Yom Yisrael! It’s cool to be Jewish! 2nd Session Kadima & B’Yachad July 7th
Today was Yom Yisrael at Machaneh Herzl, and there is something uniquely powerful about watching an entire camp celebrate the Jewish homeland together.
One of the things I love most about Yom Yisrael is that it isn’t just about teaching facts or history. It’s about creating joyful connections. Campers spend the day singing Hebrew songs, learning Israeli dances, playing Israeli games, eating Israeli food, hearing stories, creating art, and celebrating a place that has been at the heart of the Jewish story for thousands of years. It isn’t a lesson in a classroom. It’s an experience, and experiences are what we do best.
Earlier today, TribeTalk (TribeTalk is an organization we partner with that host programs that are preparing and empowering Jewish students/campers to address today’s most challenging issues of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias) met with our campers to have age-appropriate conversations about recognizing and responding to antisemitism. We want our campers to understand the world they live in, but we also want them to know that being Jewish is something to celebrate, not something to hide, being Jewish is cool! The balance between preparing kids for the realities of the world while surrounding them with Jewish joy is one of the greatest gifts Jewish summer camp can offer.
For tonight’s all-camp Yom Yisrael Tochnit Erev, campers traveled from station to station learning how to dance the Hora, play Israeli games, make their own hamsas, and so much more. Everywhere you looked there was laughter, music, and RUACH!!!
Lunch really hit home for me today. It was schticky gezunt! (Is that how we spell that?) The Chadar was overflowing with blue and white, Israeli flags, and Israeli spirit. Even the menu got into the celebration with falafel, hummus, and all the fixings. Of course, we also had our famous pasta bar, which remains wildly popular with anyone under about four-and-a-half feet tall, along with our always-loaded salad bar. It was perfectly on brand for a day dedicated to Israel.
Our B’Yachad campers held what they call Schtick League during lunch, and every cabin arrived in costume. One group came decked out as 1980s Jazzercise instructors. Another embraced the classic movie version of high school nerds. One cabin wore Israeli gear from head to toe, waving flags and getting the entire dining hall onto its feet for Israeli dancing. The Jazzercise group, of course, led everyone through an exercise class, while the “nerds” hosted a spelling bee. Nobody managed to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (yes, I googled the spelling) but one counselor did pull it off, but counselors don’t count, of course.
But the moment I’ll remember most from today actually happened during our podcast (Season 3 Episode 7 that was released today – easily found on Spotify). One of the girls talked about how comfortable she feels here being Jewish. She spoke about what it’s like to come from a school where there may only be ten Jewish students, or one who is the only one, and how different it feels to spend the summer surrounded by people who simply understand that part of who she is.
The funny thing is, the best conversation happened after we stopped recording. Olivia and I kept talking with the campers about why it’s actually cool to be Jewish. We talked about what it means when people say the Jewish people are “chosen.” Not chosen because we’re better than anyone else, chosen because we have responsibilities! We are to pursue kindness, to care for one another, to repair the world, to stand up for justice, to live lives guided by values that have endured for generations. You could almost see it click.
Their faces changed as they realized that Judaism isn’t about belonging to some exclusive club. It’s about belonging to a people who strive to make the world a little better every single day. We don’t always get it right, none of us do. But we inherit an incredible tradition that asks us to keep trying, to be kind, to work hard, to care for others, and to leave the world better than we found it.
That’s a pretty remarkable group to belong to. It’s cool!
If our campers walked away today believing that being Jewish is something to celebrate, and that having the State of Israel gives the Jewish people a homeland to know, to protect, to love, and to cherish, then today was an incredible success. It was just another great day at Jewish summer camp here in Machaneh Herzl.
So, thank you for sending your kid to Herzl Camp!
All is well. Safely rest.
,לילה טוב
Tommy
PS – Thanks to our kitchen staff who embraced our Yom Yisrael – This is some of our amazing Israeli staff.
