Staff Week and ‘Bond Fire’
August 1, 2009 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Letters from Alumni.
By Rachel Javitch
My favorite part of staff week is bond fire. Yes, that’s bond fire, with a nd. This is where we got to hear everyone’s personal story about who your camp hero was, why you came back to camp year after year, and who it was that made camp that magical place for you. We did this, so we could remind ourselves of what we needed to do for our campers when they arrived at camp in the coming days. Because one day, those campers would grow up – and maybe some already have! – to be someone else’s counselor one day. They would take what you did in one shape or another, and do it for their campers. This is how the Herzl cycle continues.
On the night of bond fire, we would gather in the mo, get comfortable, and listen to a few hours of pure Herzl memories. We got to hear about what our counselors did for us – the crazy cheers they sang in the chadar, the cabin nicknames they created, the stories they told, the energy they emitted, and the costumes they wore. A candle was lit in honor of each person, and we learned from our peers how each of us was influenced at Herzl.
There was always so much one could say at bond fire. Who did I think of when I thought of the counselors that really stood out? Who was I going to try to emulate as a counselor that summer?
Was it Andrew Zidel, who convinced our entire Kadimah with his enthusiasm and passion, that 1998 was absolutely, positively, the ‘Best Summer EVER!’? Was it Sam Rosen, who told our Ozo group (and the rest of camp) that the little animals running around camp were called ‘wildamooks’ just to make a new inside joke? Or what about Jenny, Katie and Zach Freeman, who planned, plotted and created their very own Herzl Camp ‘Secret Society’ in 2001, that everyone wanted to be a part of, that involved assigning groups of campers and staff to do something nice for someone or some other group. Or what about my sister, who convinced me to come to camp in the first place, who checked on me every day, who I sat by during every single Shabbat as a camper. Or what about Robyn Badiner and Andrea Golden, my B’yachad counselors, who sat and talked with us, sang the Sh’ema to us, and gave us a hug each night before going to their meeting. Whether you recognize the names of my counselors or not, you can probably fill-in-the-blank with counselors of your own who did the same things mine did.
Stories like these (but better!) filled the room during bond fire. We heard all over again about the hilarious kitchen raids, the counselor who saved a camper from his homesickness, the unbelievable stint someone pulled on the overnight, and that one person who did a great job of just ‘being there.’ Story after story, we were reminded of what we needed to do for our campers. And we couldn’t forget that our campers took what we did for them, and did the same thing for their campers. So it goes, the Herzl cycle continues… Shavua Tov!