Thanks for Last Night!
June 20, 2010 by Herzl Camp Admin, under Letters from Alumni.
By Alex Locke
Hey Anna, thanks for last night! What a blast!!!
So last night, Anna Simon invited a bunch of Herzl alumni over for a potluck, in honor of Flip Frisch and her daughter, Scout, being in town. It was SO much fun! First, as promised, I have to give a shout-out to all of those in attendance. Apparently, a lot of them read this blog, which I love. So, here is all of the people who attended:
Robyn (Friedman) Wetter, Stacy (Kaplan) and Jesse Simon, Jesse Zimmerman, Cory and Jenny Friedman, Hope (Frisch) and Jeremy Kalin, Rachel (Tolles) and Sam Rosen, Marlene and Jim Bukstein, Roni (Kornblum) and Mike Falck, Kim (Schneider) and Aaron Gelperin, Debra Fiterman and Alex Arbit, Jon Gilbert, (Jenny) Javitch, Alyssa and Barry Golob, and of course Anna Simon, Flip Frisch, Chad, and me!
My sincerest apologizes if I left anyone out or misspelled any of the names.
So, it was a great crowd. As everyone arrived, we were all catching up. Someone of us have not seen each other in MANY years… others get together on a regular basis. It was so fun schmoozing and chatting with everyone. At one point I commented on all of the occupations there… doctors, lawyers, politicians, IT professionals, camp directors, teachers, and several non-profit workers. It is so fun to see what people choose to do with their lives.
We all talked for a long time, mixing between the groups, going from one circle to the next. There was a ton of food there, though my only complaint is I wanted to know who made what. Next time everyone needs a little table-tent in front of their dish saying what it was and who made it. The curiosity of it all was too hard on me. lol
Eventually, those who were left, made our way to the grass. We sat in a circle, Flip busted out the guitar, and we had a little lights-out song session. It was great. Following that, it was time for Havdallah. Who does Havdallah every week? No one, which is why it was so nice and special. After that, we all helped clean-up and we were on our way.
Herzl is a magical place. You spend umpteen years there as a child and then as a staff member. You eventually go your separate ways, but eventually, it always brings you back together for a little potluck, song session, and Havdallah. It links you to these people forever and that is a powerful thing. On the drive home, Chad commented on how much he wishes he had something like this growing up. He cannot believe how close and tight people are, even after they have not seen each other for years. There was also a huge age range, but everyone was together as BFFs and it was so fun. Chad also commented that he wants to donate more money to Jewish camps because it gives kids who cannot afford it, the chance at a lifetime of memories. And that, is the power of Herzl Camp. Chad and I are going up for a weekend July 2-4, and I am so excited… as is he. He got his own Taste of Herzl last summer at alumni camp, but this year he will get to see camp in action. A full on, white filled, Herzl Shabbat. And while he is not a 10 year old boy, I already know that these Herzl experiences, will give Chad a lifetime of Herzl memories.
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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!