Dear Parents,

The fourth week of our summer is always a pivotal one.  Last week we were still learning about each other and the program.  Tisha B’Av was a very new and different experience.  Given the fact that the 9 days fell in our schedule shortly after our arrival, even the period that immediately followed Tisha B’av was actually among our first with a completely regular schedule.   Already by our next update we will be turning our attention to the end of the summer, and beginning to prepare for returning home.  So it is these middle days that often define the summer experience and provide the opportunity for all of the growth, productivity and fun that the NCSY Kollel is known for.

By that measure, it’s continuing to be a truly great summer.  This week was a breathless, non-stop rush of excitement and new experiences.  Each day was packed, with special events and trips squeezed into practically every free moment from our already crowded regular schedule.  Of course, as I am sure you have been following, details on these events have been regularly reported on our blog and through the other various platforms.  For me, four events stood out above the rest.  This was not only due to the extraordinary and memorable nature of the happenings themselves, but also because of the thread that wove through them and provided a definite theme and context to the week.

First was our unique and uplifting two days of interaction and hosting of the boys from TJJ Ambassadors.  Each hour of Sunday and Monday offered a new glimpse of scenes that are really only possible in NCSY.  A few such vignettes:  A packed beit medrash with NCSY Kollel and TJJ side by side listening to Rav Sobolofsky offer Torah insights and personal reflections on his father’s z”l kiruv efforts in the 60s and 70s…chavrusa learning in our beit medrash that joined such impressive young men from both programs…intense mountain biking in the Judean Hills that allowed for a more natural interaction and a more level playing field for further bonding…the raucous push-up and trivia competitions that were great fun and allowed even more members of each group to have a few moments to star…Rav Schachter’s fielding of questions from TJJ as they worked their way through a second morning of original Torah sources…the intensity of one of the most contested hockey games ever seen on the Kollel (only a late goal and some remarkably stellar goaltending provided any sort of comfortable margin in the 2-0 Kollel victory)… the exemplary midot on display in the split of further intercamp games in Soccer and Basketball… the utterly unforgettable spectacle of Rav Schachter addressing 200 NCSYers from both programs on the courts in honor of the annual joint TJJ-Kollel siyum… dancing with Raffi Hallerman (TJJ Ambassadors, siyum on Pirkei Avot), Yehuda Inslicht (NCSY Kollel, siyum on Masechet Gittin) and Jordan Ginsburg (NCSY Kollel Madrich, siyum on Masechet Gittin)… the TJJ group enjoying a free flowing Q&A session with Rav Sobolofsky… dancing the TJJ guys out of the beit medrash after ma’ariv on our second day together.

The second stand out was less a single event, and more a patterned series of subtle changes on the Kollel sports courts.  It is mostly a result of Beit Meir topography, but NCSY Kollel sports are almost entirely of the team variety.  We have no golf courses, workout rooms, or even a tennis court.  This means that the athletic pursuits on the Kollel, predominantly in basketball and hockey, are always team affairs.  And any observer of NCSY Kollel ball would have picked up on a shift this week, as the team concept was increasingly emphasized.  Early season games were marked by an almost unavoidable awkwardness and lack of true flow.  This week, teams were actually teams.   There was a trust and a bond between teammates who, in many cases, were complete strangers just days ago.  Many high school age young men will find it difficult to verbally express their commitments, loyalties and affection to each other.  There is a language of sports that can often accomplish this, and it was heard loud and clear over the course of this week’s league games and 3 on 3 tournament.

There is a bittersweet moment each summer, as Rav Schachter takes his leave from the NCSY Kollel.  Our disappointment in seeing him go is only matched by the pride and gratitude that we have for having learned from him for three weeks.  As always, his departure was punctuated by our dancing him out of the beit medrash.  This heartfelt expression of respect and connection with a talmid chacham of his stature is all too rare for our youth.  (It was also the second consecutive night of semi-spontaneous, rousing, post-ma’ariv dancing on a regular summer weeknight!)

The final image that is indelibly etched in my mind was the privilege of a select 100 of our most intrepid NCSYers.  I speak of the group of hikers that took on the challenge of a pre-dawn ascent of Har Shlomo, overlooking Eilat.  Whether huddled on the awe-inspiring summit or stretched single-file over the treacherous descent down the mountain, this was an unforgettable trek.  Predictably, Har Shlomo offered multiple moments of unparalleled solitude and great opportunity for personal reflection.  Yet, equally apparent was the special group dynamic that emerges on a hike like this.  There were countless moments of lending a helping hand or passing navigational instructions through the group person to person.  The wonderful photo of our boys at the end of the hike (see it here) speaks volumes of the ability of the NCSY Kollel to be a unifying rally point for the entire group.  These kinds of challenges help break down artificial walls and help create a strong group identity.

It is clear what the common denominator of these four is.

We hosted an accomplished educator this week from the US who wanted to see first hand the methodologies and strategies of the NCSY Kollel. (We are proud of how frequent these visits are and happy to accommodate them.)  He was surprised by the range and variety of our NCSYers, and wondered how we succeed in bringing everyone together.   Drawing on his experience with informal education and camp settings, he inquired about which ice breakers or “get to know you” games we use.  In truth, we try each summer to use such games for entertainment and team building at the start of the program.  But, they are not particularly extensive (or successful, for that matter).  Some summers we might neglect them all together.  So my response to him was simply to continue our tour, and to draw his attention to our beit medrash.  And our basketball court.  And to point out our tiyul schedule.  And to demonstrate how interactions with communal leaders and personalities can break walls and foster an allegiance and identification with the community as a whole.

Those are our ice breakers.  There are our team building exercises.    That is our leadership training.

It is not my attempt in these messages to offer nothing beyond glowing and polished PR reports.  Each of our NCSYers faces challenges, and is navigating his formative years with no insignificant number of obstacles.  They identify quite a few areas that are primed for growth and improvement.    We try to provide more than a great summer experience.  We view it as part of our responsibility to educate, and to offer the NCSYers the tools they will need to develop into contributing members and builders of society.

I am sure that I don’t need to convince any of our parents:  It is not always easy.  Each summer seems to develop its own unique character, both with regard to outstanding positive and laudable characteristics and also with the specific nature of each year’s challenges.   This summer, we have witnessed a shrinking circle of friends and an increasingly narrow sense of self.  Our attempts to combat this are certainly a work in progress.  There are no magical solutions, and any gains or genuine advancements are likely to be incremental and subtle.  But we are immensely proud of the advancements we have already witnessed, and look forward to sharing more reports like this, where we can point to multiple instances where the tide seems to be turning and substantial growth is taking place before our eyes.

Our video from this week can be viewed here.

As always, I can be reached at benovitzm@ncsy.org.    I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a great Shabbos,

Moshe Benovitz

The video recapping our packed and exciting week four on the Kollel.

Mordy Fried, just like the NCSYers in his chabura, is experiencing an unbelievable summer at NCSY Kollel for the first time. He grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and has just finished his second year at the University of Pennsylvania. He loves the NCSY Kollel atmosphere – the buzz in the beit medresh, the intensity on the basketball courts, and the great camaraderie all over Beit Meir.

Each of Mordy’s chaburas starts with an in-depth look at different brachot of Shemoneh Esrei. Much time is spent on davening throughout a Jewish life, and in many cases the daveners don’t get nearly enough out of it. Through the study of Shemonei Esrei the chabura will be able to have a more meaningful prayer experience and thus get a higher output for their time put in.

The crux of the chabura is the learning of the Aseret Hadibrot. This integral part of Torah, which on many occasions is the symbol of Judaism, is looked at in depth. The chabura focuses on the structure of the Aseret Hadibrot, trying to find links and connections between the commandments and get a better picture of their relation to the whole Torah and what we can learn from them. The chabura also covers topics and halachot pertaining to the Aseret Hadibrot as a whole. The goal is to gain a better understanding of these commandments and understand why these were the ones highlighted at Har Sinai.

All of the NCSYers in Mordy’s chabura bring a unique aspect to the chabura. Eli Morell (Monsey, NY) never fails at enhancing the chabura by bringing in other Torah ideas. Shmuel Ehrblich (Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel) adds by presenting his unique Israeli perspective and sharing Israeli culture. Menachem Gans (Paramus, NJ) enriches he chabura by his deep engagement with the material. Gabe Motechin (Woodmere, NY) makes the chabura think deeper with his keen questions. Joe Berger’s (West Orange, NJ) insightful remarks and outside knowledge enlightens the chabura’s discussions, and Jon Kestenbaum (Boca Raton, FL) makes the chabura even more interesting with his great stories. All of them use their different experiences in their respective lives to make the chabura time as fruitful as possible.

“We delve into the depths of Shemoneh Esrei and Aseret Hadibrot. The other bochurim in the chabura always have insightful and enlightening things to say. There is only one way to describe our chabura – geshmak!”- Eli Morell

Asher Becker is spending his sixth summer on NCSY Kollel. He previously served on the sports staff, as a Sho’el U’Meishiv in the Beit Medresh, and as a madrich. Asher is from Elizabeth, NJ and attended JEC for high school. Following that he spent two years learning in Yeshivat Shaalvim and is currently studying in Yeshiva University.

The NCSYers in Asher’s chabura are Daniel Aharon from Woodmere, NY, Avi Beer from Cedarhurst, NY, Tzvi Cantor from Hillside, NJ, Ari Glaser from East Brunswick, NJ, Yonah Haber from Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, and Meir Yaakov Sobolofksy from Bergenfield, NJ.

During the course of the summer, the chabura is plumbing the depths of the brachot we recite throughout the course of a day, most notably those brachot which pertain directly to tefillah. As Daniel Aharon said, “Learning about the brachot that we recite so often has put a new spin on those things we recite daily and often monotonously, and I now have a new appreciation and understanding of what it means to recite brachot properly.”

Ilan Casper is excited to have joined NCSY Kollel team for this summer and he is loving it. Over the past year Ilan has served as the Rosh Kollel of the TABC Friday Alumni Kollel where he learns with 9th and 10th graders. Ilan is from Teaneck, NJ and has been studying pre-engineering in Yeshiva University for the past three years. He will be attending Columbia in September as part of the YU-Columbia Combined Plan Program.

Ilan is privileged to have Eli Donaty (Baltimore, MD), Yitzchak Greenberg (Teaneck, NJ), Yonatan Plotsker (West Hempstead NY), Ezra Quint (Jamica Estates, NY), Yaacov Schneider (West Hempstead, NY) and Yehuda Simon (Flushing, NY) in his chabura.

The chabura is learning through the mitzvot aseh of shabbos, starting from erev shabbos with hadlakat neirot and moving through havdalah and melava malka. Besides for understanding and seeing what we practice on shabbos in the future come alive through the text, the goal is to gain a better appreciation for the beauty of shabbos. Whenever one spends time learning about a particular chag, that chag becomes real with meaning. By learning the through the positive mitzvot of shabbos, the special day will become more meaningful.

“Focusing on the positive aspects of shabbos instead of restrictions has added a unique perspective of shabbos, revealing a deeper meaning to shabbos.” – Yaakov Schnieder.

TJJ Ambassadors returned to Kollel on Monday for their second and final day with us. Morning shiur and chaburas were the same as Sunday as the Ambassadors heard a shiur from Rabbi Moshe Benovitz and joined our chaburas after lunch.
After chaburas it was time to hit the courts. For the first time ever, the Ambassadors challenged Kollel to three different sports: basketball, hockey, and soccer. All of the games were incredibly competitive with Kollel winning basketball and hockey but falling short, 2-1, in soccer.

The highlight of day took place on the court but was not sports related. Kollel and the Ambassadors came together for a joint siyum. Rafi Hallerman from TJJ Ambassadors finished Pirkei Avos and from Kollel, NCSYer Yehuda Inslicht and madrich Jordan Ginsberg each were misayeim Masechet Gittin. Rav Hershel Schachter spoke before the siyum about the significance of making a siyum and completing something. Spirited dancing followed as all three of those that made the siyum were hoisted onto shoulders. This truly was the climax of our two days together.

Back in the beit medresh, Rabbi Michael Hoenig, TJJ Ambassador Advisor, finished off the final day with us. Rabbi Mike thanked all of the NCSYers on Kollel for an amazing and uplifting two days. What each group was able to learn from the other over these days was incredible, he said, and there is still a lot that can be gained. (His speech can be found here.) The dancing that ensued following his speech was something special and the unity between the two programs was evident.

Rabbi Michael Hoenig – Wrapping up two days with TJJ Ambassadors

On Sunday we had the privilege of welcoming TJJ Ambassadors for the fourth year in a row. TJJ Ambassadors is made up of public schoolers from around the country who are spending their summer strengthening their connection to Judaism and the land of Israel. They are spending two full days with us.

To kick things off, Rav Zvi Sobolofsky spoke to the entire Kollel and the Ambassadors (which can be found here). Afterwards, they were enthralled by a shiur from Rabbi Moshe Benovitz as the rest of Kollel continued with regular morning shiurim. For chaburas, the ambassadors split up and joined regular Kollel chaburas which they really enjoyed.

The mini-tiyul of the day was mountain biking with TJJ Ambassadors which many Kollel NCSYers joined. It was a beautiful but challenging bike ride throughout the hills of Yerushalayim.

Sunday was also the start of a new basketball tournament on Kollel. The King of Kollel basketball tournament  has teams from every part of kollel: post 10th graders, post 11th graders, CITs, Madrichim, Rabbeim, and other staff. The tournament will span a few days and at the end we will see who is the “King of Kollel.”

Rabbi Doni Marcus once again came to give a shiur after ma’ariv and once again the room was packed.

We look forward to spending another amazing day with TJJ Ambassadors on Monday.

We continue our series of Reflections from Ari Zwiren on Summer 2013. You can view the first post of the series here.

Spending the morning of Tisha b’Av in Hadassah hospital was not exactly ideal, but it gave me the rare opportunity to have an amazing, uplifting conversation with one of the staff members of Kollel. As we drove through the golden hills surrounding Yerushalayim,, the staff member and I spoke about Tisha b’Av, and how distant many people are from one of the holiest days of the year. I thought about how so many Israelis are so blessed to live in the Holy Land but don’t follow even a few of the mitzvot of Tisha b’Av.

And then, the staff member reminded me of an event exactly a year earlier.  BILT, a program I spent the summer of 2012 on, spent the waning hours of Tisha b’Av with NCSY Kollel at the Kotel, sitting in a circle and singing zemirot as loud as we could. We spoke about how all around the world Jews fasted and prayed that they could be returned to Yerushalayim, and that is where we would be for the final hours of the holiday.

The modern world has made spiritual journeys into casual vacations. What used to be a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is now just an airfare away.

I can say from experience that the “Age of Technology” has caused a distancing from the realization of holiness. I used to think Tisha b’Av was just a day during summer to chill at home and watch tv so I didn’t get hungry. It wasn’t until last year that I learned the true meaning of Tisha b’Av, and as I sat in the Kotel singing I was able to see how beautiful such a sad day could be.

Sometimes we lose ourselves in the modern world, and forget how lucky we are to be surrounded by amazing people in a place as holy as the Kotel.

I am starting to think that maybe we should be using technology to our advantage instead of our demise. It is easier now more than ever for a Jew to visit the Kotel. B’ezrat Hashem everyone can come to Yerushalayim soon, but take one piece of advice with you: Recognize the importance of your surroundings. I have been blessed to spend the past two Tisha b’Avs at the Kotel, and it took a long conversation with a great staff member to realize that. I hope anyone who reads this learns from my obliviousness and takes to heart the opportunities they have in this modern age, and hopefully soon we can all return to Yerushalayim together.

Rav Zvi Sobolofsky – Welcome to TJJ Ambassadors