By Julie Rhein

My Herzl life started later than most. I didn’t know the camp existed until I moved to Minneapolis the summer before 7th grade. I attended my “old camp” for one additional summer and then ventured into the world of Herzl for Kadimah. I fell in love with Machaneh! I spent two summers as a camper, one as an ozo, and one and a half as staff. After I graduated from UW Madison, I joined Teach For America and was assigned to teach in Phoenix, Arizona.

I’ve lived in Phoenix for 6 years now (which was not the plan) and can’t seem to find a reason to leave! I have missed my big circle of Jewish friends, but I still hear about Herzl from close friends who have stayed on staff or joined the board. Herzl sneaks into my mind sometimes, but one night a few months ago it struck me in the most unusual of circumstances…

It was a Saturday evening, and a group of friends and I decided to go to a movie. We selected the Harkins at Cristown because it was a fairly new theater and was NEVER crowded. It also happened to be in a kinda sketchy part of town… We purchased our tickets outside (that’s the norm in Phoenix) and then walked into the theater. As we gave our tickets to the attendant and turned to walk towards theater 2, I stopped dead in my tracks. Standing near the concession line was a woman wearing an orange schmutz buster shirt. I smacked the people on either side of me and said, “You guys! That lady is wearing a schmutz buster shirt!” I personally own light blue and orange schumtz buster shirts, and my friends were familiar with the origin, meaning, etc. One of them said, “Hmmm. She sure doesn’t look like a former Herzl camper, though.” And she was right. I knew right away with 99.9% confidence that the woman in the orange shirt was NOT a Herzl alum. She was at the theater with what looked like her mom and son, and her shirt was not in its original form. The neck had been cut to provide a nice shoulder baring 80s style design, and the bottom could only be described as “fringy”. But there was no mistaking it – that was an orange schumtz buster shirt from Herzl.

For those who don’t know me well, you should know something very important about me… I LOVE talking to strangers. As my friends figured out that I was about to approach this woman to talk about her shirt, they quickly dispersed and averted their eyes. (Some people are no fun!)

I approached the group of three with a big, friendly smile on my face… the following conversation ensued:

Me: Excuse me. Hi there! I noticed that great shirt you’re wearing and I was wondering where you got it.
Lady: (defensively) I bought this shirt. It’s mine.
Me: Oh, I know. I have one just like it and was wondering if you know where it is from. [side bar – I was ready to explain Herzl Camp, what a great place it is, how people who make the camp a cleaner, better place get the shirt when they are caught picking up trash, etc.]
Kid: It’s her shirt.
Me: I know. It’s just the shirt is from a camp I went to when I was younger and it was given…
Lady: (interrupting) I told you that it’s my shirt.
AND THEN THEY WALKED AWAY!

I was so disappointed. The moment was gone. This woman clearly did not care about the origin of her schmutz buster shirt and what incredible memories came flooding to my mind when I saw her wearing it at the Cristown movie theater. I wanted to share the magic of Herzl with a stranger, and she was clearly not interested.

I went to my movie and afterwards immediately called Sam Gordon and Zoe Stern to tell them about the bizarre encounter. This might happen regularly in Minneapolis or another city with a large Herzl alumni base, but in Arizona?! I couldn’t believe it. Then I started to doubt myself. Had I given my orange schmutz buster shirt to goodwill after moving to AZ? Did this woman buy it second-hand after I donated it? I didn’t think I would have done such a thing, but I had done a big closet binge when I moved over the summer. I immediately checked my closet when I got home from the movie. There was my orange shirt! So this stranger did NOT have MY orange schumtz buster shirt, but she had somehow acquired one.

This experience made my orange schmutz buster shirt feel even more important and valuable than it already did. Since my senior year of high school when Cassie Feldman and Betsy Butwinick had their old t-shirts made into quilts, I had wanted one. My dream came true this winter when my friend’s mom made me a t-shirt quilt of shirts that told my life story. And guess what shirt made the cut? My orange schmutz buster shirt. And my Ozo shirt. And my Yachers shirt. And…

Herzl really is all around.