Rabbi David Mahler gets involved in the late night learning in a packed Kollel Beis Medrash on the first Mishmar of the summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the picture: Moshe Mattehada (L), Judah Cohen (M), Rabbi Mahler (R)

 

“This is my first time in eretz yisroel in 17 years and my son and I have said mah rabu maasecha Hashem many times on the trip, but this one tops them all. Seeing this beis medrash with all the learning — now that’s a Mah rabu maasecha moment.” — Rabbi David Mahler

 

Rabbi David Mahler is the assistant principal at Gindi Maimonides Academy in LA. He also has served as the Director of Student Activities at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston, NJ, and was the Assistant Principal at Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, NY.

Rabbi Micah Greenland and his wife, Rivkie, stepped into the Beis Medrash late Thursday night on the first Mishmar of the summer and were taken aback by the buzz of the “Kol-Torah” that lasted through the late hours of the night.

In the picture: Rabbi and Mrs. Greenland (L) Rabbi Benovitz (M) Noam Gershov (R)

 

“This is heaven on earth for me” – Rabbi Mica Greenland

 

Rabbi Micah Greenland of Chicago has been serving as the International Director of NCSY since 2013. His involvement in NCSY, however, has been at the center of his life for over 20 years. He was the high school president of NCSY in 1993 and served as the the Midwest regional director for 12 years.

 

The days leading up to the start of our summers are always filled with a special combination of anticipation, anxiety, hard work, and hope. Our “spring training” is a whirlwind of activity over two continents with a common focus and goal and a common denominator of optimism and belief in the potential of the NCSY Summer Kollel.

So it was, that a staffer found himself in the Beis Medrash on the day before the flights landed in Israel. It was the end of a good number of hours of labor, and the room was finally set up and ready for action. It was also an ideal time for reflection, and modern reflections can sometimes be captured for posterity. This is what he saw:

An empty Beis Medrash, which, when primed and prepped for a glorious tomorrow, can be an incredible sight. The room itself shouts of possibility and promise. Each empty chair is a story. A young man from Cleveland visiting Israel for the first time. An honors student from New Jersey coming to learn a few minutes a day with Rav Schachter. Rav Schachter. A CIT returning for his third summer, to a place that feels like a second home. A staff member who is an alumnus of NCSY’s TJJ touring program (https://tjja.ncsy.org), who visited our program with his group for a day in 2012, and vowed to return sometime soon. A Yeshiva student with some apprehension of our schedule but the resolve to use this summer to advance a proud and strong religious identity. And no fewer than 300 other compelling and unique narratives.

It was the first of the week’s truly breathtaking moments. Without an NCSYer in the room, it was already a highlight. It was a moment to wonder, “What will be?”

And now, a scant 4 days later, some answers to that question have emerged. The seats have been filled, and the discourse has already begun to change. We can describe in clear detail exactly “What has been” and “What is.”

Here are a few snapshots from an unforgettable first few days, and a few answers to “What is.”

· First impressions and meetings, with a handshake, fist bump or just a smile and kind word. NCSYer to NCSYer, staff to NCSYer, Rebbe and talmid. Old reunions and new friendships.

· Opening Chabura Competitions for brawn and brain. 3 on 3, Hockey, Trivia, Pyramid Building, “Basketball Bowling”, and Individual Chabura Challenges. But mostly, good times and great bonding.

· Rabbi Yaakov Danishefsky addressing the Kollel before the first chabura, and acknowledging his own madrichim from his time as an NCSYer, 2 of whom were sitting in the room as Rabbeim. For the record, Rabbi Danishefsky was able to recount with great specificity what he learned with each of them.

· Halacha Shiur with Rav Schachter, with the entire NCSY Kollel spending 5 minutes after davening learning from Rav Schachter about the halachos of wake up and early morning blessings.

· Our opening tiyul with 6 diehard outdoor options. Softball and Soccer, hiking and biking, and NCSYers in every air conditioned gym in the Jerusalem Hills. And yes, water skiing too.

· Tip off and Face off for the legendary NCSY Kollel sports leagues. 32 basketball and 10 hockey teams. 21 games in the books on day one.

· Most recently, and most meaningful as a “full” beis medrash seat, our first night seder and late night mishmar program on Thursday. It’s hard to decide which was more impressive. The quality and quantity of the regular night learning was overwhelming and awesome. And there was no let up with the optional late night component either. 200 shwarmas were distributed in the Beis Medrash at midnight, and there were no doubles or leftovers…all this on our second complete day in Israel.

Remarkably, what might be most exciting is that we are still in the “before” stage, with plenty of ground to cover before properly appreciating “after.” We are still anticipating, dreaming, and contemplating the possibilities. What will the first NCSY Kollel Shabbos reveal? What kind of energy will be created and what will the effect be? What relationships are beginning today that will last a lifetime? What daf is being turned as a step towards hundreds of more? What will be the historical significance of our hundreds of NCSYers and staff spending such a formative 6 weeks in the center of Jewish destiny in Israel?

No, the Beis Medrash won’t have a rest until August 21. The rows are not as neat and the aisles less clear. It is full with the great group of NCSY Kollel 2016 and full with the possibility of greatness to come.

Have a wonderful and blessed Shabbos

Moshe Benovitz

What an amazing day!

Today the NCSYers enjoyed their first real trips of the summer!  This morning, Rabbi Schachter began with the first Halacha Shiur of the summer, a short discussion about the ideas of always remembering God and saying Berachot.  After another morning of Seder,  Shiur with their Rebbeim, and Chaburahs, Kollel departed to six(!) different, incredible trips, each NCSYer choosing to attend one of the six!  Whether it be to play softball at the beautiful Gezer field, water skiing, soccer in Jerusalem, mountain biking in Beit Shemesh, or basketball in a variety of gyms, the sports trips were as intense, fun, and exhausting as ever!  All of the trips enjoyed some free time in the mall upon completion of their tournaments, rides, and tours.

The night was capped off with our first night Seder program and a special late night Mishmar.  For night Seder, each NCSYer spends half of the night learning with an individual Madrich and the second half enjoying a Shiur from one of our amazing night Shiur Rebbeim.  The Beit Midrash remained packed into the late hours of the night by NCSYers and Madrichim alike, all continuing to learn together to end off what was an amazing first week.  While the sound of Torah being learned filled the Beit Midrash, the NCSYers were also treated to Shwarma and refreshments to enjoy as they continued to learn away.

It was an incredible first week on NCSY Kollel, and the NCSYers and staff look forward to continuing this amazing summer!

What an incredible first full day of Summer 2016! The day began with a full orientation for all NCSYers and staff members. Following orientation, each NCSYer was introduced to their morning shiur Rebbe. Each Rebbe welcomes his shiur, introduced himself, and began to explain the shiur and morning Seder process to each of the guys.

After lunch and Mincha, Kollel had our first official Chaburahs of the summer! Each Chaburah, led by a Madeich, consists of about 5-6 NCSYers who learn together, hang out together, and build relationships with one another that will hopefully last a lifetime. Chaburahs were introduced by Rabbi Yaakov Danishevsky (a morning shiur Rebbe, and former Madrich and NCSYer on Kollel himself), and each Chaburah met up to discuss and begin Chaburahs for the summer.

Later, NCSYers had the option to go to the beach, where they enjoyed some great football, volleyball, frisbee, and time in the water. And after a packed day filled with excitement, the night was capped off with an awesome night activity! Each Chaburah participated in a series of challenges against other Chaburahs. The challenges were exciting, competitive, and fun, ranging from trivia challenges, to hockey challenges, to basketball challenges.

It was truly an amazing first full day on Kollel, we can’t wait to get deeper into the Best.Summer.Ever tomorrow!

What an amazing start! After months of anticipation, Kollel 2016 is finally here!!

This morning, flight from JFK and LAX arrived safely in Ben Gurion airport and headed to our beautiful campus in Beit Meir.  Upon arrival, the NCSYers had time to unpack, meet their roommates, and relax and gather their bearings. Later they were given a brief orientation (with a full one to follow tomorrow morning), followed by Mincha and dinner in Beit Meir.

After dinner, it was time to head to the old city of Jerusalem for an amazing introduction to the summer.  Kollel visited the rooftop of Yeshivat Hakotel, the highest point in the old city, and, while overlooking the Kotel, were privileged to hear words of Chizuk from Division Head Binyamin Kaminetsky about the amazing summer that lies ahead.  We then headed down to the Kotel itself for an inspirational Maariv, one of the highlights of the summer in the very first hours spent in Israel.  After Maariv, the NCSYers were given some time to get food with their Madrichim before finally returning to Beit Meir.

After a long, exciting, and exhausting first day, Kollel has gone off to bed, getting ready for the incredible first full day that awaits them tomorrow meaning!

We are thrilled to update you that the group flight from NY and the flight from Los Angeles have landed safely and are on their way to our campus in Beit Meir.

This is a historic day, first and foremost because of the deep significance in welcoming such a remarkable group to the Jewish Homeland. More specifically, we are incredibly proud and excited to begin a summer with record breaking numbers of participants. This is the largest group we have hosted in Beit Meir, and we look forward to getting to know each and every one of them and to providing them with the summer of their lives.

After settling the NCSYers on our campus, we plan to head to Old City of Yerushalayim for maariv and an opening program. There is no better “first stop” in the world, and no better way to introduce the NCSY Kollel experience.

Please feel free to be in touch with us with any questions or concerns.

Welcome!