Everything I’ve Learned About Life, I Learned at Herzl Camp: Love is Louder
February 24, 2012 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Letters from Alumni, What I Learned from Camp.
By: Zach Puchtel
If I had to choose just one, out of the millions of things that I learned at Herzl Camp to pass on to my children, it would be the title of this blog.
Now, I don’t want to necessarily claim that I was loudest person ever at camp, but there’s a good chance that I was the loudest person ever at camp. During my camper years, my idols were EJ Clyman, Adam Levien, Chuck Lyons and of course, the ever-hoarse Danny Soshnik. I looked up to these men not because of their chivalrous spirit or charitable intent, no, there was something more profound, more moving that they seemed to possess that could literally send a room into Jewish mayhem.
It was their voice. Whether it was Dodi-Li, Bikkurim, Elbows on the table, or Announcements at lunch, the pure energy that they exercised from their gut always brought campers attention and spirit to their highest excitement.
As a camper, I could only let loose my best Simba impression to echo the summer’s chosen chants. (Ok, I was decently loud as a Yacher)
You need to understand something before I go deeper into this story. Screaming is a thing that we take for granted. I mean, when and where can you openly scream as loud as you please? Camp, maybe a sporting event or at a party with friends? Unfortunately our options for primal growling displays are limited, as certain standards have been established for acceptable decibels in every day living.
In Junior High, Jared Steyaert and I would were called into the principal’s office for causing disturbances in the hall. What were actually doing? Pretending that West Jr. High was the Ulam!! We counted down every day to camp to the tune of “hot cereal”, everyday, at the top of our lungs! “314 more days, 314 more days…” Luckily Mrs. Wolfson was an M.O.T. (Member of the Tribe).
Point being, being loud was something that struck a chord with me early, making noise, and not caring about who heard it. It allowed me to recognize a freedom of speech other than the 1st Amendment. Learning how to scream taught me how to push my boundaries. Each year I got louder, and each year more kids loved it, and more kids complained that it hurt their ears.
It didn’t matter either way. I love to be loud, especially when it comes to being loud with others! When I coached youth basketball, I would line my kids up and ask them to scream. At 14, there was some inevitable shyness abound. I’d tell them, “You either scream as loud as you can, or you run.” This produced glass shattering results. The point of the exercise, other than its insanely fun nature, was to get the kids to open up together, and to feel comfortable exercising a muscle that perhaps they haven’t paid much attention to.
Being loud can be uncomfortable, and so can standing out. I notice that the louder I am, the more comfortable others feel to be loud as well. It as though everyone wants to scream, but no one wants to be the loudest, or stand out from the crowd. Perhaps this is the greatest lesson I ever received. Don’t be afraid to stand out or be the loudest, because you allow others to push their limits simply by being yourself.
An excerpt from “A Return to Love”, by Marianne Williamson:
“…as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.
To each and every camper and staff member who will be taking place in the magical summer of 2012, I wish you the loudest, most adventurous, love filled summer of your lives.
Scream until you can’t. L’chaim!
Shabbat Shalom.
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Everything I’ve learned about life, I learned at Herzl Camp (A Parenthetical List)
February 18, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under What I Learned from Camp.
By Max and Zach Puchtel
Part 3 – Bikkurim
So there we were, Max and I, sound asleep in Tzrif 20. (47. Never be toooo asleep at camp) I am awakened by distant noise, I raise my head. BOOM!! (48. YOU THINK YOU’RE BAD) The front door of the cabin is knocked off its hinges by the front end of a freak 2-wheel creature screaming in a Judge Dredd voice, “I am the law!” (49. Dan Shapiro is the law) Actually, he had a megaphone and was chanting B-I-K-K-U-R-I-M BIKKURIM, B-I-K-K-U-R-I-M BIKKURIM!! (50. It can come at any hour of the day, just not this year due to scheduling conflicts).
We drag our half-dressed (51. No one wears clothes at camp, we schlep.) freezing bodies to the fire pit, where a blazing bonfire welcomes us. (52. Blazing bonfires are always appropriate) Max and I amazingly get placed on the same team, while all the Greene’s get placed on the same team, all the Freeman’s get placed on the same team, all the Usem’s get placed on the same team, and Mike Neiman is somehow still in charge. (53. Dare I say, Neiman RULES!!)
The next morning brings fresh eyes, throats and RUACH decked out in unicolor garb. As veterans to the Bikkurim circuit, Max and I know the importance of a fast start. (54. I am much faster than Max in any race, ranging any distance from 1 yard to 1 mile.) Immediately upon formation of the great BLUE TEAM, (55. The curse is not real, but rather more like the sword and the stone legend (Speaking of legends, Chuck Lyons, what a hero) wherein only the chosen one may remove the sword). we separate the weak from the pack. They will be assigned to cheer-generating and picture-drawing. The rest have been chosen as Blue Warriors. They are keepers of the great blue chair, and the song “I’m blue da boo dee da boo dah, dah boo dee daa boo dah.” (56. The one-word-in-the-most-songs game is the greatest rainy day game ever).
As we complete our plans for Bikkurim domination, we think about what the judges will be looking for most closely during the day’s performance. (57. Judges have a strict code they observe, passed down through generations of former Bikkurim contests) We decide sports to be our focal point-with Max and I (58. Grammar lesson, Max and me) at the helm, how can we lose? Turns out we can’t: skying over helpless campers, we take no mercy as frisbee, then basketball, softball, tennis, roofball, raftball, tetherball and then finally Gaga all become notches on our belt as we sweep the athletic contests. (59. This actually happened, no real lesson here other than PUCHTEL RULES!!)
Silent lunch puts a damper on things when we’re told that a member of our squad continues to make noise after repeatedly being told to do otherwise. As we’re led to the perpetrator, a crowd has gathered to witness what at first appears to be a feeding frenzy for one. Growls and snarls surround the creature, but he halts mid-swallow as we approach. Staring at us with huge trembling hungry eyes, (60. Aaron Gelperin has huge trembling hungry eyes) we ask Aaron if he’ll please calm down so we don’t lose points. He obliges. (61. Aaron Gelperin can be reasoned with, but only if promised a shot at the champ in the Kadimah arm wrestling contest (62. Big man, Aaron. I was 14!)
Outside to the fields where the relay has ended, and the teams regroup for what sets men apart from boys: TUG-O-WAR. (63. Although, in all truth, it’s usually the women that determine which team is going to win. (64. Unless, of course, Max and…you get it, we’re big) Max rips some duct tape off his chest, we all wonder why it was there in the first place, then we tug!
It’s all a blur as we come to the final ruach session in the Ulam. There’s a funny smell as you enter (64. Ben Jurisz and Joel Bard were still sleeping in the apartments) but that can’t faze us now. We are set on victory, and after a days worth of athletic triumphs, the blue curse seems really distant. How distant was it you ask? About as distant as Elin Woods the past 2 months I’d say. Really far off anyway…the ruach commences! Songs, cheers, flags, drum banging, and screaming with what little voices we have left!! Finally, the judgment is upon us. Whose effort will pay off in camp pride for the next 2 hours before bedtime??
We await the results, and aren’t surprised when, what?!! The Freemans won??!! Are you kidding me? No, seriously?? But they literally just took Edina cheers and put in the word red!! (65. Not to mention that they brought their own costumes to camp for the sole use in their Bikkurim dance routine) It’s ok Zach, this just wasn’t your year buddy, don’t worry about it, be a good loser, oh wait…don’t…no, stop…really? (66. I cry when I lose Bikkurim) As the judges come to console me because I won’t go back to my cabin, they explain to me that Bikkurim is about team spirit, unity and really good cheer generating and picture drawing.
Well, those are the lessons learned from Bikkurim, kids. We’re up to 66 and …
To be continued…
67. I learned something from that … you don’t have to be an ogre in order to succeed in Bikkurim, you just have to be a Freeman)
