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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A Herzl Hanukkah … in Israel!
December 12, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts.
By Tracy Altman
The Herzl community does not compare to any other! Herzl alumni are spread across the world and with all the traveling I do, I’m certain to see someone from camp on each of my trips. The best thing about this community is how inclusive everyone is and how people see the importance of inviting others to share holidays and Shabbat meals together. After 13 years at camp, hundreds of campers later and best friends across the globe, there’s almost no way to explain how great it is to sit down with camp friends for any kind of event.
Living in Chicago I am surrounded by Herzl people. Whether it’s Jared Rosenbloom, Danny Pesis and Brad Benenson who live directly across the street or Jessica Treinish who is about a 20 minute walk, there’s always someone to talk about camp and share a meal or holiday with. Recently I hosted a Shabbat dinner and eight of the ten people there went to camp. The other two did well to hold their own but inevitably had to participate in some camp talk during the evening. I applaud the non-Herzl folk, they have heard so many stories overtime and am glad they can feel comfortable and even add to Herzl stories that they’ve heard.
One of my favorite camp gatherings that sticks out during this time of the year was when I was visiting my brother in Israel a few years ago during Chanukah. Brian and Craig Basman were in their second year of medical school, Carly Alexander was in her first, Yamit Taragan was working and living there, Dan Usem was studying abroad and Laurel Herold was on a post-college program. Brian was insistent that we have latkes at the Chanukah party and that I make them! I’m not a latke-maker so I picked up the box version from Target and schlepped them to Israel to make for the party. I learned three things that night: 1) Cooking latkes is NOT my thing but making them with Yamit clearly makes it better and messier! 2) The art of getting pomegranate seeds out of the shell is whacking it with a large spoon until they all drop in the bowl (it actually works!!) 3) Getting together with camp people in Israel is incredible! There’s something so exciting about seeing each other there and celebrating Jewish holidays together.
Another great memory of gathering with Herzl alumni was when Herzl asked people to host Sukkah parties in various cities. I was living in Washington DC at the time and the Cukiers were our hosts for the night. I think 10 of us went to their apartment and walked in to see handmade signs/drawings outside the apartment and Herzl garb spread out on the couch and chairs. It was such a fun night getting to relive great memories, reconnect with my Papa Ozo (Aaron Cukier) and laugh a lot at ridiculous camp stories. The following year when we had another sukkah party, it was hosted by Daniel Chait and Evan Jacobson. I think everyone would agree that the highlight of that night was when the boys showed off some dance moves that Jenny taught them at camp.
Clearly with Herzl alumni spread around the country, there has to be someone who wants to light the menorah with you, go to services together or share a Shabbat dinner. Take some time to think about people you haven’t seen lately from camp and how you guys can get together to share a holiday with. All you need is one camp memory to get you started and the night goes on from there.
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The Usems are Camp People!
October 31, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Letters from Alumni.
By Mark Usem
Herzl Camp… It’s been a family “thing” since my sister Cookie was the first Usem to attend Herzl in 1966, then Linda, and finally me in 1972. Of course, there were other Usems that have attended Herzl back then, my cousins Michael, Jeffrey, and David… and all of us from Red Wing, MN, a small town 50 miles southeast of St. Paul with no Jews other than those in our immediate family. Our summers at Herzl Camp were some of the first truly positive Jewish experiences we all had with other kids, and it came to define a lot of who and what we were to become as adults. From Herzl camper, to Ozo, to Madrich, it was all good stuff!
If it wasn’t for Herzl, I wouldn’t have met my wife. OK, I didn’t meet my wife at Herzl, though Lynn could just as easily have been a Herzl person. I met her while working at OSRUI (Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute …yea… another Jewish Camp in Wisconsin). I still loved Herzl Camp, but it was time to try something new …and the reason I started working at OSRUI was because another ex-Herzl staff member, Anita Saltzman, who knew me from my days staffing Herzl Camp, came up to me at a Jewish Camp Fair at the University of Michigan in 1980, and convinced me to work there. And after some new experiences, one girlfriend (now my wife), and 4 kids later, all-in-all, it was a great move.
Round-about, I’ve come to understand that “camp people” are “camp people”, and they’re a different type of person than other “non-camp people” who don’t quite understand how you can send your children away for a good part of the summer. I believe most don’t understand simply because they have never had the opportunity to experience the profound life-changing experiences that a camp like Herzl can provide. I believe there’s truly a philosophy about Jewish summer camping that extends much beyond camp.
When our children (Sam, Dan, Jessica, and Sidney) were old enough to attend camp, they went to camp… it really was never in question. We never quite understood other people who asked their kids if they wanted to attend camp… we never asked… our children just did… we expected it… we planned on it… to us it was what you did as a Jewish kid in the summer… it was how you explored and defined who you were as a Jewish kid in our society today. Our children have now become Herzl campers, Herzl Ozos, and Herzl Staff members. Of course, they have made friendships that will last a lifetime, but even more important they have learned what it means to explore their Judaism and live a Jewish life in a way that includes a variety of experiences much different and more profound than we could provide at home, and they could do so in an inclusive community with a degree of freedom and an intensity that is unmatched in other environments.
We’re proud of our children, and proud of the decisions they’ve made in life. We’re proud of the people they’ve become. And though today you’ll find a variety of ways they express their Judaism and the degree to which they practice traditional Jewish rituals and customs, I feel they have all made conscious decisions on how to live their lives not on ignorance of Judaic practice and thought, but on deep understanding of Judaism and thoughtful reflection, due in great part to the influence of Herzl Camp in their lives.
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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)
