Not only was Isaac Schertz a rockstar as an NCSYer, but he is also currently dominating as a madrich. Born and raised in Woodmere, he boldly decided to attend Ramaz for high school. Subsequently, he spent two years in Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh; for university, he will be attending The Cooper Union, where he will be majoring in Electrical Engineering.
The boys in Schertz’s chabura are not good… they’re GREAT!! Coming in hot representing the city of Stars, Ezra Helfand (Beverlywood, Shalhevet), representing the Lions, Yisroel Kirshner (Teaneck, MTA), and Yehuda Pfeiffer (Teaneck, MTA). Lastly, from the towns, they have Jacob Ostroff (Bay Park, MAY) and Shmuel Weiss (Cedarhurst, MAY). Although the group of guys’ backgrounds is diverse, their connection and interactions with one another are inspiring. They truly represent what friendship symbolizes. The bond amongst the guys is- electric.
Throughout the summer, the young men in the Schertz squad have been on a wild ride. The theme for the summer was Mencishkeit. At first, they deeply analyzed hand-selected Mishnaots in Avot while raising profound philosophical questions that coincide with worldly views. Although Schertz mediated these sophisticated discussions by channeling the guys in the proper direction, once the debates began, the rest was history. Towards the midway point of the summer, the chabura transitioned into apotheosis topics of Jewish life. Such as, דרך ארץ, בין אדם לחברו , כיבוד אב ואם, גזל, גובה, תיפילין. They analyzed several Talmudic texts about the subject. Then they broke down the Gemara with commentaries, learned what the Halacha is, and finally discussed as a chabura on a personal level how each individual connects to this idea. Before each shabbos, the boys heard from Isaac a simple yet complex notion from the Parsha that they could apply to their lives to become the best version of themselves.
In all, through grinding in Torah, the bond amongst the Schertz squad is an eternal one. And the chabura is stoked for the final week!