Fermish me I’m Jewish!
March 17, 2011 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.
By Mike Neiman
It has pained me for years that my favorite gentile holiday cannot be combined with my favorite Judaic institution. Sure, as Herzl staff, we were able to uberprogram around such awesome holidays like Tisha B’av and the occasional Shavuot … but we have missed out on a grand opportunity since Jewish Camp’s earliest establishment.
Summer camp is … well, during the summer. Ok, so maybe Herzl rents out its facility to youth groups on the occasional weekend during the year, and that weekend may occasionally overlap on a secular or Christian holiday. I’m no mathematician but, it doesn’t take a former 6th grade math teacher like Yamit Tarragon to know the odds are low that one of these holidays would occur on a Saturday so as to enjoy the whole day’s festivities during a Shabbaton. I guess St. Patrick’s Day was just never meant to be celebrated in true Herzl Camp style.
…UNTIL NOW!
I have started the preparations early because I was bored at work today and DID do the math. Actually, the math was pretty simple: this year St. Pats is on Thursday and next year is a leap year. Therefore, I would like to invite all my fellow Alumni to join me next spring up at Herzl for a Shabbat weekend where we can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in true Herzl fashion on Saturday March 17th, 2012.
The planning committee is still working out the details, but below is a tentative schedule.
Friday:
Planning in progress by Mark Warren, please email all suggestions to him.
Saturday:
9:00am Aruchat Boker: Brandon Tagg to toast up delicious Green Bagels from Brueggers
09:30am Shabbat Services led by visiting Rabbi Zalman Shimon Lent of the Duplin Hebrew Congregation
11:00pm Morning Rotations: Learn Gaelic with Alan Garelick, Foreign Cussing with Asaf Bitton, Limericks and Laughs with Rachel Javitch. On the waterfront – Loch Ness Monster Watching with Loren Mintz and Tye-Dying Devil’s Lake Green with Jessica Treinish.
1:00pm Aruchat Tzohoraym: Flip Frisch is joined by Saints and Tzadiks to lead a ruach song session complete with “Danny Boy Leonard”, “Whiskey You’re the Devil’s Lake”, “Rocky Road to Kadimahland”, and “Theodore I Hardly Knew Ye”
2:30pm Minucha … need our rest for the night’s festivities
3:30pm Afternoon Rotations: Beer Tasting with Zander Abrams … oh let’s be honest, we are all going to that one.
5:00pm Sadnah with Roni Kornblum Falk
6:00pm Aruchat Erev: Corned Beef and Cabbage, with a Chinuch lesson from Sam Usem on the Judaic-American influence to switch from Bacon to Corned Beef for this traditional Irish meal. (p.s. It’s true).
7:00pm Evening Program: Riverdance with Andrew Zidel
9:00pm Laila Tov and Staff Meeting
Sunday:
Planning in progress by Nicole Rabinowitz, please email all suggestions to her.
Thank you and have a safe and enjoyable St. Patrick’s Day.
Hag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!
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Machane Herzl, you are so full of Shtick!
May 27, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Letters from Alumni.
By Mike Neiman
What are Herzl staff known for, greater than any other camp staff? I know what you are thinking, “Mike, obviously Herzl is about the grilled cheese and tomato soup!” … well yes, Alan Garelick would agree with that, but its not where I’m going here. Herzl Camp staff have thrived (thriven?) for over 60 years on one very special quality … Shtick.
You can’t really define “shtick”. It basically is EVERYTHING we do at camp. From our breakfast routines, to programming events, to story-telling, to flag songs, to event introductions, staff games, cheers, chugs, programs, bus rides, waving goodbye to bus rides … everything Herzl does is laced with that wonderful little sweetener … Shtick.
I never realized how big a part of our camp life it is until I spent a summer working on the east coast at a camp that “thought” they had the most creative program in the country. Oh really? You guys have color wars? And you think it would be creative to announce it with a boring son at flag raising? Wooooooooow. Those staff thought they were the greatest creative minds on the planet. And although my summer of ’04 was a fun time, it doesn’t hold a candle to one Shabbat at Herzl. Just think of all the creative uniquities (yep, its a word) along that encompass 24 short hours in Webster. From Aaron Rischall’s 2000 Ozrim “I love Shabbas” introduction at Friday lunch to the 2005 Ozrim tribal drum-beat Havdallah performance, one thing stands out every single summer… Shtick.
I love it. Literally everything Herzl does is enhanced by our creative staff and love for shtick. You can actually find it in every part of the daily schedule. And don’t think that’s a bad thing! Shtick is the heart and soul of Herzl Camp. Its our identify, its our memories, its the tradition and passion that keeps us coming back year after year. Think about it, every part of the day is full of … Shtick.
(i can’t remember the actual schedule, but work with me here!)
7:30: Creative shtick-induced wake-up from your Ozrim
7:50: Flag raising, with (since 2005) … cabin led “shtick”
8:00: “Hey Kadimah, today for t’fillot, we’re doing the whole service backwards!”
8:30: Hot Ceral for breakfast? Someone get Jesse Simon a mic…
9:20: “For today’s Nikayon, the Rate-a-room theme is Saved by the Bell”
10:00: Chug Aleph. Other camps have Aerobics … Psh, Herzl has “Navy Seal Training”
11:00: Chug Bet: Harry Potter Chug is actually playing real-life Quiddich? I’m going to that one!
12:30: Lunch, this can’t possibly have shtick? What’s that Aaron Gelperin? “Cheese is great, I really love it, its’ yellow and orange and green…”
1:30: Minucha. No shtick here. WRONG! Tzrif 11 is reading the blueprints and working out the strategy for tonight’s kitchen raid.
2:00: Chug Gimel. World League of Herzl Sports, need I say more?
3:00: Taste of Herzl is finalizing their dance moves to N’Sync’s Bye,Bye, Bye while B’yachad works on their Avodah ring
3:50: Nosh. Save your milk cartons, we want them for a lifesize statue of Theodore Herzl we are building in Ozo Park
4:00: Roni (Kornblum) Falk, what’s your favorite part of camp? Sadnaaaaaah!!!
5:00: “Hey Tzrif 5″, “Hey What”, “Roof Ball, Tzrif Time, be there” “We’ll School ya!”
5:50: Flag lowering, again with (since 2005) … cabin led “shtick”
6:00: “You spilled, you spilled, hug a pole, hug a pole”
7:00: Ha’atid staff are busy setting up Tochnit Erev, where Nate Wohl will finally get to “wed” his secret love, Rachel Javitch.
8:00: Tochnit Erev! Can you name a program without shtick?? And when its over, get in a big circle and cross your arms, right over left for “Rod Hayom, Shemesh Dom…”
9:00: Lights Out. Tzrif 11′s Black Ops plan to infiltrate the kitchen store room is ruined by a locked door, damn. But wait, Ozo Zander found a key someone must have left behind!
9:30: Laila Tov to David Bender’s rendition of “Go to Bed” (sang to the tune of Semisonic’s Closing Time)
And don’t get me started on specialty days…. (sigh) I love this camp. Shabbat Shalom!