got everybody all pumped up for what became the Friendship Caravan show in the Beit ruach for evening program.
The Scout’s performance is always a huge winner and has been since I was here back in the olden days. There was singing, there was dancing, there was clapping, and there was jumping up and down. All in celebration of Israel! There was cheering and there were arms around each other, swaying back-and-forth, it was quintessential Jewish camp tonight.
That’s a lot for tonight and I need some sleep ahead of the last full day of second session…this is FLYING by.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 15 – Thursday, July 11 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
You don’t hear this very often, but it was a quiet day at Machaneh Paradise. All the 3 week groups went on Trip day. Some went to Wild Mountain water park, some went to a Lumberjack show (so Wisconsin!). Reports coming back were “total blast!”
In other news, one of the key summer highlights year after year, the Kadima v. B’yachad Ultimate game was this evening after Thursday Cookout. Olympic events don’t hold a candle to the ruach that comes out of this annual matchup. B’yachad was this year’s champion, but all these campers are winners in my book.
In other other news, I took a night off from camp and came to Minneapolis to visit with some family…I can’t wait to get back for Shabbat and some quality Mercaz time tomorrow.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 14 – Wednesday, July 10 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
If I haven’t told you, because I think I’ve told everyone, I was waterfront director in 1993 #MayimMavens #Herzlwatch. Today I got to relive the glory days a bit.
First, I started the day with “7:00 am waterski club” along with 2 awesome staff members and an Ozo who brought the ruach down to the dock! As the sun was rising on Devils Lake, we cruised along water like glass and with loons as our audience. It’s so great to spend some fun quality time with the magicians who make the show work.
Later in the morning, I filled in down on the boating side during Chug Aleph. (Our awesome staff does get some very needed days off.) I was placed as a boat driver and took some Ha’atiders out to waterski. The pride that beams when our 3rd and 4th graders just try, let alone ski, brings me smiles miles wide. One of my skiers accomplished Level 4 (out of 10) and skied for more minutes than we had! It was so fun!!!
At post lunch festivities, Water Zumba brought their work to the Chadar and put on a show to a raucous ovation. Our water Zumba staff member has built up her chug so well and draws 30 campers who race to get there and don’t want to leave!
In the afternoon, I bumped into our sailing instructor (who happens to teach sailing and small craft operations for the IDF Navy) and she told me that sailing, which is just getting rejuvenated this summer now has 15 to 20 kids per Chug and most of the kids are able to sail out on their own and are starting to work on tactics and regatta/race maneuvers. I’m hoping for a “Pre-Shabbata Regatta” in third session.
Oh yeah, and TorahLARPing did the Passover story in short form and with Taylor Swift songs to accompany each plague.
What a day at camp!!! I’m tired.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 13 – Tuesday, July 9 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Camp is in Bikkurim hangover. We let the campers schluff-in this morning, which was needed and appreciated. I assure you, energy is being replenished. I know this because the regeneration is showing by way of smiles and rehashing of favorite events, funny moments, awesome catches, amazing shots, and swift runs.
As I strolled around camp during the morning Chugim, I found myself watching some campers on the high ropes course reaching new heights…pun intended. I saw two campers do the Leap of Faith for the first time. I still haven’t done that one myself, by the way, (it’s where you climb up a telephone pole staggered with climbing spikes, of course you’re roped in, and you get yourself all the way up to the top and balance a top of it and then you leap to try to hit an obelisk 6 or 7 feet out. Of course as you descend you’re being supported by the belays stationed on the ground below) but it’s a new level of guts. I haven’t gotten there yet, but I promise it’s only because of time not willingness.
I also caught two campers so proud of the fact that they went to the inside line. The high ropes course has three tracks – road side, middle, and tree side… tree side being the most difficult and these two campers conquered tree side for the first time and then zip lined their way down, smiles on their face, and wind blowing through their helmeted hair. Accomplishments, they happen every day. That’s the cool part of what I get to witness, accomplishments every day, dozens of times…at times.
The Chadar was half full tonight at dinner because Habonim had a cookout out at the old Teva site which is off a far off the road on the very north end of our property. So I rode my bike up there took a taste of some fire cooked food. I talked to a lot of happy campers who were doing something different than the norm, though the same just sitting and doing quintessential camp.
I ended the night watching the Amudim (5th and 6th graders) talent show. We had lip sync acts, we had dancing acts, we had some lip-synching acts and a few dancing acts. There was a lip sync act, and a dance act and then there was the dance act to another Taylor Swift song. I forgot that part. Those kids got to get up in front of people and do the camp thing just like they see their counselors do and the staff do and they love it! They love the chance to be up on stage and you just have to wonder if they would do this at home. Without questions you know that there are plenty of campers that would but you know others where that confidence is born here. The pride that shines through as they walk off the stage, with a crowd of campers cheering no matter what. I think it’s because of subconsciously pride that they saw a friend of theirs put themselves out there. I love that this is the safest place to do it.
It was a great day at Herzl Camp. And as I sit on the porch, I can hear the loons calling from the lake and I find myself Northwoods Camp contentment.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
PS – a new episode of HerzlCast released today – you can find it here: https://linktr.ee/herzlcast
Session 2 – DAY 12 – Monday, July 8 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
What an unbelievable day! I love Bikkurim! I’ve always loved to Bikkurim. Today, looking at it through a much older lens than the last time I participated in a Bikkurim didn’t just not disappoint, it inspired me. These awesome campers get so into it and I get to watch lifetime memories being hatched right before my eyes.
We started last night with an announcement at dinner that quite literally almost blew the roof off of the Chadar. Each team captain was dressed as a favorite Disney villain we had Cruella de Vil to Scar to (my kids are too old for me to remember the rest) you get the idea. The vibe was equivalent to any game seven energy you’ve ever seen.
And it kicked off with an activity that just set the tone perfectly. A slam dunk contest in the Beit Ruach followed by a three-point contest. Not a slam dunk contest that was exactly an NBA single standout star show. It was an entire team with some kind of creative schtick that included kayaks, canoes, a camper in a George Washington wig like they were crossing the Delaware and on and on- the creativity these teams throw out to impress the judges and get everyone involved is in for the win. The highlight of last night for me was someone on the purple team threw up a three-point shot, and they were so confident it was going in that he turned around and faced his team with his back to the basket before “nothing but net”…the place erupted.
This year, we set up an Info Booth at the Flag Circle, so campers always knew where to be and at what time. The ice water there was also a huge hit!
The morning started with breakfast ruach like no other and then competitive tefillah took over. Like I said a couple of days ago it really impresses me what these kids are capable of. It was a Shacharit at camp like I’ve never seen. Not only was everybody paying attention and participating, they were doing it with passion ,with arms on their friends, claping along, and knowing when to be respectful and quiet. They may not always do that here every day, but we know they have it in them. As a lucky leader of a Jewish organization working with youth, that one brought me abundant joy.
First rotations kicked off, and I got to walk around and check on all kinds of action. I stopped by the gaga pit where the blue team was crushing the orange team 6-0 with all Ha’atid campers. There was a close ultimate game going on between Orange team and the green team. They would sub every three minutes to make sure every camper was playing, included, and taking part of the fun or the victory!
In the Beit Ruach, the blue team was taking on the purple team in a really tight basketball game. As I was walking by it was 33 to 29 in favor of blue however, the other side of the drop wall separating the courts there was an intense dodgeball game going between the red team and the yellow team and the best part was it was down to one player each, and it happened to be brothers. It was a crowd favorite.
Of course, I had to stop into the dance room in the Beit Ruach and watch the purple team prep for their pop dance, which is amongst the most popular of all events. It’s the final activity of the day and can be a tipping point for the winning team.
Then the staff’s favorite event of all events…Silent Lunch!!! Dramatic entrances into the Chadar ensue with each team. Then the creativity of these campers and their staff really show itself with all the silent schtick that is on full display for the lunch hour. I’m partial to the noise, I gotta tell ya…
After Minucha, the afternoon rotations continue with the same ruach and vigor as the morning. I popped by the new golf facility and watched the Purple and Red teams do a closest to the pin and long putt contest (Purple won if you’re scoring at home). Then moseyed on over to the volleyball courts and watched a nail biter game of Nuke’em between the Orange and Green teams. The Green team had one camper left on their side and if he got out the Orange team wins (In the Nuke’em rule book, incase you don’t have one on the shelf, it states that you have to get all players out to win, but if that last single player scores – what the hockey kids call – a short handed goal, all that team’s members get back in from elimination), the Green team camper made a dramatic catch and did a dramatic toss of the ball back over and scored that short hander! The Green team ended up pulling off a come from behind win! I love this stuff!!
For me…the real highlight was that I got to sub in on a dodgeball game for the Blue team, got to ride along on my bike alongside the Marathon (which is a cadre of very “campy” relays across camp, and I mean the entire camp from the waterfront to the north end to the tennis courts) and cheer on the campers as they laughed their way across the fields of battle, and got to play a part in the Orange teams Pop Dance. My knees hurt.
So…the winner is THE BLUE TEAM!!!!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 11 – Sunday, July 6 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
B I K K U R I M…BIKKURIM!
I’ll report back tomorrow night.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 10 – Saturday, July 6 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
We’re all doing something right, not just Herzl Camp, but you parents, you families, our synagogues, our teachers, our community… we’re doing something right. I couldn’t get back to my porch fast enough after Havdallah to come type up this report. Sentence structure and grammar will be iffy, but I really want to get this out while it’s hot in my head. Last night was one of the most special Friday Night Shabbat Services I’ve ever experienced here in my many Shabbat services at Herzl Camp.
The theme of this Shabbat was Bring Them Home, honoring our Israeli family and praying for the safe return of the 120 hostages. The entire Shabbat weekend was hosted and conducted by Israeli staff, Ozrim, and campers.
There’s so much I could talk about and hopefully when your campers get home, they’ll tell you all about it, but what I want to highlight to you parents and families is what I witnessed your kid do and what they’re capable of.
Friday night, like I said, had a different tenor to it and a level of (for lack of a better word) seriousness. Needless to probably say but the weekend was talking about and feeling what our Israeli family is experiencing and living through. It’s things that our American campers can’t fully comprehend, but our Israeli campers and staff are so patient and willing to talk (and they want to be here so badly and away from war of course). They sued up an amazing Shabbat. If you were on the Herzl Instagram, you saw the picture of the picnic table set up honoring the hostages, and I’ll get back to that in a second.
We had our caravan as usual, but this caravan was led by all of these Israeli staff and campers and the songs (along with, of course, the caravan standards) we also sang Yerushalim Shel Z’hav and another song that the Israelis were singing that we didn’t know, but we’re going to now teach it and make a part of our caravan fabric.
When it came time to lower the Israeli flag after the fun flag songs and pictures, the Israeli campers and staff made a circle around the flag circle facing out toward all the campers not toward the flag and stood at, not military attention, but reverence as they sang loudly and proudly. That of course gave me chills as I, along with I feel everybody in camp, was singing along with as much passion as we could muster…not that we come close to our Israeli family. However, what brought a tear to my eye, was one of our younger Israeli campers was holding up a flyer of his uncle is still being held captive. I think many of our campers started to gain an understanding of what their normal is compared to our normal. I still choke up even typing this.
We headed to the Mercaz where the yellow ribbon with “bring them home” adorned to it was placed for everyone to see in front up front as a reminder of what we were praying for this Shabbat.
However, the biggest highlight was at the end. We were all instructed by the team up on the Mercaz to exit one row at a time in a single file line as we walked toward the chadar along the picnic tables and east road on our way to Shabbat dinner. We walked quietly past the table for the hostages. They asked each camper to say a prayer, or to think about how you feel, or their love for Israel, or whatever else I can think about…because I could list 1000 things, as you know.
This is when and where I was taken to a whole new level of admiration for your camper, because I’m not exaggerating when I say that every single camper, Ozo, and staff member walked along that picnic table and took in a moment, and a reality and a reminder of why we’re here, what being Chosen means, and how proud we are to be a Jew and devoted to Eretz Yisrael.
It didn’t matter the age of the camper, the younger ones were as respectful as Ozrim. Each and every person in Machaneh Herzl was true family last night.
I know I’m biased, but we’re doing something right.
Today was a picture perfect Shabbat. It started with Schluff-in Shabbat and cinnamon rolls a plenty. It was a sunny, perfect day and as beautiful as ever. Saturday morning services were everything we’ve come to expect. Staying true to the theme of Bring Them Home.
What was special for me, personally, was during afternoon rotations I snuck down to the docks and sat with some of the third year staff during their free rotation and also because I know one really, really well (I claim her on my taxes). As I sat there and listened to them talk and just hang out, I was so moved and touched by the comfort and connection with these men and women that holds this impenetrable bond that was created right here at Macheneh Herzl. They may go their separate ways come September, but the connection never waivers.
I think we’re doing something right.
I’ll close with what I just left. A beautiful Havdallah led once again by our Israeli family. Out in the sports field, we started with 120 seconds of silence honoring the 120 hostages and, like last night, 400+ people stood in complete silence and with total respect.
Then, one of the Rushmore of traditions of Herzl happens and the entire camp formed a giant circle with our Israeli family in a small circle in the middle (as if all of us American Jews were giving them a giant group hug) and Havdallah service was sung with loud hearts and proud eyes.
I think we’re doing something right.
שבוע טוב
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 8 – Thursday, July 4 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
Arba of July!
What an amazing day at Machaneh Herzl! When we woke up, the sun was just rising over the lake and a picture perfect postcard Northwoods morning was at hand.
What is exciting is that we don’t need any fireworks, the ruach here is providing its own spark and show. Flag circle this morning was a sea of red, white and blue, a mix of jerseys, overalls, funny hats, funny ears, you name it. And they were into it, I mean really into it! We’ve been working pretty hard to make sure that we honor flag circle at the beginning and end of each day. The campers showed up in full force and respect today…it gave me a lotta bit of chill.
Tachnit Boker (morning program) took on some good old-fashioned Fourth of July fun. Water games in the fields and all that, you can imagine the picture I’m sure, but B’yachad was the stand out for me. They had a mega shaving cream fight in Ozo Park. It’s funny part for me was when the entirety of B’yachad, staff and all, clad in a foam of white did a caravan around the entire camp, singing some new chant/song with kids locked arm in arm, and laughing so hard that there were tears of foam rolling down their faces. It was a perfect site.
There was a different spark in the air today. I don’t really know why…perhaps it was the Fourth of July or perhaps it’s that we’re far enough into camp where everyone is feeling secure, content, happy, and home. I say this because the chugim kicked off at a level I haven’t seen yet (not that I have been to dozens of chugim, but I feel I have a good sampling).
On the sports field there were two dedicated staff running NFL combine drills. The boys (happened to be all boys) were eating it up and high five’ing and fist bumping each other as if ESPN was filming from the Chadar roof.
Speaking of the Chadar…it was in perfect form at lunch. There were chants, schtik, song, and dance as usual, but today it just felt crispy and refreshing.
Some news highlights given at lunch that fed the fun are: World League of Herzl Sports is in full swing and teams are in competition bracket play, the Farm! It has sensory gardens, a Zatar garden, a composting bin (will be used to fertilize), a tomato field, and the crowd favorite…chickens, who have been named and have achieved their own Chadar chant.
Almost lastly, there was a good old fashioned Fourth of July parade around camp after the cookout. The parade ended at the Mercaz and we had Ruach Fest! Our talented Ozrim were the house band and I’m sure our friends on the other side of Devils Lake thought there was a music festival a foot on that strange big wooden structure on the southwest shore. I promise our eastern shore friends were signing “Don’t Stop Believin” right along with us.
Now, fireworks are peppering the sky around the lake and the campers are heading back toward their tzrifim ahead of Lights Out programs.
What a beautiful day…what a beautiful way of life!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 7 – Wednesday, July 3 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
Happy Erev 4th! It’s a late night folks. Just getting back to the porch and don’t know how much gas is left in the tank.
Camp was noticeably quieter today because the Ozrim had their day off. Wow, it was different. You really realize how much the Ozrim mean to the Herzl experience. Now when I say different, I mean the ruach and action around camp was at an 80% level…which is still more than you’ll see at any Friday night high school football game in Texas.
I played some nine square today which is this really fun game in the Tayelet. It was a bunch of campers there and they took great pride and getting me out as fast as possible. Aside from a couple of shaving creme fights and general camp foolery there is not much more to report from these tired eyes…well there probably is, but had a little more adulting today and worked with some staff on some career development (which is code for helping staff with some tough camper dynamic situations – which happen and, proudly, our staff steps up to handle).
Well, I’m tired and it all starts again in 6 hours…and I love every minute of it!
It was a great day. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 6 – Tuesday, July 2 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
There may be clouds, but it’s a sunshiny happy day here on Mickey Smith Parkway.
The day was mostly gray. What excites me and gives my E.T. heart a glow is that Herzl Campers genuinely don’t care. They’re like the postal service (at least the one I grew up with), neither snow, nor rain, nor heat….the fun abounds.
It was still a little morning chilly and windy during Chug Aleph and a number of the campers were given the option to go up and play on the Tayelet. The boys were playing ping pong and a very loud game of Nuke’em (similar to volleyball but there is catching involved) and a group of 4 girls were sitting at the table just chit chatting. I asked why they aren’t doing anything. Almost in unison they replied, “this is doing something!”
For them…that was camp joy! Four friends just hanging around making a camp memory. But what really struck me and, I’m not gonna lie, made me feel like we are doing something right, was when one of the girls said: “if we were at home, we would be on our phones right now.” They weren’t….they were at CAMP!!!!! The only screen time they are getting here is the porch of the Tzrif.
Speaking of screens, just before camp I read a book called Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. It was eyeopening, a little sad, and a necessary tool for anyone who is working with kids or (in my opinion) a parent of a kid or kids under 16. I highly encourage the read.
Lastly for tonight… Here is the 3rd installment of this years HerzlCast:
or
https://herzlcast.podbean.com/ – for all the episodes
(we’ll be on Spotify soon!)
It was a great day. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 5 – Monday, July 1 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
If I had time to call my mother today, she would have said “hi honey, how was your day?”
And I would’ve said, well Ma, I had an amazing day. It started with doing some adulting and making some phone calls and taking care of Camp business and then I went out into camp to watch camp in business.
At my first stop I saw the Kadima boys doing their play tryouts which was pure comedy. I happened to walk in where four boys were trying to do the rehearsed dance moves, stumbling all over each other and each guy laughing harder than the next. It was pure camp comedy.
Then I jumped over to Tayelet (the play area above the waterfront) games and ended up playing volleyball with seven awesome young women and convinced the team that we got 1/2 a point for showy efforts (diving for the ball – running full speed hits – and my favorite…the slow motion miss). The chug ended at 12 o’clock, we stopped playing at 12:10.
After lunch, I had to do some more adulting and have a couple meetings and then went on a stroll around camp to check in on a few campers and, as always, wanted to just see camp in action.
I left the offices by the Chadar and passed the high ropes course where I saw seven kids with guides at all different levels throughout the course smiling, trying new things, and happy.
Then walked over and watched the 10 kids playing golf and having closest to the pin chipping challenges. Right next to the golf, there was a car of those helping Rosh Farm with some planting and prepping for the animals (Chickens, a turkey, and some goats). And behind the farm, there were full tennis courts with an equal mix of tennis and pickle ball….spectators cheering and all.
After that full walk around camp and having to deal with a few things that popped up along the way, I stopped down at the waterfront because we just received our new Giant Stand Up Paddle-board (SUP). It holds 12 campers, and they love it! However, today’s challenge was it was quite windy and those 12 campers, along with the lifeguard on the accompanying SUP were blown down the beach far from the Herzl shores. Honestly, I think they stopped paddling after they passed the camp boundary and just rode the wind and waves until they got to beach and the lifeguard radioed camp to get the safety boat to tow them back… I’m pretty sure they deliberately let it happen because they wanted to get towed behind the boat on the giant paddle-board.
After dinner, the new number one chug across the Herzl landscape, Torah LARPing, did a performance for us in the Chadar to roaring applause and shouts of Bravo! Tonight’s episode was Noah and the flood. It was no Hamilton, by any means, but it was awesome Jewish education and fun!
The other major highlight was how I ended my day, with campers at least. A tzrif was doing a lights out program in Mickey’s Mitbach (kitchen). They made chocolate chip cookies that had a little Israeli twist because it was Romy’s, our Israeli Rosh Mitbach’s, recipe….I think I won the day.
And then my mom would say “wait! and that was just today? also, I didn’t understand half of that, but it sounds like a great day…for you”
It was a great day. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 4 – Sunday, JUNE 30 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
It was a perfect weather day for the first “normal” day of 2nd session. The chugim (activities) were in full swing. My galloping around camp poll revealed that today’s top winners were golf and the new and very enticing chug, Torah LARPing (I admit that I didn’t know what LARPing was until this summer…but Live Action Role Play is a thing…who knew). In fact, this new and exiting chug is in such demand, we’ve had to add an additional time slot. The campers I talked to today were busy constructing their costumes for their characters. They were so excited to show me what they were working on. I saw hats for the Pharaoh and a beard made of cotton and pipe cleaners (which remind me of elementary school art class) for Moses.
I was busy today with our in-camp summer Board of Directors meeting, so I didn’t get to see as much camp as I’d like to, but here it is it about 11:00 PM and I’m still out in the directors house porch and can hear B’yachad marching their way back toward their cabins for some shuteye (at least their counselors hope).
Please pardon the shorter version of tonight‘s musing, but this happy camper is heading to the Hotel deSchluffin. I have to get some rest to be ready for an amazing week here at Macheneh Paradise.
Tomorrow I am going to tell you about the farm…it’s quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 3 – Saturday, JUNE 29 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
Our first Shabbat of Second Session is in the books. And it was everything we want in our Herzl Camp Shabbat. It was curated this weekend by our fantastic Ozo class of 2024. This particular Ozo group has some serious talent in regard to musical abilities so the Shira (song) and t’fillah (prayer) was off the hook.
Friday night was as picture perfect camp Shabbat as it could be. It started out with clouds and rain, and of course, as the singing, dancing, and welcoming of Shabbat progressed…just like we always try to script it here …the sun came out as it was setting behind us spreading golden sunlight on our backs, creating a picture perfect look of campers, dressed in white and a glowing Mercaz (which means Center- and it is the spiritual center of Herzl Camp and not just for us, but for the thousands and thousands of people who have sang their songs, placed their prayers, or just passed time moving the sand under their feet and quiet reflection).
After Saturday morning services, and of course the cinnamon rolls that proceeded it, we headed into Shabbat rotations. I got to walk around and spend some time at a few of the different popular spots today. Of course you always pass the kid sitting on the swing in the Tayelet reading books. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that kid but I love that camp can be that for that camper, especially on Shabbat. That camper just sitting and reading with a buddy gave me a proud smile. I also was bequeathed my Mythical Beast Hunter (a fan favorite Shabbat rotation and Chug) name by the Mythical Beast Hunter rotation, who were looking for some mythical beast, which was a Hebrew word I don’t remember. Lastly I cheered on a couple of climbers as they ascended the Rockwall to ring the bell ahead of lunch.
The afternoon was a great Shabbat afternoon with a lot of Minucha (rest) followed by a stroll around Camp watching Shabbat Sichot (discussion) where campers could chose to go to: Letters to Israeli Soldiers, Hero to Hero bracelets (for Israeli kids in and around Sderot), and an “Israel in real life” panel for our older campers. The campers looked engaged and relatively eager to be there.
Our Chinuch (education) team has done a terrific job this summer with the t’fillah and sicha. It’s been very creative and it’s been very engaging. It’s so nice being at camp where you can get a little way with a little bit more creativity and unique ways to be engaging around things that sometimes campers don’t find the most exciting.
Later in the afternoon, the Shabbat rotations continued and I found myself hanging out at Ozo park watching an impressive and competitive game of Ultimate (frisbee), a Herzl favorite.
Saturday night dinner with Jerseys everywhere was its normal raucous fun and ended with a chipwhich chant that would rival any Premier League Soccer stadium across Europe.
One of the coolest parts of tonight though was after dinner we go right into Israeli dancing and I think the entire camp was there and jumping around and sweating and in full synchronization doing Israeli dancing with our Israeli staff leading the way upfront. There were smiles, there was laughter, and there was a true love of being Jewish and proud to be connected to the land of Israel.
I stood in the back because I just can’t get synchronized dance and movements as part of my camp muscles…they make fun of me. But standing back and watching that movement and hundreds of kids celebrating and engaged and happy and laughing. They just flat out were loving being here and it brought me abundant joy and it reminded me what I’m doing here and what this all means.
It was a fantastic Shabbat and the Ozos did a great job planning it and executing it. There is so much that happened that I’m sure I left something out and I’m at the end of this post. Oh yeah…I forgot to mention that Havdallah was out in the sports field and it was so cool…like I said I could go on, but I’m going to go check on the Shmirs (night watch) and probably stop and look at the billions of stars shining over Devils Lake.
So until tomorrow…assuming I can get to it…
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
Session 2 – DAY 1 – Thursday, JUNE 27 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
Welcome to “Ted Talk” (for those of you playing at home…it’s a play on words…Theodore Herzl and the whole Theodore = Ted thing…I’m sure you get it.) We are only “pushing” this through Campanion tonight to make you aware of it. Once you have the link, you’ll be all set for the summer. (You can also peruse…if you’re bored…the past days posts incase you miss one or want to look back at 1st sessions notes.)
My name is Tommy Hoffman. I have the privilege of being the Eexecutive Director of the Herzl Camp Association, which means I have the best job in the world. This is my first summer back at camp in 30 years, a lot has changed around the camp. Almost all of “my cabins” are gone. But one thing remains exactly the same, the special sauce that creates the Herzl magic.
The intent of this communication is to give you a glimpse into what is happening here at camp through my eyes. This won’t be any Pulitzer Prize winning material and most of it will be written late at night when my grammar and spelling skills are heading toward minucha (rest). So please be patient. I try to get them out every night, but for Shabbat of course. However, sometimes I just can’t fit it in. That said, I have been a camp parent for 14 years myself and I would have enjoyed a nightly parable so that I could get a sense of what my camper was experiencing and I could vicariously share in their experience.
I’m so honored you chose to send your camper to Herzl Camp. Just to give you an understanding of who I am, in the for-profit world I was trying to make profits for the better part of 30 years and last year decided to take a professional left turn and dedicated my professional life to mission based work. After October 7, I turned my focus to what I love most (besides my amazing family of course) being Jewish and a proud supporter of Israel and all that comes with it. I want to do my part in raising proud Jews and Zionists in the world that hasn’t been so kind to Jews and Zionists. So I get to take my efforts to Mickey Smith Parkway and the shores of Devils Lake.
There isn’t much to report for the porch of the Directors house tonight. We are getting settled in. I can hear the opening “Bond” fires in full swing with singing and laughter. The spirit camp has arrived and the ruach at a level of which I’ve never seen. I know as a parent I want to know what’s happening with my kids and how they are feeling, but I can assure you that there was enthusiasm and exuberance mixed perfectly with nerves and caution. Rest assured, your camper is happily at their other home.
We have a great summer ahead. We have an amazing team. Danya Kornblum, Director of Camp and Culture has curated a rock star staff, and we have staged an experience that your camper will walk away from with a love of their Judaism and Israel that will continue to grow for years to come. The best part…we get to filter everything through the lens of fun!!!
Well, we’ve eaten spaghetti, we’ve had our policy schtick, we have sign-up for chugim (activities), yet I can still hear cheering, singing, and laughing from various points throughout Camp echoing their way to the porch. It’s going to be a magical summer, again, filtered only through the lens of fun…and safety of course.
All is well.
לילה טוב
Tommy
PS – I promise to never use chatGPT for this! You’ll be able to tell…I’m sure.
DAY 10 – Tuesday, JUNE 25 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
Well folks, first session is almost a wrap. I’m coming to you from the porch of the Driectors house. I wish I could put into words the sounds of camp surrounding me. I just came back from the closing bonfire. The soothing smell of the fire is on my clothes. It’s bringing me abundant joy. But there is a genuine sadness that we have to say goodbye to these amazing young campers.
Selfishly, I made my way around the fire to make sure I got a proper goodbye from as many campers as I could. In some cases I got asked to give a hug and some it was a slow motion fist bump. And, of course, I ended up on a bench full of campers with arms around shoulders and swaying back and forth singing to…you guessed it…Leaving on a Jet Plane. The scene writes itself.
The highlights of the day are thin. It was fairly uneventful due to packing and cleaning, as well as giving the cabins their final free times and moments together to share and bask in the sunshine of Herzl Camp. I got the privilege of meeting with our Ozrim this afternoon to talk about why Herzl Camp means so much to me and why I took on this role. I aimed to express the purpose behind working on the mission, the importance of a strong Jewish Camp experience, a love and commitment to Israel, and all that goes with it. I wanted to instill in them their importance of being here and the future that they hold their hands by way of responsibility, but most of all, for this summer, by way of learning and fun!
I felt confident that the message was very well received because after our final banquet, (that included a dinner of steak, chicken, peas and carrots, and baked potatoes finished off with the perfectly soft chocolate chip cookie), the Ozrim started making their circulation around Camp collecting luggage and putting it in the big truck and they did it with perfect exuberance and genuine schtickiness.
The Ozrim even made saying goodbye a raucous celebration of joy. A random funny that says so much, I was in front of a couple of the girl cabins and a few girls were laying on top of their luggage, refusing to let the Ozrim take it and put it on the bus. I also caught a glimpse of one girl who was holding up a piece of cardboard like that Instagram guy with a sign that said “why do we have to leave?”
I’ll close out my little writing for first session with a giant thank you. Thank you for trusting us and trusting Herzl Camp. Thank you for investing in, not only your campers experience, but walking side-by-side with our mission and our values. I’m sure there were moments of imperfection along the way, we did our very best to curate a fantastic Jewish camp experience that will hopefully provide a lifetime of happy memories, pride in their Jewish identity, and genuine love and appreciation for Israel. I hope to see your camper next year.
But until then…Here’s to Dear Old Herzl and עם ישראל חי
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp…sincerely!
All is well!
לילה טוב
Tommy
DAY 9 – Monday, JUNE 24 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
It was Field Trip Day today for the full session campers. Ha’atid (3rd & 4th graders) went to Siren Beach and Amudim (5th & 6th graders) went to the water park at Wild Mountain. I stayed back in camp because I wanted to do some administrative adulting, so I can’t give you a good play by play. I will tell you this…I was there to greet the busses upon their return and gave a fist bump to every camper stepping off the bus. They each had that look of perfectly tired joy and contentment (except for the 3 girls who were arguing if they were numbers 53 or 54 or 55 as they marched off the bus…important concern).
The Taster’s had their own in camp programming today. They had their own Yom Yisrael and a lot of waterfront time. I caught a glimpse of some good old fashioned shaving cream fun with a lot of laughing and happy high pitched screams. Their day ended with a Jewish Wedding program (contrary to what the campers declare, the couple is not really married).
Camp felt so empty without all three programs here at once. I felt like I was a fish getting my water changed and forced to swim in circles around the temporary crappy plastic cup. But by 5:00 I was back in the security of my glass bowl. Speaking of change and moving, first session is almost over (I can’t believe it!) Tomorrow will be the last full day of camp for First session and Taste. Campers will have a different schedule from the norm. Some will be back at the waterfront getting in one more ski, some will be in Amanut (arts and crafts) finishing up a project, and some will be climbing the wall to ring the bell one more time. Then…packing and cleaning. I’m sure you’ll get one sock back here and there or an outfit or three that is still perfectly folded and ready for next year. But what I know you will get back is a HAPPY camper!
Stay brave, reentry can be a test in patience. They have been practicing independence and communal living at its best for 11 (or 6) days. But they learned from their counselors (hero’s, by the way) to be proud Jews, to love and appreciate Israel, to try new things, and participated in an immersive and interactive Jewish camp experience.
Time to sign off for the night, I still can’t figure out the Ozo dance.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well!
לילה טוב
Tommy
DAY 8 – Sunday, JUNE 23 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
The thing that I have in common with the Taster’s is that we’re both up early…even though the start dates on our birth certificates are almost half a century apart. The nice thing about being up early is that I get to go hang out with them, as well as the staff who are Shmiring (standing watch) for them. Since these awesome campers get up early, the Taste staff has a double Shmir schedule, one for early risers (which is way more interactive than standing watch) and the standard one for the night, of course, which is a lot easier because these little windup toys hit the pillow and are out like a light.
This morning was a treat. I ended up sitting on a big rock with this little boy who gave me a pretty in-depth analysis of Greek mythology and has convinced me that my favorite Greek God should be Poseidon. Go Poseidon!
It’s first session Bikkurim! Bikkurim is our color wars. We break the camp into 6 teams with a specific color and there is a world of competition that lives throughout the day. The campers do everything from athletic competitions, to dance and song competitions (which have been very “Swifty” today), but my favorite competition and the greatest gift to all staff is the competitive SILENT lunch! It’s a great time, the campers love it and they get of unique silent cheering and singing. I’m sure you’ll see amazing pictures.
I did catch the Green Team cheer which is awesome… Yarok Meshug (Green Crazy). One of the Green Team captains is one of our Israeli Ozrim and each cheer has Hebrew in it and these kids are just loving it and soaking up every minute. I’ll leave the full Bikkurim description out for tonight, but when your campers get home I am sure this will be a highlight at some dinner conversation. My family used to sit around our dinner table and my kids (when my kids were camper age) would start telling some random camp story with perfect recall and keen definition that somehow popped into their brain …in the middle of February. I love that these few weeks of their year have such an incredible impact and are timestamped for life. I feel so lucky to be a part of that and to help curate this awesome Jewish camp experience.
Lastly, due to day off schedules and keeping the staff feeling rested and ready to be engaged when they’re on stage, I got to go work as a dock supervisor during the boating rotation today. It was a beautiful day, the water was calm, and the campers are tubing! I could hear the laughter all the way on the docks! I could also hear the fun coming from the inflatable over on the swim side. I could see a little camper climb up and go down the inflatable slide for the first time, I could hear a counselor saying “you got it, Morrie (there is no Morrie at camp…but you get the idea).
I know I keep painting this perfectly sunny picture of Camp, but after not being here for so many years and seeing the infectious spirit being produced here, one can’t help but keep a PermaSmile (not a word) on one’s face.
(Really) Lastly, I am excited to tell you that the first ever Herzl Podcast is going to launch soon. The first installment isn’t the most professional production you’ll ever hear, but you will get to hear about camp straight from the campers mouth! We hope to push it out soon…if Kündra (long story) doesn’t corrupt our internet…which has been happening lately (a small price we are all willing to pay for pastoral majesty of the north woods. Yes, those were my words…I said “pastoral” and didn’t even use a thesaurus.)
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well!
לילה טוב
Tommy
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
First Shabbat of the summer with the campers is in the books. We just came back from the Ulam where we finished up Havdallah and Israeli dancing, which is a big favorite around here. I can hear the kids walking along la la la’ing the songs and chitchatting their way back to their cabins for Lights Out programs. The first session campers are having a blast, genuinely, because the weather hasn’t been great but the smiles and the happiness is contagious.
The Tasters had about a half a day here before we went into Shabbat programming and they are as adorable as ever. They’re so bright eyed and full of wonder. It impresses me that they’re so eager and we have had very few homesick spells with our youngest band of campers. They’ll try anything and about half of them wanted me to try their Challah that they made in a pre-Shabbat activity while I was strolling up and down the tables soaking in the joy of Shabbat at Machaneh Herzl. They may not be winning Summer Bake Off any time soon, but they are proud. I like proud Jews!
For those of you who are new to the Herzl Family, Shabbat Caravan, where all of us dress in white and walk around the camp collecting each cabin while signing Shabbat songs and heading our way to the flag circle to end our camp day and get ready to welcome Shabbat. Cabins or Camper groups (like Ozrim) sing fun “flag songs” that highlight the fun they had over the week and poke fun around the “inside baseball” of camp.
After the flags are lowered, we head to the Mer-Caz (my favorite sanctuary on the planet) and welcome Shabbat. Standing there overlooking the lake with Loons calling and eagles flying, and the sun setting behind us pitching a golden light over camp and Devils Lake, brings a peace and calm (with an occasional giggle or shh) that soothes my soul. I haven’t been to Herzl Shabbat in a really long time, obviously, but it’s evolved into such a great loving and interactive experience. There’s dancing, there’s moments of gratitude for kids get up and share their achievements for the week, there’s explanation of prayers giving campers an understanding what they’re doing, and our Israeli staff have been doing prayer for Israel and we’ve all been standing for Mourners Kaddish this summer in solidarity with our Israeli brothers and sisters.
Shabbat morning started with a lazy breakfast including the old standby, our beloved Shabbat cinnamon roll. Services were back at the Mer-Caz and Shabbat rotations (campers choice of where they want to spend their time) were open all over camp. From the waterfront to the Beit Ruach (a big open air, thanks to garage doors with screens, gymnasium), to the new golf facility, to reading a book in a hammock, campers got experience a full Shabbat in the safety and comfort of our awesome camp with our fantastic staff.
Later in the afternoon we had Shabbat Sichot (study) where the kids could choose to go to different meeting spots around camp and discuss various theme’s. I ended up giving some of our more spirited kids (who didn’t want to sit still…I’m not so great at that either) a tour and history of camp. I should have called it “why are the buildings orange”.
Before we headed over to Havdallah and Israeli Dancing, we ended the Shabbat meals with the forever favorite Chip-wich…made right here in our kitchens!
There is so much more I could tell you, but I have to head over to the Staff Mo (lounge) for a special meeting about tomorrow. It’s a very special day tomorrow…hint…color!
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well!
לילה טוב
Tommy
DAY 5 – Thursday, JUNE 20 (technically 21st) 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
I swear that the last time I looked at the clock it was 10:00 AM. It amazes me that after all these years how the camp muscle memory is still around. Another constant is the feeling that a day feels like a week up here. We do so much in our day that by 4:00PM most of us staff have to take a dramatic pause to remember what we did for Tochnit Boker (morning program).
I found myself down at the waterfront this morning during Chug (activity) Aleph watching a bunch of campers bounding around on the Inflatable. The weather may not be stellar but it sure isn’t keeping these happy campers from the refreshment of Devils Lake. The other highlight happened as the kids were getting dried off on the dock to head up and clean up for lunch. There were three kids left on the dock with me and the waterfront staff and we watched a Bald Eagle fly low over the water and nab a fish with its talons not 100 yards from where we were standing. Of course the campers went crazy with excitement and I simply basked in the beauty of being up here in the awesome north woods of Wisconsin and on our amazing campus.
Then…the Taster’s (Taste of Herzl program) showed up. They are so little, smily, and eager. Our staff performed a proper Herzl welcome and embraced them into the Herzl family…hopefully for years to come. More on the Taster’s later this week, of course.
Herzl Camp is a member of the AIJC (Association of Independent Jewish Camps) of which there are 24 camps that are fellow members. The AIJC is an awesome support system for us in many ways, from Human Resources advising, strategic planning, and professional development. The Associate Director (Andrea Goldstein) is visiting camp today and tomorrow and got to watch the traditional Herzl welcome for the Taster’s. Here’s her quote…”The ruach (spirit) in that room is unbelievable. It doesn’t exist everywhere…sincerely.” Danya (the best Director of Camp and Culture ever!) and I were glowing with pride and gratitude.
I finished the camper portion of the day riding my bike around during lights out programs and watched Trust Walks, Dance Party’s, and even a group of kids from the Bookclub Chug sitting at one of the camp fire pits having some reading time (I promise I never did that…sorry Mom & Dad).
And then it was 12:09AM.
Thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well!
לילה טוב
Tommy
DAY 4 – Wednesday, JUNE 19 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl Families!
I’m coming to you pretty late from the porch of the Director‘s house. Crickets are cricketing, the frogs are frogging, and a Loon is calling from Devils Lake. I love the sounds of night at camp and the millions and millions of stars that you see up here, far away from the city lights.
It was Yom Yisrael today and it was a great one! The Chinuch (religious education) team, along with our Israeli staff, put together an awesome program that included a makeshift trip to Israel, where kids had a stamp a passport while they visited cities and notable landmarks like Masada and the Dead Sea. At each station they had to do something that was relevant to that city or that spot. Later in the day they learned to make pita over a campfire. We closed the day with an awesome “Into Israel” party…there was A LOT of dancing. The kids (and staff) love themselves some Israeli dancing up here!
The Chinuch team deserves a big hats off. I think they have one of the hardest jobs in camp. They get to put together programming that permeates (there’s that word again) its way throughout all of the campers day and they get to do it through the lens of fun… without a kid feeling like they’re in a classroom. So far, I think they’re doing a bang up job.
A Number of kids got up on waters skis today for the first time and we had our fishing chug get some great action… one of the fisherman caught the first Smallmouth Bass of the year. When our British waterfront staff member told me about it, I asked was it a sunfish or a perch and she gave me a classic “oh no! It was a proper fish.“
Well, that’s all I got for tonight. It’s pretty late and I need to get some sleep because it’s going to be another great day in paradise tomorrow… The Taster’s show up! We’re all pretty excited around here.
Thanks for sending your kid to Herzl Camp. I’m pretty sure they’re having a fantastic time.
All is well!
לילה טוב
Tommy
DAY 3 – Tuesday, JUNE 18 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
Another day in paradise! The weather hasn’t been postcard picture perfect, but the smiles absolutely have been. Our day started with the Ozrim continuing to teach the campers this year’s Ozo dance. My smile shows up when I see counselors and Ozrim focus on a small group of campers surrounding them in the moment and make sure each kid is engaged in the fun. The best part is watching the campers later in the day practicing the dance together during moments of waiting for something or during Chofesh…getting ready for breakfast tomorrow. I haven’t figured it out yet.
For Tochnit Boker (morning program) Ha ‘atid learned about Israel with our awesome Chinuch team and some of our FANTASTIC Israeli staff. They then drew interactive maps of Israel. The short description of the intent is it was a lesson on respecting people’s opinions around what is important to them on their map. They got to be their own map maker with their own story to tell. My two favorites…not that I play favorites, of course…was the map drawn entirely with the words of the foods of Israel and the other was Super Israel Man with arms and legs and all. The team did a great job getting them all engaged.
The Israeli staff we have been blessed with this year is unbelievable. Highlighting just the waterfront staff, it includes a former deputy commander of a ship, an IDF Naval Academy small craft rescue instructor, and “classified” (literally, when I asked him what he did in service, that’s what he said). The other four that are here now (more to come) are just as impressive. They have fully immersed themselves into the Herzl family and are teaching and showing our campers, Ozos, and staff the beauty and importance of our beloved Eretz Yisrael.
We are on the eve of our first Yom Yisrael of the summer and that theme will permeate (again, no chatGPT…I actually know what that word means) its way across all programming tomorrow. Of course, that’s going to most likely be the highlight for tomorrow night’s update.
Oh yeah…we caught our first two Schmutz Busters today…the T-shirts are blue this year.
That’s the tidbit for tonight folks. It was an awesome day!
All is well
לילה טוב
Tommy
DAY 2 – Monday, JUNE 17 2024
Shalom Machaneh Herzl families!
My name is Tommy Hoffman and I get the privilege of being the Executive Director of the Herzl Camp Association and Foundation. Yes, I have the best job in the world.
We are just over 24 hours in and all is going awesome! I’m sending this tonight and will be trying to send these musings most nights of the week (except for Shabbat of course). There’s no pertinent information coming in this communication, just my thoughts and things that I see throughout my day here in Machaneh Paradise. (We are only “pushing” this notification in Campanion tonight to make you aware of it. Once you have the link you will be set for the session. We will notify it through Campanion on any updates, but not push the notification so as not to alarm anyone.)
I promise to not ever use chatGPT for these musings. It will show itself by way of bad grammer and mispellings (see what I did there…).
So here I am, 30 years after my last summer of being on staff at Herzl Camp. So much has changed on the facility, but one thing is absolutely true and constant and that is the special sauce, the magic, the happiness, the ruach…the homecoming.
We welcomed the little faces into the Ulam yesterday mostly with excitement but of course there were some faces of nerves and concern or looking around for someone to be a friend. As I sit here a little over 24 hours later, I’m on the porch of the Director’s house and I hear abundant laughter, talking, and playing. My view right now is of the Rockwall during Chofesh (free time) and there’s two kids helmeted and climbing up (while our awesome – mostly international staff – belay for them) and they working their way to ringing the bell at the top of the climbing wall.
Today was so fun watching kids try new things, we had our first waterskier give it a go after day one of training, and a girl sunk a 20 foot putt on Ha Yarok (the green)! But what brought me the most joy tonight was two boys, who had never met until yesterday afternoon, were walking down the road by the Ulam and I could hear them talking and saying they should make sure they’re the same cabin when they come back next year… for me that’s what this is all about. (Yes, it really happened!)
There’s too much to talk about in this little intro to the summer of ’24 but, in short (I know…too late), the Ozrim are bringing the RUACH, the staff are bringing the creativity and excellent care, and your children are all appearing to be having the time of their lives!
My goal this summer is the kids who are here for just 11 days in the first session, spend the other 354 days of the year talking about it.
Thanks for sending your kid to Herzl and giving us the chance to give them a safe, fun, Jewish camp experience.
Teaser…tomorrow night I am going to talk about the AMAZING Israeli staff we have been blessed with this year.
All is well!
לילה טוב
Tommy