Akiva “Akiva” Garner went to Beren Academy in Houston for high school, then spent two years at Yeshivat Orayta and next year will be his third at YU. It is his first summer on NCSY Kollel.

His chabura, known by some as the Atlanta Chaburaves consists of four first year Kollelniks from Atlanta, Georgia: Donny “big time” Newmark will be at Fasman next year; Yaakov “loyal to the soil” Wasserman will be at AJA; Aaron “good” Berger will be at MTA, and Yechiel “marathon man” Wolf will be at Fasman. The Atlanta Chaburaves, while exceedingly skilled at hock and gooning around, also find some time to learn lomdus on topics in Brachos, Edus/ Beis Din, Even HaEzer, Yoreh Deah, questions in Machshava as well as the thought of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein and Rav Hutner.

The summer has been great so far and the chabura is looking forward to more opportunities for growth, learning, chilling, and making the most of each day on NCSY Kollel.

Avi Weitz is attending NCSY Kollel for his third summer and his second as a Madrich. Avi attended DRS for high school, followed by two years in Yeshivat Sha’alvim and recently just finished his first year in Yeshiva University.

Joining Avi in his Chabura this summer are epic guys, each one bringing their own unique characteristic that helps create an awesome Chabura. Inspired by the music of Abie Rottenberg, Aryeh Wolf, from Woodmere, NY, brings his love for music to the table, helping the Chabura connect and strengthen their connection to Hashem. Yehuda Besser, from Clifton, NJ, a devoted baseball fanatic, brings a refreshing blend of enthusiasm to the Chabura, while also providing the Chabura with new insights and intellectual thoughts into the sugyas and discussions being discussed. Yonatan Wiseman, from Woodmere, NY, is always providing great memes and jokes, infusing the Chabura with fun and humor. His ability to find joy in every situation creates a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. Last, but certainly not least, Shaya Grunstein, from Woodmere, NY, helps solidify the Chabura. Shaya exhibits a natural talent for bringing people together. His ability to foster unity and create an inclusive environment ensures that every member feels valued and heard enabling the Chabura to flourish.

The Chabura is focusing on practical issues that come up in the realm of “Bein Adam Lechaviro”. Whether it’s inside or outside the Beis Medresh the energy throughout the Chabura is always there. Some of the topics that we have done this summer are “Can I Work For Uber Eats” and “Better Seats At the Game”.

The chevra has been enjoying tremendously so far, and are looking forward to keeping it going for years to come!

Benjamin Coplin’s chabura has guys from all across North America coming together to have one unforgettable summer together. Starting with the madrich himself, Benjamin hails from Silver Spring, Maryland. A former NCSYer on Kollel, Benjamin went on to graduate from Berman Hebrew Academy, spent two years in Hakotel, and will continue on to Yeshiva University next fall after spending his second summer on Kollel and first as a madrich.

Next up, we have brothers David and Michael Karoudo, bringing their talents all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada. In case your wondering no, they’re not twins- they’re triplets. And no, they don’t want any Ashkanzi food, they’re 100% Sefardi. Moving west, we have Ari Cohn, from the City of Angels itself, Los Angeles, California. Ari’s incredible kindness and soft demeanor may make it hard to believe he could be next up on America Ninja Warrior, but trust us, his parkour is next level. Rounding out the Americans in the chabura is a man with a deep passion for learning, Eli Ludmir from Houston, Texas. Although Texas holds a special place in his heart, through seeing the history and beauty of the land of Israel in the last few weeks his love for Israel has flourished tremendously. Going ALL the way up north, there is Noah Green from the capital of Canada, Ottawa. Noah Green is a force to be reckoned with, providing fascinating insights to the chabura while simultaneously delivering breathtaking laining performances to the entire North campus. Last, but certainly not least, is another Canadian resident, Ari Burger from Toronto. With his late night Gemara learning,  (and we mean late late night learning), many people are left to wonder how he finds the time and energy to be such a threat on the basketball court.

This chabura from all over has gathered together in Beit Meir to learn about the land of Israel, controlling our anger, Teshuva, Tefillin, Tefilah, and so much more! Already off to an incredible start, this chabura with these dynamic players should only continue to go higher and higher!

Rami Gertler went to TABC, attended Sha’alvim for 2 years, and IY”H be at YU for the upcoming year. This is his 2nd year on Kollel, one as an NCSYer and one as a Madrich.

Rami is having an unbelievable time learning and hanging out with a great group of guys. First off is Zac Pockriss, the tennis master, hailing from the 5 Towns and attending DRS. Next is Yoni Aharon, an absolute stud at ball, also a member of the 5 Towns and DRS. Continuing in the chain, Yitzi Lazar is also a 5 Towns and DRS attendee always bringing the humor. Coming all the way from the west coast, we have Kevin Myers, shteiging away at YULA in LA. Next is Gadi Pollack, helping everyone improve on their Israeli accent, as a resident of the Holy Land for over 9 years, attending Netiv Meir in Yerushalayim. And last but certainly not least, Tani Cohen, the nicest kid around, coming from Florida and attending TTB.

This year in Chaburas, they are aiming to cover a wide variety of topics, mostly focused on helping them grow, whether it be in their learning or Middos. Throughout the chaburas are pictures giving summaries of the sources and topics, trying make the discussions as interesting as possible.

It has been an amazing summer until now, and it will only get better from here!

Shmuel Belizon attended Katz Yeshiva High School for four years. Afterwards, Shmuel spent two years learning in Yeshivas Sha’alvim. Next year Shmuel will be starting his junior year in Yeshiva University and continue learning under Rav Meir Twersky Shlit”a. This is Shmuel’s fourth summer on Kollel, and second summer as a madrich.

Now, on to the the ikkur of the chabura, the guys:

Noach Balsam, from Valley Stream, is currently in YFR and learning up a storm. Aiden Buchbinder, from Valley Stream, is attending DRS and is takka carrying the ball team. Dani Klein, from Valley Stream, is attending MAY and shteiging away, all while painting the coolest shoes known to mankind. Avi Burns, from… you guessed it… Valley Stream, is learning in Yeshivas DRS and is reading all the mekoros inside. Yosef Schonfeld, from Woodmere, is attending Yeshivas MAY and is finishing sha”s while eating breakfast. Avraham Schreck, from Lawrence, is attending Yeshivas DRS and soaking up the ruchniyus.

This summer Shmuel felt that the chabura should work on something that not a lot of people focus on, their relationship with the Beis Hamikdash. To do this, the chabura as a group are learning many halachos and sugyos that took place on a daily basis in the Beis Hamikdash, with hopes that through spending time learning about what took place and the beautiful Torah of kodshim they can reach a deeper appreciation and love for the Beis Hamikdash and its crucial role in yahadus. Additionally, as an added benefit, through their learning of the Beis Hamikdash they can achieve what the רמבם says, that all those who learn about the Beis Hamikdash and Korbonos are viewed as if they rebuilt the Beis Hamikdash!

Shmuel’s chabura are proud of the learning, and grill chills they have had so far… and are excited for the rest of the summer and all that it has to offer.

Today we welcomed Rabbi Simcha Willig, former madrich and part of the ncsy kollel family!

Today was the final ‘regular’ day on the Kollel but there was certainly nothing regular about it at all. After a rocking final morning seder, all of the Rabbeim were called up to the front of the beis medresh for a picture while the NCSYers gave very leibodik applauses reflecting the tremendous hakaras hatov that they have for their Rabbeim. Rabbi Issacson deliverers words of inspiration on behalf of the Rabbeim.
Today was a packed afternoon. There was a mini tiyul to Meah Sheurim in which the NCSYers were given kugel and received some free time. There was also a trip to the famous Gezer softball field.

Back in Beit Meir, there was a wild pool party that was loads of fun. Today was also the playoffs. After reaching triple ot on Wednesday and not having time to complete their game, two teams picked up where they left off in a heated matchup. The semi finals for the basketball league was completed today and there is a buzz around the campus in anticipation of Friday’s championship game. The afternoon also included a Rebbe vs. Talmid basketball game in which the Rabbeim won by four points.
The final night seder ended off with a bang. After mariv, Rav Burg delivered his final shiur if the summer. After that, chaburahs met for special night chaburot. Then, Rabbi Lebowitz led his yearly siyum on a seder of mishnayot and spoke about the value and accomplishment that can occur by committing to learn just 2 Mishnayos a day. Rabbi Israeli also made a siyum after begging the 2 mishnayos a day last summer. The sit in procession was concluded by Zev Miller, a former Madrich and NCSYer on the program who made a small commitment 6 years ago and tonight completed Shas mishnayos. The night concluded with a lively Yis Richter lead kumzitz.

Today was a pretty amazing day on the NCSY Summer Kollel as we started the best possible way, morning shiur. Although the second to last one of the summer the learning was stronger than ever. Going into lunch the excitement in the room was palpable. Not only were the NCSYers running on a high from their morning shiurim but the playoffs were coming in the afternoon.

Great match-ups were featured as more than one game went into overtime and Danny Weinberger looked to take down the camps only undefeated team you couldn’t build more hype. Unfortunately Weinberger and his squad fell and the dream team remains unbeaten but there still we’re other upsets. Bennett Stein and his men continue to roll as they have won three straight and the Pom Poms won in double overtime. Hockey featured 1-0 games as well as a big upset where Eli Shapiro and his team showed grit to upset the number 2 team in the league.

The afternoon also featured a unique twist on the classic “All-Star” formula. 6 Basketball teams were formed based on the very best NCSYers from a particular High School or geographical location. These teams squared off in a round-robin which featured some intense rivalries, such as the Chicago crowd getting a crack at the DRS squad and “the yeshivish velt” duking it out with the team from co-ed schools. Many of these match-ups were the culmination of a summer of friendly trash talk and banter and this afternoon we finally got to see which crew would be crowned “King of the Blacktop”.

After the games “ended” (one game will be continued due to light shortages) the Kollel went to the old City for a banquet at Aish. After eating burgers bar and Doritos and enjoying an short recap video we joined together to present a gift to Rabbi Kaminetsky honoring his 25th summer. After sitting for a little it was clear the room needed to let out some energy so what better way than SHLOMO KATZ! Singing, dancing and jumping filled the room as the whole place shook. Finally after the dust settled and nachamu was sung we headed down to the kotel to daven mariv. Just a regular day on the Kollel where energy and enthusiasm are channeled into learning, sports, and dancing. How could it not be the Best. Summer. Ever.!

The days of Kollel are unfortunately numbered but the days and campers are as fresh as ever. Today saw a unique schedule hit the Kollel as we try to squeeze as much as possible into our remaining days.

The usual morning shire was occupied by chaburas as madrichim took advantage of the change to inject some variety into the routine learning. This was followed by a special program detailing all of the attractions and events NCSY will be running for Kollel alumni this upcoming year. Kollel is meant to be more than a summer program and all the reunions, learning events, and shabbatons will surely reflect that. The campers walked away confident that all their work and growth over the summer would follow them into the year, as well as poised to bring the spirit of NCSY Kollel back into their communities.

The main activity of the afternoon was a trip with two options. Option 1 was bowling in Beit SHemesh which was enjoyed by all its attendees. Option 2 was a rented-out iJump Trampoline Park which saw the NCSYers flip, skip, and jump their way around some massive trampolines. Traditional games, like dodgeball, tag, and basketball, were enjoyed a little more with all the participants being able to soar through the air and perform some remarkable acrobatic feats.

The penultimate night seder was followed by one of the strongest post-Maariv learnings of the summer, with the Beis being occupied well past midnight. With so few days left, every second counts, a message which the NCSYers must have hear loud and clear.

Following Tisha Baav, Kollel was back to full strength! It was the last day of a regular/official full schedule. In the morning the Beis Medrash was booming with the sound of Torah! The atmosphere was electric, as we started the final week off with an absolute bang!

In the afternoon, it was the first official round of the playoff bracket! There were many exciting games that came down to be wire, including a couple of upsets! It was a a great start to what promises to be an amazing postseason.

Chaburahs for the most part were regular, but many had the opportunity to hear from Rav Ari Waxman of Shaalvim. In addition there were two outstanding mini-tiyulim. There was a small hike near Beit Meir called Tel Azeka that overlooked many great places, including the area of where Dovid fought Goliat. Also, many people went to Kraft stadium for some flag football.

Night Seder was regular, yet still very exciting as only a couple remain for the summer. Post-Maariv chavrusas were shteiging, with plenty of different shuirim options as well, highlighted by Rav horns 20-minute topic! Overall, it was an awesome first day of the final week on Kollel!