The Greatest Shabbat – Session 2 Kadima & B’Yachad June 27th
Nothing makes me appreciate Shabbat more than Herzl Camp!
Our 2026 Ozrim absolutely knocked it out of the park and hosted a picture-perfect Shabbat here in Machaneh Paradise. The weather couldn’t have been better, and somehow the Shabbat services were even better.
One of the truly unique gifts of Jewish summer camp is that kids get to experience Shabbat in a way that’s unlike anywhere else.
They sit shoulder to shoulder with friends, some they’ve known for years and others they met just a few days ago, and sing prayers to familiar words but often with brand-new melodies. There’s movement, energy, and a ton of tradition. Best of all, there’s license to be creative. We honor the prayers and customs that have connected generations of Jews, and when there’s room to put a camp spin on them, and we absolutely take it.
Friday lunch is our traditional picnic lunch. Anyone who’s ever been an Ozo owns an Ozo t-shirt and proudly wears it (except yours truly, whose 1989 shirt disappeared somewhere along the way…I blame my Mother, because why not?! I still remember exactly what it looked like though, it’s in my soul.
The picnic tables buzz with excitement as everyone settles in, knowing that the next day and a half will be different. A little slower, more restful and a lot more fun.
And let’s be honest…the cookies at the end of Friday lunch are the second most coveted Kinuach (dessert) of the week. The undisputed champion, of course, is Saturday night’s legendary Chip-Wich.
After lunch come the messages. We don’t call them by the word that starts with an “A” because, well, if someone says it, there’s a very long song that follows…and the guilty party gets drenched with copious amounts of freezing-cold water. (Back in my day, insert staff members eye roll, we were simply thrown into the lake.)
The Ozrim split into groups of three, scatter around the tables, and introduce the theme for the weekend. This week’s theme was The Greatest Shabbat! inspired by the movie “The Greatest Showman”.
It went something like this…
Group 1: There are people who jump in puddles when it rains.
Group 2: We aren’t afraid to be silly, and we make the most of every situation.
Group 3: There are people who don’t like Froot Loops.
Group 4: We aren’t embarrassed. We’re proud to be ourselves!
Group 5: There are people who dance when no one else is watching.
Group 6: We are proud, loud, and schticky because camp has given us the courage to be.
Group 7: There are the people who always dress wacky on Wednesdays.
Group 8: We aren’t ashamed of being childish because everything is more fun with the right attitude.
Group 9: We are all different. Those differences make us stronger together and help us become better leaders.
Get ready for the Greatest Shabbat!
And it was.
It celebrated everything that makes Herzl Camp so special: uniqueness, schtickiness, friendship, joy, and the freedom to simply be yourself.
Sichot, which we hold after Rotation Bet (Shabbat has only two rotations, Aleph in the morning and Bet in the afternoon), were built around this week’s double Torah portion, Chukat and Balak. Campers choose their own activities during the rotations. Even Amanut is open, although we don’t write or paint on Shabbat. Instead, our Amanut specialists create Shabbat-friendly projects that always draw a crowd.
And yes…the most popular destination remains the waterfront, where the decibel meter points directly to FUN.
The discussions connected beautifully with the themes found throughout Chukat and Balak, being true to yourself, seeing the good in others, and choosing positivity even when life doesn’t go exactly as planned. Pretty camp apropos, if you ask me.
After dinner came Chip-Wiches, the forever popular Twelve Gates (our own camp version of Saturday Night Live) and then Israeli dancing. Not the Israeli dancing my grandparents did…or even the kind I did “back in the day” (insert collective staff eye roll here). Today’s Israeli dancing is an explosion of modern Hebrew music, incredible energy, and what feels like one giant flash mob as nearly the entire camp jumps, sings, laughs, and dances together.
We closed the evening, as always, with everyone’s favorite service of the week, Havdallah.
The Ozrim did a bang-up job.
More importantly, they showed hundreds of young Jews that being Jewish is something to celebrate. It’s joyful, it’s meaningful, it’s fun. And yes…it’s really, really cool.
Your camper felt that this weekend.
And that’s exactly why nothing makes me appreciate Shabbat more than Herzl Camp.
Shavua Tov!
That’s a wrap! But for now, thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp.
All is well. Safely rest.
,לילה טוב
Tommy