Ferris, Winona, Madonna and John Hughes…Welcome to the ’80s at Herzl

March 16, 2012 by Herzl Camp Admin, under General Posts, Letters from Alumni, Letters from Parents, What I Learned from Camp.

By: Eric Lachter

Hi everyone, my name is Eric Lachter and I am a Herzl alumnus.  I was a camper at Herzl from 1980-1986.  In ’87 I was an Ozo (Go Ozrim!), ’88 a counselor, ’89 the Tripper and ’91 I worked on maintenance staff.  I am 42 years old, I have dark curly hair (ok its half gray), and I met my wife, Randi Bernstein at Herzl (she’s still hot 25 years later).

Currently I live far, far away from the shores of Devils Lake, in a place called Mill Valley, which is just north of San Francisco across a red bridge.  I like the west coast a lot for many reasons. In spite of my geographic distance, however, Herzl remains close to my heart. My girls, Sonia (11) and Liza (8), currently attend camp.  They are huge fans and are continuing our tradition of loving Herzl.  We all miss the Midwest – we especially miss our family, close friends and Shabbat dinner at Tzivia and Joel Leviton’s.

I guess the reason that I send my kids 1500 miles away to camp, is that Herzl is the best place I have ever spent time, and the place that I met the best people in my life.  Some of my pals growing up at Herzl were (and still are) Barry Golob, Louis Dachis, Tommy Hoffman, Jon Adelman, Tony Shink, Joel Richman, EJ Clyman, Rich Fogel, Tony Weinstine and so many others.  Oh, and Claudia (Sohn) Richman, who was and is Randi’s pal. I’m pretty sure I owe her for putting in a good word for me with Randi. Perhaps those names ring some bells. Take a look at the photos. It was the late ’80s, and we had Alcapulco Joe, Polo and other blousey awful fashions. Oh, and sorry about the hair. That wasn’t our fault either. It was the fault of John Hughes and Madonna and Winona Ryder.

I think I’m going to keep this short and let you bask in the glow of the photos. But, here are a few things that come to mind about camp.  The first is that what I loved about Herzl, was that it gave me confidence. I learned to stand on my own two feet, be a leader and make friends. And, a lot of those friends, especially Randi, are and were better than me. Herzl made me better. Any of you who know Randi, or my friends, know what I’m saying. These folks are priceless. They are my platoon. I would do anything for them. They complete me.

Oh, and by the way, thanks to my parents, Lou and Muriel Lachter, for spending the dough to send me. It was a life experience that was well worth the investment. But paying for camp was a big deal then and it’s a big deal now.

Here is my last thought…What I like about Herzl, is that it is the one place I have been in my life that is a personality-ocracy instead of a money-ocracy. At Herzl, for everyone the food is the same and the beds are the same and the air is the same. The songs are the same and the services are the same. It’s all equal. It’s like a modern day American kibbutz. It is the place where I could be the most Eric-esque version of myself. The place where my Ericness could shine.

If you see my kids or my wife or my folks or my in-laws, Jack and Gail Bernstein, at the bus, tell em hi. It really makes me happy to know my girls go to Herzl and that they love it as much as I did.

And know that those summers in the late 1980’s at Herzl were the best time of my life (oh, and I have it pretty good now if you’re concerned). I’m glad my kids know your kids. Keep your sons away from my daughters.

Shabbat Shalom.

With Ruach,

Eric

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Giving Thanks

November 25, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Top 10 Lists.

By Aiden Pink

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s definitely in my personal top three, along with Chanukah and Bikkurim. Actually, now that i think about it, Thanksgiving and Bikkurim have a lot in common: great food, exciting sports, and long periods without noise (due to Silent Lunch or a tryptophan-induced “food coma”). Many families have a Thanksgiving tradition where they share what they are thankful for in the past year. Not one to break from tradition, here is my personal, Herzl-inspired list.

I am thankful for:

• Herzl Camp’s great full-time staff. Anne, Drea, Holly, and Gary have done an amazing job mixing the “classic” and the new, creating a one-of-a-kind environment that has shaped the lives of hundreds of kids from around the world.
• The fact it always rains [Director's Note:  It never rains at Machane Herzl, it only heavy dews!"] when Kadimah comes back from the canoe trip.
• The absolutely incredible new facilities. The new tzrifim are great, with lots of open space, air conditioning fans, and comfy beds for both madrichim and campers. The Kfarim have been great for facilitating programming, and the new Haks are big and clean. And the benches on the Mercaz now have backs, perhaps the most underrated improvement of the whole process! It truly is incredible, and if you haven’t yet, now is a great opportunity to contribute by donating to the Here’s to Dear Old Herzl Capital Campaign.
• The delicious, healthy, Kosher food prepared with care by Andy and Myron. The kitchen staff are really nice to campers, Ozrim, and counselors alike, something that I am told was an issue in years past … *cough*Brandon*cough*.
• The fact Herzl Camp can boast among its alumni, Grammy winner Bob Dylan, Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman, Emmy nominee Eddy Kitsis (whose movie TRON Legacy comes out December 17th) [Director's Note:  And was one of the genius writers that brought us LOST!], World Junior Ultimate Championship  gold medalist Josh Klane, and future Oscar winner Jason Shapiro.
• The unsung heroes who make Machaneh run every single day – the volunteer doctors and nurses in the Marp, not to mention Dale and the maintenance crew.
• Rosemary’s Facebook page. You can friend her here.  [Director's Note:  The more friends she has, the longer she will haunt...]

I am thankful that I was a Herzl camper, Ozo, and Madrich. What are you thankful for?

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