Archive for 'General Posts'

Summer Camps Make Kids Resilient

February 17, 2012 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Benefits of Summer Camp, General Posts.

Originally Published on February 5, 2012 by Michael Ungar, Ph.D. in Nurturing Resilience on Psychology Today.

I recently spoke to 300 camp directors about how to make children more resilient to life stress. Summer camps, we discovered, are perfect places to help children optimize their psychosocial development.

After all, summer camps are places where children get the experiences they need to bolster their range of coping strategies. There are the simple challenges of learning how to build a fire, going on a hike, or conquering a high ropes course. There are the much more complex challenges of getting along with a new group of peers, learning how to ask for help from others, or taking manageable amount of risks without a parent following after you.

The best camping experiences offer these opportunities for manageable amounts of risk and responsibility, what I term “the risk takers advantage” (see my book Too Safe for Their Own Good for more examples). The worst camps pander to children as if they are entitled little creatures whose parents are paying big sums of money. Children at camp can’t be treated like customers if they are going to get anything out of the experience. They need to be treated like students whose caregivers, the counselors, know what the kids need to grow.

Camps that pull this off and make kids, especially teens, put away the makeup, stash the iPods, get a little dirty and even a little frustrated while having fun and making new friends, are the kinds of camps that offer children the best of what they need. Looking at those experiences from the vantage point of my research on resilience, I know that camps help our children develop great coping strategies when they provide seven things all children need:

1)    New relationships, not just with peers, but with trusted adults other than their parents. Just think about how useful a skill like that is: being able to negotiate on your own with an adult for what you need.

2)    A powerful identity that makes the child feel confident in front of others. Your child may not be the best on the ropes course, the fastest swimmer, or the next teen idol when he sings, but chances are that a good camp counselor is going to help your child find something to be proud of that he can do well.

3)    Camps help children feel in control of their lives, and those experiences of self-efficacy can travel home as easily as a special art project or the pine cone they carry in their backpack. Children who experience themselves as competent will be better problem-solvers in new situations long after their laundry is cleaned and the smell of the campfire forgotten.

4)    Camps make sure that all children are treated fairly. The wonderful thing about camps is that every child starts without the baggage they carry from school. They may be a geek or the child with dyslexia. At camp they will both find opportunities to just be kids who are valued for who they are. No camps tolerate bullying (and if they do, you should withdraw your child immediately).

5)    At camp kids get what they need to develop physically. Ideally, fresh air, exercise, a balance between routine and unstructured time, and all the good food their bodies need. Not that smores (marshmallows, chocolate and graham cracker treats) don’t have a place at the campfire, but a good camp is also about helping children find healthy lifestyles.

6)    Perhaps best of all, camps offer kids a chance to feel like they belong. All those goofy chants and team songs, the sense of common purpose and attachment to the identity that camps promote go a long way to offering children a sense of being rooted.

7)    And finally, camps can offer children a better sense of their culture. It might be skit night, or a special camp program that reflects the values of the community that sponsors the camp, or maybe it’s just a chance for children to understand themselves a bit more as they learn about others. Camps give kids both cultural roots and the chance to understand others who have cultures very different than their own.

That’s an impressive list of factors that good camping experiences provide our children. Whether it is a subsidized day camp in a city or a luxurious residential facility up in the mountains, camps can give our kids a spicy combination of experiences that prepare them well for life. Add to that experience the chance for a child’s parents to reinforce at home what the child nurtures at camp, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll find in our communities and schools amazing kids who show the resilience to make good decisions throughout their lives.

Michael Ungar, Ph.D. is a Marriage and Family Therapist and the Lead Investigator for the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University. His research on children, adolescents and families includes partners on six continents in more than a dozen countries. He is also the author of ten books including his latest, The Social Worker: A Novel. His non-fiction works for parents include: The We Generation: Raising Socially Responsible Kids and Too Safe for their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Teens Thrive.

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“Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy.”

February 3, 2012 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts, Letters from Parents.

By: Anna Simon, Community Relations and Event Manager

Tu B’shevat, the 15th of the month of Shevat, is celebrated as “The New Year of the Trees” and is when the earliest blooming trees in Israel emerge from their winter sleep.

Reflecting back on when I was a child, I recall memories of eating figs, dates and starfruit at Hebrew School on Tu B’shevat. In my room, I proudly displayed a beautiful certificate acknowledging that my grandparents planted a tree in Israel in my honor. And, I read Shel Silverstein’s, The Giving Tree.

In high school, I had the opportunity to dig a hole in the dirt and plant my very own sapling in Israel in the weeks following Tu’ B’shevat. After so many years, of receiving certificates from the Jewish National Fund, it was very powerful to finally be able to put my hands in the dirt and plant my own tree in Israel. It was the first time I had ever planted a tree and it instilled in me a much deeper desire to protect the earth and the trees.

By the time I got to college, I was immersed in the hot environmental topics of the day. I decorated my backpack with earth-loving-tree-friendly buttons. If I saw garbage on the sidewalk, I’d pick it up and put it in my bag to toss at a later time (I know, gross, right?). I was a fierce recycler. I actually hugged trees. I walked everywhere (ok, who didn’t walk everywhere while in college).  I read books by Aldo Leopold, Edward Abbey and Rachel Carson and quoted John Muir.  By then, I had all but forgotten about Tu B’shevat. But, wasn’t it enough that I was trying to save the world and protect the trees?

When I became a parent, Tu B’shevat took on a very different meaning because I wanted to teach my son all about our “New Year of the Trees”. So, naturally, what did we do? We ate figs, dates and starfruit and talked about planting trees in Israel. But, we also took the time to talk about what we could do to help protect the earth…and, of course, we read The Giving Tree.

What is it about that story? It’s so simple, yet so powerful. As a child, it was just a lovely story about a tree who was friends with a little boy. As I got older, it became a story about something much bigger…the trees, the environment, the world. Every summer, as I packed up my bags to head to Herzl, I always had that bright green book in tow. I would sit in the grass, with my back against one of the massive trees at camp and read it to my campers. I lent it to other staff so they could read it to their own campers and we used it as a theme for Shabbat Sichot discussions on a regular basis. Last summer, the bright green book was back in Webster with me again and it will be in my bag when I return to camp this summer.

So, even though I didn’t technically celebrate Tu B’shevat every year growing up, I did it in my own way. My deep connection to the earth was inspired by digging my hands into the soil and planting my first tree in Israel. And, it was nurtured while spending summers at Herzl in the fresh air, among the trees. Maybe I actually have been celebrating Tu B’shevat on a regular basis.

Tu B’shevat begins at sunset on Tuesday, February 7. So, what are you going to do?

Why not try something new? Go outside and hug a tree. Host your own Tu B’shevat seder (check out Hazon’s resources including a family friendly Tu B’shvat Seder Haggadah). Make a list of your “Tu B’shevat Top Ten”: 10 things you can do every day to help protect the earth. Or check out this video in which Shel Silverstein narrates an animated version of The Giving Tree in 1973 and then take some time to think about what you can do to make a difference on this earth.

Shabbat Shalom. And, Happy New Year to all the trees.

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Herzl Campers Unite…in Morocco!

January 27, 2012 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts, Herzl, Beyond Webster, Letters from Staff, Where Are They Now.

Yonatan Dotan, Sam Kaplan and Jonathan Edelman in Rabat, Morocco

By: Jonathan Edelman

Herzl Camp staff members Jonathan Edelman and Yonatan Dotan are living in Israel for the year while participating in the KIVUNIM program. KIVUNIM, a program in international Jewish education, provides an intensive academic and experiential encounter with Middle Eastern, North African, Asian and European cultures. 

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How Far Are You Willing to Push Yourself for Tzedakah?

January 18, 2012 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts, Herzl, Beyond Webster, Letters from Alumni.

Alumni Joey Finkelstein, Daniel Usem and Adam Grossfield have been selected to participate in the Walk of Shameless Competition presented by Showtime Entertainment. Inspired by the strength and courage of their own Herzl Camp counselor, they have chosen dedicate 5 days to a charity that is near and dear to the hearts of many Herzl Camp alumni….Winning for Winston. 

By: Joey Finkelstein, Daniel Usem and Adam Grossfield

To all Herzl Alumni, Staff, Board Members, Campers, Parents and Future Campers,

We have been selected to compete for big-time tzedakah in what is sure to be a physically demanding and emotionally draining competition over the next 5 days. No, we are not talking about Bikkurim. We are talking about the Walk of Shameless Competition. What is this, you ask? The Walk of Shameless Competition is a live, physical competition where six teams of three individuals will compete to raise money for charities and win money by being the last team standing. Participants take turns walking on a treadmill from 8 am – 8 pm, EST (that’s Eastern Time Zone, not camp time) for 5 days straight. Yes, that’s right people. 5 days straight…on a treadmill. Wednesday, January 18 – Sunday, January 22.

For every minute we are on the treadmill, Showtime Entertainment will donate $1 to a charity of our choice (more on that below). The last team standing will not only win a cash prize for themselves, but will receive a $10,000 donation to their chosen charity! We have been given the team name “Team Carl” based on one of the characters of the show “Shameless.”

We have chosen to raise money for the ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Therapy Development Institute in connection with Winning for Winston. Michael Winston, a former counselor at Herzl (Dan & Joey’s, actually), was diagnosed with ALS at the young age of 24. Michael’s strength and courage inspired his friends and family to create Winning for Winston, a fundraising group dedicated to raising funds for ALS.

So, we need Herzl friends and family around the world to help us WIN this competition for Winston and for ALSTDI!

How can you help? From Wednesday, January 18 at 8:00 am EST through Sunday, January 22 at 8:00 pm EST, we need YOUR votes! Voting is extremely simple. Simply send a text message with the text “Carl” to 74688 or click here and then click the Support #teamcarl Tweet button. There is no limit to the number of times you can vote, so vote early and vote often! In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined based on how many tweets and text message votes each remaining team receives.

We can personally guarantee to each and every one of you that we will NOT get off the treadmill, no matter what obstacles are thrown our way. Your votes will help keep us motivated…especially when we see our vote totals at the TOP OF THE LIST!

Please help us raise $10,000 for ALSTDI and Winning for Winston by voting as many times as possible.

Shamelessly Yours,

Joey, Daniel, & Adam

Follow us @TheTeamCarl on Twitter

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Who Are YOU?

January 6, 2012 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

Every Friday, you visit our blog in anticipation of what’s next. Is Anne Hope going to post tips for becoming a successful camp director? Are Zach and Max Puchtel going to entertain us with their stories from the glory days? Is Danny Soshnik going to coordinate another Herzl Bracket? Are we going to learn about the history of the Kadimah program? Maybe we’ll see photos of the swimming pool in the Ozo Mo (not likely)? Or, perhaps, we’ll hear advice from a veteran camp parent about what it’s like to send your child to camp for the very first time?

There are so many choices. However, this week we decided to make our blog all about YOU…our loyal readers. We want to know all about WHO you are and learn WHY you read this blog. And, we want to know how we are doing and what topics interest you. Why? So we can make sure we are writing blog posts that inform, educate, enlighten, entertain, amuse or inspire our Herzl family and friends.

So, dear readers, we ask that you take just 5 minutes of your time to complete a brief survey that will help us learn more about you. We promise, we’ll share the results in a future blog so you can see who else is checking in on a weekly basis. Click here to access our survey. The survey will remain open through Thursday, January 12. Thank you so much!

If you would like to learn more about becoming a guest blogger, please contact Anna Simon at asimon@herzlcamp.org.

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Does Summer Camp Give Kids an Advantage in College?

December 30, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Benefits of Summer Camp, General Posts.

Originally Published on December 2, 2011 by Steve Baskin in S’mores and More.

When I started my career as a camp director in 1993, my mother (the “Silver Fox”) shared the following thought with me: “summer camp is like college, but just a little bit early”.

Being a strong believer in my mother’s wisdom, I found myself thinking about this statement fairly often. Summer camp had been a huge part of my personal development as a young man, and had even found its way into my college and graduate school applications. Yet the idea that “camp was like college” did not seem to make sense to me at the time.

Over the past 16 years, I have found that this idea is actually a profound one.

Three years ago, we were talking with a friend whose daughter was in her first year at college. Both mother and daughter had struggled mightily with the separation. “During the first semester, we would talk everyday, sometimes 5 or 6 times. She was so sad and uncomfortable away from home. It really affected her grades and social life. She is better in her second semester, and she only calls once or twice a day. I still worry about her though.”

This conversation reminded me of a speech I heard by Dr Wendy Mogel a few years ago. Dr Mogel is a nationally-known clinical psychologist and educator who wrote the best-seller parenting book “The Blessing of a Skinned Knee”. She shared a story about a good friend of hers whose daughter was a freshman at college at Sarah Lawrence.

Unlike my friend, this woman’s daughter thrived in her first semester in college. She earned exceptional marks (making the Dean’s List) and she became president of the freshman class. During Parents weekend, her mother met the mother of a senior who was president of the entire student body and was weighing various job offers. The two mothers were sharing stories about their daughter’s college experience when the mother of the senior shared an unexpected thought:

“I bet your daughter went to overnight summer camp.”

“She did, but what makes you say that?”

“I am not surprised. I have noticed that my daughter’s friends who had strong freshman years all went to overnight camp at some point. The ones that really struggled did not.”

The contrast of these two freshman experiences (our friends and Wendy’s) compelled me to think about why this might be true. Here is what I came up with.

Going to college presents many challenges, three of which jump out at me:

1. Increased academic rigor (college work is simply harder than high school work)
2. Being away from home and your traditional support system (family, friends, familiar places)
3. Dealing with large amounts of uncertainty (what will classes require, how will I fit in socially, can I deal with this new roommate)

Of course, overnight camp does little to deal with the first challenge of academic rigor, but it helps substantially with both of the other challenges.

Camp helps students adjust to being away-from-home by giving them practice being away-from-home. Campers coming to camp (often as young as Kindergarten or 1st grade) get to experience being separated from home successfully. Certainly, most campers have some homesickness, but the supportive camp community and the fun activities help ease them through this initial challenge. Homesickness is natural. Children will miss their parents.

Further, we live in a society that sometimes suggests to children that they are only safe within eyeshot of their parents. Yet, we parents want our children to grow in confidence and independence so that they can live productive, fulfilling and joyous lives. Camp enables children to experience successful independence. Like college, they are away-from-home. Unlike college, they are in a community committed to their physical and emotional safety.

Camp also helps campers deal with uncertainty. The first week of camp is full of uncertainty: Who are these counselors? What are these traditions? Where do I go? Who will be my friends? Will I be successful? Just like college, there is schedule-related uncertainty (where to go and when) and social uncertainty (who, among this group of relative strangers, will be my friend).

The camper gets to experience overcoming this uncertainty. I like to think of it as strengthening the “resilience muscle.” Having done so, the next experience of uncertainty is easier to handle. The camper who comes to camp for several years gets multiple opportunities to strengthen his or her resilience muscle. By the time they go to college, they are much more confident and resilient.

So the former summer camper arriving at college as a Freshman can focus his or her energy on the challenges of academic rigor, but not worry about being away from home and the uncertainty of a new environment. Other students face all three challenges. Seen this way, it is not hard to understand how camp can help later with college.

Last summer, a long-time camp mom shared her thoughts about her oldest son going out-of-state to college. I asked her how she felt. “I’m going to miss him.”

“Are you worried about his first semester?”

“No way. He has already gone to camp for 9 years, so I know he will be fine. He is so excited to face this challenge. Camp has also helped me – I have had practice being separated from him. He is going to shine at school!”

Later that evening, my wife and I agreed on three things: First, this was one of the nicest endorsements of camp we had heard. Second, we are so happy to think that the campers who have become such an important part of our lives will have an advantage in college. Finally, the “Silver Fox,” once again, was right.

Steve Baskin began his professional career as an investment banker, but chose to leave finance to pursue a career in summer camp and outdoor education. He and his wife are the owner/directors of Camp Champions in central Texas. He is also a co-owner in Camp Pinnacle in North Carolina and Everwood Day Camp in Sharon, Mass. Steve serves as the Treasurer of the American Camp Association and has presented as a speaker at multiple conferences. He believes that the summer camp experience can be the most powerful growth opportunity available to children other than their parents.

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Look Who’s Talking

December 9, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

An Interview with our Future Herzl Campers

Future Rosh 12 Gates, Reuben

HC: Thank you all so much for missing your morning naps and playdates to join us at the Herzl office today.

Reuben: Well, Maya is actually still sleeping so technically, she’s not really missing her nap for this interview.

Peyton: Yeah, but at least I got to hang out with Maya a little because I’m pretty sure she’s going to be my camper some day. She’s so cute! And, she looks so peaceful. Maybe that means she’ll actually sleep during minucha so I’ll be able to get my rest.

Maya: Zzzzzz.

Ruby: That’s not fair, Peyton. I want to be her Ozo! Why do you get to do everything first? That’s not fair…MOM!

Marcus: Girls, chill out. You’ll all get your chance to go to Herzl someday. If you are mean to each other, mom will probably just force you to go to camp at the same time so you’ll bond as sisters. And, since we are choosing counselors, I’d like Ella to be my counselor.

Ella: Marcus, you know it doesn’t work that way. You can’t be my counselor, but we could sit together on Shabbat or go to Final Banquet together…if you ask nicely.

Delilah:  Come on guys, we need to get started with the interview. If we keep going at this rate, we’ll be K’shishim before this interview is over. Though, maybe at that point Maya will be awake. When the hand goes up, the mouth goes shut, people.

HC: Thanks, Delilah. So, what do you think Herzl will be like when you become campers?

Ella: A pool! I want a pool!

Delilah: No way. How can you swim the lake in a pool? Hey Maya, I’ve got ruach yes I do! I’ve got ruach, how ’bout you!

Ruby: Very funny, Delilah. She’s still sleeping though. Cell phones…I think all campers should get cell phones and laptops. Then we can just Face Time our friends in other tzrifim so we never have to leave the buildings.

Peyton: Guys, the point of camp is that you leave all those things behind and enjoy the great outdoors. Plus, I don’t want Marcus sending me texts in the middle of the night asking me to take his tzrif to raid the kitchen. Marcus, I hope you realize that I won’t be able to play favorites with you when I’m on staff.

Maya: Zzzzzz.

Marcus: Kitchen raids? I bet there will be computer screens in each tzrif so we can just order chanut and meals online. Everything will be delivered to our tzrif so we won’t even have to raid the kitchen.

Reuben: That is super futuristic and kind of cool but I don’t want camp to change that much. Even though camp may look different than it did when our parents and grandparents were there, I want it to be the same old Herzl Camp that my family always talks about…a welcoming, independent camp where young people become self-reliant, create lasting Jewish friendships, and develop commitment and love for Judaism and Israel. Herzl Camp creates a vibrant Jewish community of future leaders.

HC: Wow, nice job with the mission statement, Reuben. It’s true. Alumni, who are now parents of campers, comment on the fact that though the camp facilities and grounds have grown and improved, it still holds the magic they remember from when they were kids. What Herzl magic are you looking forward to when you get to be campers?

Delilah: The Ozo Dance (clap), Bikkurim (clap) and Ruach in the Chadar (clap)!

Maya: Minucha.

Ella: The Kadimah Play and the Talent Show.

Reuben: Using the microphone.

Peyton, Ruby and Marcus: 3 Charteuse Buzzards, uh! Sitting on a Fence, uh!

Future Rosh Minucha, Maya

Future Rosh Dance, Delilah

Future Buzzards: Peyton, Ruby and Marcus

Future Rosh Drama, Ella, getting a pep talk from her future counselor, Peyton

HC: Thank you all so much for coming in today and sharing your thoughts about Herzl. You will have to wait a few years to get to Herzl, however, if you have friends who are old enough, please tell them there is still space available in many camp programs for 2012. They can click here to register. We look forward to seeing you all at camp!

Editors Note: Like the Future Camper bibs? If you know of anyone in the Herzl Camp family who recently had a baby, please contact Anna Simon at 952-927-4002, extension 205 so she can send them a bib.

Shabbat Shalom!
Love, Taste of Herzl 2019

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Are Herzl Camp Alumni Food for the Soul?

December 2, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts, Letters from Alumni, Letters from Staff.

Jenna (Gordon) Budda, Jesse Simon, Marcy Simon, Bobby Shapiro, Beth (Altman) Pfeifer, Kim (Schneider) Gelperin, Leah Goldstein, Emily Mermelstein, Ellen (Berdass) Feldman, Adam Chall

By: Anna Simon

What does it really mean to be Herzl Camp alumni? I decided to start with the dictionary…

The American Heritage Dictionary defines an alumnus, as “a graduate of a school, college, or university.” Alumni are also former members, employees or contributors. According to Merriam-Webster online, the noun “alumnus” comes from the verb “alere”, which means “to nourish.”  Fascinating.

So, does that mean am I responsible for providing healthy and delicious food for the campers? Well, there are definitely a few precedents for that…

Alum Amy Cytron spent a day working hard in the kitchen this past summer. She actually did nourish the campers!

Some of you may remember when the Hanhallah used to cook dinner in the old Chadar for all of camp on Thursday nights. The kitchen staff had the night off so the Hanhallah would take over the kitchen and prepare the food. Admittedly, the only person who actually had any knowledge of cooking at the time was Shelley Kornblum, who always doctored up the baked beans.

So it’s been done before, but for most of us, cooking for the campers is just not a realistic option!   So I go back to the dictionary…The definition for nourish is “to support or encourage”. From there, I’m taking the leap that alumni take action to keep Camp thriving for the next generation.  Nourishing. Supporting. Encouraging.

At Herzl, alumni nourish, support, encourage in a lot of ways.

Did you know that the majority of our camper parents are actually Herzl alumni themselves?  If you are reading this blog, you probably do know that BUT what you may not know is that it’s unusual, even unheard of, at other camps.  Herzl is a “legacy” camp – a shared experience between parents, kids, grandparents, maybe even great-grandparents!

So, if you have kids, you are probably supporting Herzl by sending the next generation of campers (and BTW, there are still spots available for Summer 2012, click here to register!)

Or maybe you are supporting and encouraging Camp by coming back to camp yourself – for Winter Alumni Camp…or Family Camp…or Kishishim…or the ’72 Ozo Reunion…or the ’60-64 Staff Reunion…(More info on our Alumni page)

And over 1,000 of you will live camp vicariously this December by making a gift to camp so you can be part of the next generation of campers.  There’s a simple joy in paying it forward – knowing that I’m sending a kid to camp or making some special programming possible.  Someone made camp possible for me and now I’m making it possible for someone else.  I think I may have even learned that Jewish value at camp…If you haven’t made a gift yet, do it online – click here to donate.

So at Herzl, we’re literally never too old to be campers and we can always be a part of the power and magic of Herzl.

Shabbat Shalom!

Anna & Beth (Altman) Pfeifer in the Old Chadar, 1995

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A Parent’s Idea of How to Create Herzl-at-Home

July 8, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Micki Litton

Dear Lizzie,

Well, we saw you in a bunch of Bikkurim pictures, and I have to tell you, it
looks like you are having so much fun, you might not want to come home.

So I have been thinking of ways to get you to be happy with the idea that you
can’t live at camp forever; you actually have to live here in this boring house.

Here are some of my ideas:

1.  Have color war days (like Bikkurim) days twice a month at home. The day will
be a random surprise day, just like camp, but each member of the family will
wear a different color – Joey=yellow, Lizzie=green, Dad=blue, Mom=red – and we
will play games (capture the flag, tug-o-war), make signs. stand on chairs and
shout at each other at breakfast, have silent lunch and each do our own
“Schtick” at night.

2.  We could release a bunch of mosquitoes in the bathrooms and bedrooms, so
while you pish, shower and sleep you will get big itchy bug bites.

3. We can blast OZO songs at meals and dance like crazy instead of eat.

4,  We can have a Chanut, where we can all buy snacks from the pantry and have
cute sweatshirts, Tee shirts and shorts that say HOME on them (instead of HERZL)
that you can buy.

5.  We can all wear flip-flops in the shower.

6. We can start calling our lemonade at home “lem-lem”

7. We can buy a shed to put in the yard and call it “Ozo Mo.” Then we will have
someone come over and decorate the inside of the shed so we have no idea what it
looks like inside, and we can all wonder if there is really a hot tub in the
basement of the shed. We are not allowed to look inside, of course, just like we
can’t look in the Ozo Mo at camp. Once you are old enough, and if Anne picks you
to be an Ozo, you are allowed to look in our shed.  If you are confused about
this, ask your Ozo. She will explain this to you.

8.  We can turn off the air conditioning in the house, except in the kitchen.

9.  We can have ChipWiches every Saturday night, and wear sport jerseys every
Saturday.

10. We can raid each others bedrooms once in a while and steal each others
underwear and hang it on the banister to embarrass each other. (We don’t have a
flag pole to string them on, so the railing in the upstairs hallway (banister)
will have to do).

11. We can wear bug spray around the house every day (because if you smell like
camp, you will feel like you are still at camp).

12. We can put a plaque above your bedroom door with the letter Gimel on it so
that you don’t get lost when trying to find your room at night.

While you are still there at camp, you can think about if you want to live like
this at home, and if you do, just let me know, I will get started on the changes
around the house as soon as possible!

I am just kidding about this stuff, but I am SO glad you look so happy at camp,
and just remember, at least there’s still family camp to look forward to!

http://www.herzlcamp.org/family_camp.html

Love, Mom

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What makes Herzl Camp Awesome, Part 2: Herzl Magic

June 24, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Avi Baron

Here is the second part in the series “What makes Herzl Camp Awesome.” When starting this series, I had a few basic ideas of topics for each part, each topic being something that could be quantitatively measured about camp. For, as I have learned this past staff week here, I am an analytic and I like measurable, precise data. Having said that there is something about this phrase “Herzl Magic” that necessitates me including it in what makes Herzl Camp awesome.

Arriving at Herzl on June 2, just a day after signing for my new apartment and less than 15 hours after teaching my last Talmud Torah class for the year, the magic had already begun. I’m not a person who gets emotionally attached to any place (well I’m not so good at things or people either), I have no feelings towards the house I lived in for the first 17 years of my life, any of the numerous dorm rooms, or even my parents’ new home, where I’ve lived off and on since we moved. People often speak of their intense connection to this plot of land in the middle of Webster, how they get chills making that final turn North, only 12 minutes from camp, but I’ve never felt it. Walking around camp these past 18 days, as the Hanhallah arrived, the third-year staff, the rest of the staff, and finally the Ozrim, I’ve noted locations where the old tzrif (cabin) 9 used to be, or where the shmir site for tzrifim 2 and 3 was. I’ve taken part in flag in the same flag circle it has been as far as I can remember. But I haven’t gotten chills from any of this. To me these are just facts, just information.

Drea Lear introduced the phrase “ma nora hamakom hazeh.” “How awesome is this place.” to our Herzl Hebrew the night of June 2. After doing some fact checking and a little research, we then presented it to the Han the night they arrived. How awesome is this place. Not just the new cabins and buildings, but the campers and staff who reside within them. We extended it to the third-year staff on Leadership Shabbat. How Awesome is this place. Not just the location, but where we are in our journey with it. And finally we introduced this to All the staff and Ozrim for Havdallah last night. How Awesome is this Place. We all can take a moment to think what Herzl has done for each of us individually, or the community from which we came. To enjoy what is surrounding us.

And so it may turn out that this land holds no magic, but instead that it is the staff, the campers, the alumni, and all who help make Herzl thrive that create the magic each year. To the Yacher who forfeits his seat so a Ha’atid camper can sit next to his brother on Shabbat, to the staff member who designs a new and creative tzrif time (cabin time), to the Program Directors who tirelessly work with each one of their staff and campers, to the Board of directors, to the donors, and the parents, and the list continues. These are what give me chills, everything we do, everything you do, to continue making Herzl Camp as awesome as it can be.

I ask that you take a moment to think for yourself, what happened at Herzl Camp that kept you here. Why are you reading this blog post when you might not have been to camp in years? What makes Herzl so awesome to you? Because I tell you, Herzl Camp is Awesome! (How awesome is it? / Ma nora hamakom hazeh?) It is so awesome that I didn’t have any jokes in this post to show my sincerity.

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Happy Place

June 10, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Zoe Stern

This past Monday the Herzl Hanhallah (senior staff) packed their bags, braved the record breaking temps and moved up to camp. If you’ve read my past blog posts, you may remember that I consider this to be one of the worst days of the summer. In my mind camp has started…without me. Camp is without a doubt my “happy place.” Anytime I am feeling sad, sick, lonely…all I have to do is go to camp in my mind and instantly feel better. I can always conjure up the sights, sounds, smells and emotions of camp to erase my bad mood.

Around 9pm last night I was sitting at my desk feeling a little sad and lonely catching up on some general blog reading when I came across a post from The Foundation for Jewish Camp’s blog, The Campfire, titled, “A Little Taste of Cornerstone.” From the FJC website: “Third-year bunk counselors are the “cornerstones” of their camps, making significant contributions to the camp program. Retaining these valuable staff members can be a challenge. The Cornerstone Fellowship, made possible by the generosity of the AVI CHAI Foundation, empowers third-year Jewish bunk counselors to view themselves as Jewish role models for both campers and younger counselors alike.” This year Herzl sent 5 Cornerstone Fellows as well as Assistant Director Drea Lear to Capital Camps and Retreat Center in Waynesboro, PA for Cornerstone.

From what I can tell, Cornerstone was 4 full days of learning, networking, planning, developing programming, sharing stories and of course, singing and dancing. When the following video of this year’s fellows singing and dancing to the 2011 Cornerstone theme song, Simplify Yourself appeared on my computer screen I was back in my happy place, goose bumps on my skin and tears in my eyes reminding me how amazing camp is, and how thankful I am that the 2011 summer has been started and countless lives are about to be changed, as thousands of kids head off to their “happy places.”

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Alumni Advice

May 27, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Aiden Pink

I am in a pretty unique position among the volunteers who write for the Herzl Alumni Blog: I am not technically an alumnus. Almost everyone else who has written for the blog over the past two years has “graduated” and gone on to get “real jobs” that pay “money.” Unfortunately, that means they no longer get to spend their summers in Webster. However, this summer I am lucky enough to make the drive up Highway 35 one more time. On June 12th, I will start my ninth summer at Herzl Camp.

Machaneh Herzl is pretty much all I have been thinking about since spring break. I cannot wait to see my old friends, eat delicious cinnamon rolls, pray on the Mercaz, paint my face for Bikkurim…I just know it’s going to be the best summer ever. And I consider myself incredibly lucky that I get to play even a small part in shaping Herzl’s success.

This will be my second year on staff (third if you count my Ozo summer), so I am fairly confident in my ability to not screw up too badly. For example, I now know from experience the worst possible way to build a bonfire (well, best if you consider the size of the fireball, but worst if you consider the potential destructive power of said fireball). Also, kitchen raids can be considered only partially successful if everyone thinks that someone else is in charge of actually grabbing the snacks (on the plus side, it could be seen as training for future members of Seal Team 6). Oh, and as effective as it is, campers do no generally appreciate being woken up with reveille on the trumpet. That goes double for campers in neighboring cabins, who also get woken up by reveille on the trumpet.

OK, so clearly I have a lot to learn. This is where you come in, alumni. Who better to ask for advice than people who used to be in my shoes? There are a lot of awesome traditions that have fallen by the wayside over the past few decades – is there a cool feature that camp should bring back? As former campers, what activities did you most enjoy? What did you most value in a madrich? And if you were on staff yourself, I am sure you have great advice to share with me and the more than 140 madrichim, specialists, program directors and Ozrim who are lucky enough to return to Webster one more time. Let me know in the comments! Todah Rabah!

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Herzl Acrostic Blog Post

May 13, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Alex Locke

Editor’s Note:  Alex has experience with acrostic poems.  As a 1994 Ozo, he performed an acrostic flag song with a hidden message.  Ask a 94 Ozo near you to see it — sheer brilliance.

Herzl Camp means a lot of things to a lot of people.  But let’s break it down to its very core:

H – Home; A camper’s away from home
E – Equality; Everyone’s a winner at Machaneh Herzl
R – Religion; No place has a stronger connection to Judaism than Herzl
Z – Zionism; Creating a relationship with Israel for those in the Diaspora
L – Learning; An important education in a non-academic setting

C – Children; The best place on Earth to just be a kid
A – Accessible; The only Jewish overnight camp in the Midwest to be accessible to all children
M – Modernized; New facilities mixed with old traditions
P – People; Where you learn to live and work with others on your own, for the first time

All of these elements embody what Herzl Camp is.  They are the pieces to a puzzle that has been creating memories for over 60 years.
So… what does Herzl Camp mean to you?

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What Makes Herzl Camp Awesome Part 1: Order out of Chaos

April 29, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By Avi Baron

Hello and welcome to a new bit called “What Makes Herzl Camp Awesome.” Now I know a lot of you could name off hundreds of things that make that plot
of 166 acres in Webster, WI awesome, but I’m going to focus on more
broad topics and expand in detail why each one is important. This topic,
part 1, is about creating order out of chaos. In reality though, Herzl
doesn’t create order out of chaos, which is what helps make it so
awesome. Instead, we take the naturally entropic environment and use it
to our advantage. I suppose I should have titled this “Orderly Chaos,”
but that has less curb appeal, and I watch a lot of HGTV, so I know how
this works.There are two types of orderly chaos that occurs: observable
and internal.

Observable is best seen (duh) by a visitor to camp. So let’s all put ourselves in
the shoes of a visitor to camp. It is Tuesday, July 26 and you decide to
venture out the South side of the Beit Chai at about 3:48pm (Camp
time). A staff member is getting on the golf cart carrying a garbage bag
with sheets and a sleeping bag in it. You see eleven girls dressed in
all green walking towards the Rock wall where one girl and one counselor
sit, facing towards the wall. You stumble across a few playing cards on
the ground and start to notice more placed in trees and scattered
around. Just as you bend down to pick one up, four or five boys run past
you, water from their towels and swimsuits spraying you. You look up
just in time to catch a frisbee and toss it to the tall yacher running
towards you. He asks if you’d like to play with them so you join in
their cabin versus cabin game of ultimate for 15 minutes. After excusing
yourself due to exhaustion, you begin to walk back towards your water
bottle you left in the beit chai apartment. Taking a more leisurely
stroll back, trying to catch your breath, you stop and chat with a
counselor holding a bucket of water near a circle of happy Ha’Atid boys.
He explains that most of his campers had a water chug for dalet so
they’re playing drip, drip, drop before shower time. You watch until the
type of toothpaste was guessed (Colgate total plus whitening) and are
distracted by excitement a few yards away. Walking closer, you see a
counselor handing out sixlets candy to his campers for finding all 52 of
the hidden playing cards. Happy to see him back early from his day off
and excited by the candy, they were hugging him and lifting their cards
in triumph. Almost back to the beit chai now, you see a party by the
rock wall and the one girl who had been sitting there with her counselor
was being lifted on the birthday chair. Her cabin mates had made a
dance for her and, after they performed it, they all ate cake in a
wonderful birthday celebration. Once you get back into the office, you
overhear a conversation between two staff members saying she managed to
wash and replace the sheets before anyone noticed and her camper was
grateful.

This, to me, is a regular day at Herzl Camp. What, at first glance, may seem
to be crazy green girls, wild wet boys, and litter is actually the most
glorious thing on Earth – orderly chaos. It’s like the movie “The Book
of Eli,” where you either have to be apart of it, or wait until the end
for everything to make sense. This combination of structure and play
time is part of what makes Herzl so awesome.

Now the internal part of orderly chaos. This part is best described in
analogies, so I’ll do just that, starting with an online video game
called “n game.” N stands for ninja in the action stick-figure game
where the player guides a ninja through treacherous territory containing
mines, lasers, evil robots, heat-seeking missiles and more in search
of the exit door. While working at or behind the scenes for Herzl Camp
hasn’t quite yet reached the epicness of being a ninja in a pixel world
(just a few points shy of it), they definitely shares important aspects.
If your little ninja dude is running towards the gold cubes and you
accidentally jump early, into a wall, the best plan of action is to
continue with your new trajectory and wall jump back to a different
approach, in fact, looking back, that was probably better because it
avoided the mines near the gold and got you to the exit sooner. While a
staff member might have one idea for a program they are planning, when
they actually sit down to plan it with other staff, something else may
come up, the original program location may not be available, or the 8
foot beach ball broke. No matter what happens, Herzl Camp staff are
great at adapting to new obstacles and making them advantageous.

Anyway, in conclusion, Herzl Camp is Awesome. That is part 1 (with two sub-parts if you were paying attention, so it was like a two-for-one!) Look for
the other parts coming soon!

Things I mentioned, unrelated to Herzl, that might interest you:

http://www.hgtv.com/

http://www.colgate.com

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1037705/

http://www.addictinggames.com/ngame.html

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Chag Sameach (from the summer)

April 18, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Max Puchtel

When it comes to the Jewish calendar, Jewish summer camps fall on a horribly bad lot.  Rather than grand, inspiring, enriching celebrations, the only Jewish “holiday” that campers get to experience during the summer months is T’sha B’Av!  While the ninth of Av teaches important lessons about the current religious state of world Jewry, it’s always a HUGE downer, especially for campers who are teeming with the excitement of summer, friends, and self-independence.  It’s a shame that there is not better holiday representation for the campers.

Unlike the Muslim lunar calendar whose holidays migrate through the months from year to year, ours is “adjusted” with leap months in order to ensure that the holidays fall in their appropriate agricultural season. Sukkot always falls in the autumn and Pesach/Shavuot in the spring.  But how great would it have been for modern summer camp if our Rabbi’s hadn’t made those fixes, and occasionally, some of our other holidays fell in the summer?!?!

The high holidays at camp would be quite a sight.  Blowing the shofar during ruach sessions would be fun and “apples & honey” already sounds like a shtick, but I’d be pretty upset if the fast day fell on tuna melt day!

One could see how Sukkot would be perfectly suited to the outdoor life of camp, engaging campers in creative construction of temporary shelters all over camp.  No one would throw a fuss about Herzl building new cabins anymore because one would have an opportunity to live in an inadequate and unsafe structure every summer!

Purim would fit naturally into the camp culture of “dressing up for random reasons.”  Why else would anyone ever paint themselves blue from head to toe?  Although, I’m pretty sure my campers would have used the costume opportunities to switch their identities around and trick me, and it would be hard to fulfill the mitzvah of getting drunk while being a good role model for the campers.

We all look forward to the Passover seders.  Can you imagine the entire chadar at a seder table, or forcing a taster to sing the four questions?  And what would we dunk into our tomato soup without a grilled cheese sandwich?  A slab of matza?!?!?!

Hmm, maybe it’s best that the Jewish holidays ARE confined to the non-summer months!  Luckily, camp finds many other ways to engage and develop campers spiritually; some of my best memories of camp are tied to Shabbat, services, and communal rituals.  Although I won’t be thinking about camp this year at the seder table, I will acknowledge that my summers at Herzl were indeed the defining Jewish experience of my youth.  And for that, I am grateful.

Chag Sameach!

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All I Need to Know, I Learned from Bikkurim

April 15, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Anna Simon, Community Relations and Event Manager

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Letter from the 1984 Israeli Scout

April 7, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts, Letters from Alumni.

Dear Herzl Camp Family,

The words of the Herzl Camp song mean a lot — “Here’s to dear old Herzl, we’re so proud of you…”  I realized it today more than ever.  27 years have passed,  and today, as snow covers the ground, 15 degrees outside under blue skies, I came back to visit camp with my host family (my “American Parents”), Harry and Terry Cohen.

It really is unbelievable…27 years ago, in the summer of 1984, I was the Israeli scout of Herzl Camp.

It was the summer of my life!  The memories are still alive, the great chance and opportunity that I had as an Israeli youth to get acquainted with Jewish American kids of my own age, to share together happy and meaningful days…Those were, and still are a crucial brick building my personality as a mature person, as a Jew, and as a patriotic Israeli.

Today, I am a 43 year old married woman, mother of 3 girls, 2 of them active in the Zofim. I’m participating in Israel in their summer camp as kind of a “Mama Ozo”, working and serving my community and country as a juvenile judge, happy and proud to share with you a small but yet a huge part in the puzzle of my life — and that piece is the summer of 1984 at Herzl Camp.

I wish you all, my beloved Harry and Terry Cohen, who will participate this summer in the K’Shishim program, their grandson Ezra who is in his 3rd year, and granddaughter Libby who will be in her first summer, all the campers, Ozrim, Madrichim, and especially the Israeli Zofim a great 2011 summer!

Just continue as you are, with the Herzl Camp spirit.

I wish you all Shalom.

Love,

Michal Kaplan Rokman

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Mysteries of the Herzl Universe

April 4, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Danny Soshnik

Herzl Camp is built on tradition and schtick.  I often wonder(ed) why things are the way they are.  I mean, these traditions had to come from somewhere.

I’m going to share a few with you of which I know the history, and there are many more that I’d like an explanation.  So, PLEASE chime in with your answers.

B’Yachad being called Yachers:

Did you know that in their first summer in 1995, B’Yachad’s campers were informally called Yahoos?  I vividly remember a flag song in the 6th camper week by the Hanhallah, led by co head counselors Adam Chall and Anna Simon to the tune of The Beatles “Life Goes On”.  To the chorus, they sung, “We decided to call you the Yahoos, la la la it’s Yahoo Shabbat.”

In 1996, I was on the greatest B’Yachad staff ever assembled and we decided that Yahoos wasn’t intense enough for this powerful program, so we renamed them the Yachers.  To quote Tin-Tin quoting his brother on how he got the name Tin-Tin, “and it stuck.”

The Pounding on the Table After the Shabbos Meals Birkat:

This one gets (dis)credited to Jon Braufman, I believe.  Once upon a time, Herzl used to sing the long ya da da…that normally follows the y’ru et hashem after osheh shalom in the Birkat, which culminates in some pounding on the table.  If memory serves, Jon wasn’t paying close attention and jumped the gun on the pounding, by leaning back and yelling “Hey”, and the rest is history.   Hey, I don’t make this stuff up.

The Ha’Atid Song to the Tune of the Brady Bunch:

Do they still sing this song?  I wrote that song…from my internship in downtown Saint Paul when I was supposed to be reviewing second mortgages for Green Tree Financial Corporation.   And you wonder why they went out of business.

The Steps Down the Hill to the Lake Near Tzrif 25:

Not many people know about these stone steps which lead to a very private stone bench overlooking the lake.  Had I been cooler, I would be able to report a first kiss there or something…oh well.

Anyway, about the stairs, we got an email from Rivka Tal, a 60s alum from Israel (named Patti Schochet) back in the day.  She asked about the “Boathouse” and whether it still existed.  After a back and forth, I learned that there used to be a very special cabin in the woods just north of the Mercaz.  Rivka said you had to take stairs down from the path to that cabin.  So, that’s where those stairs once led.  How cool would it to have been to be in that cabin?

Those are a few that I find to be trivial and interesting.  I’m very curious on the origin of many others…

Does anyone know the history of 12 Gates?

What about the Herzl Song?  Who wrote it?

What about the wall?  When was it built and was it originally built for its current purpose (Kadimah climbing it)?

Has the Shabbos Caravan ever gone counter clockwise?  That would make for a great koontz on camp.

Where did that crazy long birthday song come from?

If you know where the origin of any of these or any other traditions, I’d be curious to know.   It would be great to have a written history of some of this stuff.  So please chime in!

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CAMP WORKS Survey Shatters Strategic Plan

April 1, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By Mike Neiman

As you may recall from our early post, the Foundation for Jewish Camp recently unveiled the findings of CAMP WORKS, a landmark study revealing the long term effect of Jewish camp on Judaism.  From these findings, one of the most alarming findings was that only 6% of capable Jewish youth attend Jewish summer camp.  Combined with other findings showing that camp alumni were more likely to attend synagogue, light Shabbat candles, visit Israel, contribute to their local Federation, and marry within the faith …  this statistic was reason for alarm.

After the individual analysis of the CAMP WORKS study, community leaders from Herzl Camp, Camp Chi, Camp Ramah-Wisconsin, and OSRUI established a new strategic committee this April called the Fellowship Of Opportunistic Learnings of Summer.  Their plan was simple:  Increase global participation in the Midwest’s Jewish summer camps.  Foremost on the agenda was the pooling of staff, resources, and facilities to build a single conglomerate entity that would support this movement.  After minutes upon minutes of discussion, the decision was final.

Opening its doors this summer on the 75 acre “Summerfest” lot in Milwaukee, WI, will be a new Voltron (read “Power Rangers” for alumni born after 1985) of Jewish camping…

Development Director Holly Guncheon has already volunteered to transport all 25 newly built cabins to the Music Festival’s central fields.  When asked how the billions of Capital Campaign donors would feel about this decision, she simply shrugged her shoulders and said “I mean, we said we’d have every camper in a new cabin this summer … but we didn’t say where.”

Additional consideration was made to move the Beit Chai as well, but at 11 years old, the committee concluded that this facility is already more outdated than the original iPhone.  Camp Chi’s contribution is slightly more extreme, as they were able to petition the city of Wisconsin Dells to mobilize all amusement parks for a cross-state trek to Milwaukee.  This summer, campers will be provided top notch Chug and Evening Programming at Familyland Park, Noah’s Ark and Marley’s Bar.

Ramah Wisconsin graciously offered its Blanche Lippitz Library, filled with custom Hebrew translated play scripts.  When asked about the meager contribution, COO Benji Berman stated, “Come on guys!  What would camp be without “Billy Elliot b’Ivrit?!”

The new organizational structure is still under discussion, as directors Anne Hope, Ron Levin, Jerry Kaye, and Rabbi Loren Sykes wait for the results of their 2011 NCAA Bracket winner to take the rightful place at the top.  Unfortunately for Anne, she had Kansas winning it all.

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Herzl Hospitality

March 27, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.

By: Jeff Usem

So, if you’re half way across the country, what would you expect from your old Herzl friends?  To touch base on the phone and say hello?  To meet for a quick cup of coffee?  To grab lunch somewhere to catch up?  Maybe to invite you over for dinner?  Well, in this case, mine suggested that we get together and invited me to stay with him and his family!  This just occurred this past weekend when I sent Marty Kloner an email that I’d be in Los Angeles for work, and it would be nice to get together if he had some extra time.  While this may have happened to you somewhere too, I don’t think it’s the usual reaction when old friends are passing through town on business.

I could have met him briefly somewhere and moved along to a hotel for the night; but staying with someone gives you an opportunity to rekindle old friendships in a casual, personal way that only happens when someone opens their home (and life) to you.  I was re-introduced to his lovely wife, Tara, who was equally welcoming and interested in getting to know each other, and met his adorable kids, Dylan & Jackson, in an at-home, comfortable setting that just wouldn’t have been possible anywhere else.  I’d like to think I even bonded a little with Bruno, their huge, white dog (notice how well he obeyed me when I told him to lay down for the picture – ok, maybe I got a little help from Tara for that).  We shared old stories and looked through his old Herzl albums, trying to remember all the names of the much younger (some skinnier and hairier too) people in the pictures.  The picture with the gray, goofy fishing hats that we bought on one of our many days off with Ricky Bloomfield and Steve Gottlieb triggered some good memories (I still have mine in the basement, of course).  Fortunately, Randy (Harpo) Feldman and Paul Muchnik were sitting at a table in the picture of them dressed up in a coat & tie at staff final banquet.  It was like we had just all been together, not like nearly 29 years had gone by since camp, and probably 9 years since we had seen each other last.

Another bonus during my trip was getting together with Cheryl Kloner (actually Marty’s cousin), another friend from our Herzl days in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s.  She quickly found and brought along a pile of pictures that we went through with fond memories.  Even more amazing was that she had a cassette tape (remember those?) of talent show and final banquet skits, which were hysterical (I never knew there were so many versus to “The Cat Came Back”).  It was a little hard to hear, but there were even some final words to the staff of ’80 from Andy Halper – words to live by, I’m sure.  I brought those pictures back with me, so maybe some of them will be of decent enough quality to scan and include on the website or in our archives.  Thanks for saving all that stuff Cheryl, you’re the best!

Anyway, enough of the reminiscing.  There’s nothing quite like Herzl friendships! Thank you so much to Marty and his family for opening their beautiful home to me, and letting me become part of a small piece of their lives.  My relationship with his kids will never be the same after sharing chocolate-chip pancakes together in our PJ’s.  (I hope Dylan’s birthday party sleep-over went well after I left.)  So hang on to those friendships, and don’t hesitate to pick up the phone or reach out to those old friends when you’re going to be in town.  Who knows, they may even invite you to stay with them?

Here’s to Dear Old Herzl… and Herzl Hospitality!!

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