Before diving headfirst into a second half filled with tiyulim, 3-on-3’s, and more importantly, the 9 days and Tisha B’Av, the members of NCSY Kollel experienced a weekend of connection with each other, connection with Eretz Yisrael, and connection with Klal Yisrael.

Friday morning saw an early shacharis at 8:00, followed by buses into Yerushalayim, where Chaburahs were given money to spend on their own personal kiddush for Shabbos.  Many others opted to stay on campus for a later 8:45 shacharis and free time for rest, learning, and ball.  Everyone boarded the buses at 3:00 PM to make their way to the Old City of Yerushalayim, where we would spend Shabbos at Yeshivat Hakotel.

Aside from the amazing bonding and enjoyment that NCSYers experienced with each other over the course of the Shabbaton and its programming, this Shabbos most certainly inspired a sense of connection to Eretz Yisrael, and particularly Yerushalayim, for many who attended.  Between Kabalas Shabbos at the Kotel led by Rabbi Cohen, a tisch at the Kotel led by Rav Horn, optional vatikin shacharis at the Kotel, Rav Horn’s tour of the Old City, and simply the amazing Kotel views seen from the Hakotel Beis Medrash, it was impossible not to feel inspired by and in awe of the Old City and the Kotel.  Shabbos ended with free time in the Rova before everyone headed back to Beit Meir.

Today had a bit of a somber mood to it.  Throughout the day, nobody could help but think about the terrible terrorist attack that had taken place in Israel over Shabbos.  At 5:00, after a shortened day of learning and sports, the post-11th Graders and CIT’s boarded buses to attend the levaya of the victims of the attack, while everyone else remained on campus to hear a powerful speech by Rav Turetsky.  While certainly devastating, there was a tangible feeling of unity and connection to our fellow Jew that was felt throughout the Kollel today, something that, while obviously unplanned for, complemented the feelings we felt over Shabbos.

As we enter the 9 days, we hope to take these feelings with us and channel them positively into our learning and everything else that we will iy”h enjoy moving forward.

In major golf tournaments, some of the middle rounds of competition are referred to as “Moving Day.” The early moments of play are more about getting settled and over nerves. The last day of golf is about closing out and finishing strong. It is those middle rounds when the action and highest degree of change takes place. Moving Day.

Our most obvious manifestation of movement was also the most tangible. This week’s NCSY Kollel schedule was, quite literally, all over the map. NCSY Kollel is a most active place, all the more so for what is essentially still a learning program. There is constant motion and energy. We try to get the NCSYers out as often as possible, to experience the beauty of the land, and to exhilarate in a way that more stationary events cannot.

This week’s Tuesday mega-tiyul was a perfect example of this. From bungee jumping to water parks, and from ice cream to schwarma – there was a great buzz and enthusiasm throughout. The grand finale of the trip was at the new Kineret “AquaKef” park. The picturesque setting and over the top fun will leave a lasting impression on all of the NCSYers. All of these trips were complemented by a full range of mini-tiyulim during our “regular” on-campus days. These mini-tiyulim included flag football at Kraft Stadium, the Jerusalem Museum of Music, the Stalactite Caves outside of Beit Shemesh, soccer, and bowling. All of these options were supplemented by another round of morning shiur educational trips, which included visits to the Aish HaTorah world campus, the renowned Shalva care facility, and an Israel Advocacy session at Mitzpe Yericho. And of course, today (Friday) there were chaburah trips to Jerusalem for Shabbos preparation in the incomparable Israeli Friday atmosphere. If you’re not out of breath yet, please remember that even our campus days are a whirlwind. Consider the 20+ daily league games, all coordinated in a constant hum of summer fun. These leagues have never been better, with competitive games and an infectious spirit. Movement.

Why is this so critical? Beyond the inherent value of good fun and happy faces, these experiences serve the purpose of opening up the minds of the NCSYers. A good friend who runs a biking club for youth in Israel once commented to me that most every important educational message and value that can be communicated in a classroom can be better communicated under a tree on a mountain after a challenging ride. We believe this to be so. Evening prayers on the shores of Tiberias as night falls are simply a different experience than any davening in even the most impressive of standard structures. Conversation and exchanges on the courts after a big game can unite in a way that regular dialogue falls short. And classes about the sanctity of Jerusalem that are delivered while overlooking Jerusalem are much more effective than those that rely on imagination and speculation.

Of course, when we speak of movement on the NCSY Kollel, it goes far beyond physical activity. Our “Moving Day” describes the extraordinary growth and maturation that marks the NCSY Kollel experience.

Nowhere is this more evident than in our new Mechina program. Many of us watched the extraordinary video produced last week, and there is not much more that can be added to those wonderful images and descriptions. The mechina phenomenon was mirrored this week in our two day interaction with our welcome guests from TJJ Ambassadors. This program is an elite touring and leadership training opportunity for NCSYers attending public high schools across North America. They spend two days of immersive study in our Beis Medrash. Together with our own Mechina NCSYers, they represent the very best in inspirational growth. Both the TJJers and Mechina students are the greatest of role models for the entire program. At its core, NCSY is an organization of unrivaled dynamism and growth. There is a healthy and gentle push towards self improvement and stronger Jewish identitiy. There is nothing stagnant about the NCSY or NCSY Kollel experiences, and this is true about both the programming and learning. It’s a reversal of the all-too-common “Groundhog Day” effect, and perfectly matches the mentality and ambitions of our NCSYers.

There are additional motivators to our movements. One especially powerful influence is exerted by our remarkable Rabbinic leadership team. This week was actually something of a rarity for us, as the calendar allowed for Rav Schachter, Rav Sobolofsky, and Rav Twersky to be with us all at the same time. They were a constant presence and source of guidance and direction. Rav Yonason Sacks spent three full sensational days this week learning and teaching in our Beis Medrash as well. There is a seamless flow from these leaders to the rest of our Rebbe staff, our special guests like Rabbi Lavi Greenspan (who spends a full month with us) and our incredible team of madrichim and support staff. They inspire growth in two ways. First, they provide an almost magnetic pull towards greater righteousness and commitment. Their powerful personal example spurs growth in very special ways. Second, they don’t just model good behavior; they also model real growth. Each staff member is an active participant himself in our learning program. Their investment in their own growth is exemplified by our robust and impressive ongoing staff training program. This week included four world class sessions for our staff, offered by our own Rav Yehuda Turetsky, Rabbi Dr. Alex Mondrow (NCSY Summer’s resident mental health professional), Rav Yonason Sacks, and Rav Berel Wein. The staff were particularly spellbound by Rav Wein’s presentation, and we hope to share a recording with the greater community shortly. A madrich on our program is constantly changing, evolving, and growing alongside the NCSYers. The created effect is a wonderful motivation to the entire group.

If we can stretch the theme a bit further, we are happy to report another exciting first on the NCSY Kollel. After years of wistful discussion, we finally created the first group of the NCSY Kollel Choir! Wow. Their practices alone have enhanced our time here, and their debut official performance will take place over Shabbos in the Old City. I may not have expertise in all etymologies or music history, but it seems most appropriate to us here that musical compositions are often referred to as “movements.” Exactly. Much in the same way as the Galil sunset described above, the soundtrack of a summer on NCSY Kollel spurs growth and development in very meaningful ways. Regardless of an NCSYer’s voice quality or prior interest, it is hard not to be moved by the song and spirit that accompanies our most every move.

Perhaps most poignantly, “movement” as a dominant theme was expressed this week as we began to develop the deepest of connection with the past and future of the city of Jerusalem. Always central to our hearts and prayers, it also took center stage on our program and summer jouney. “Next year in Jerusalem” is a most apt rallying cry for NCSY Kollel. We are not just moving or in a frenzied state of flux. There is focused motion and progression. Always, we move towards Jerusalem. This week we enjoyed an incredible Leil Iyun (Night of Learning) that focused on our NCSYers’ relationship with the city, ancient and modern. The insights and understanding completely captivated the group who were in rapt attention as Rav Blachman and Rav Taragin (in one session) and Rav Bronfeld and Rav Burg (in a second) expounded on themes of Jerusalem and challenged us to think and connect like never before. Rav Twersky provided a powerful endnote to the proceedings. One would have to see to believe the level of participation and engagement demonstrated throughout by the NCSYers.

What could be more fitting then, but to end our week by ascending to Jerusalem. The movements continue as we head to our Shabbaton in the Old City and continue to lay claim to a place and a legacy that informs greatly on all our growth.

We can’t wait to share with you great reports of our weekend and beyond!

Safe travels to you and yours, and wishing you a great Shabbos from Jerusalem!

Moshe Benovitz

Maury Rosenfeld is bravely and boldly enjoying his first summer ever on NCSY Kollel! After finishing DRS Yeshiva High School, Maury spent two wonderful years in the incubator at Shaalvim, where he decided to carry the torch of his avodas Hashem to the NSCY Summer Kollel to give Chaburah to five amazing incoming eleventh graders.

The Chaburah (dubbed officially as “The ‘Burah”) is going through various famous contemporary Halachic Responsa; this allows the ‘Burah to gain in both Halchic limud and in Jewish History. The study of these Respona have allowed for the entire Chaburah to have highly engaging – and at times intense – dialogue and debate about a particular opinion in the sugyah.

Dovid Boim, a silent but deadly component of the Chaburah’s halachic investigation, is often coming up with answers early in the discussion on his own that we later find are brought down by the poskim we discuss. His logical foresight is seen in parallel on the court as well, where Dovid absolutely dominates the low post. With G-d’s help, Dovid will be returning to Woodmere, NY and DRS with a sharp mind that can foresee the path of the sugyah and keep ruling the paint.

Shua Hackel, another DRS bachur from Cedarhurst, is quick to challenge the psak from a logical level. Shua’s thirst for answers powers the Chaburah, allowing them to push through even when the AC isn’t working as well as we’d like. Outside of the Beis, Shua is either running the show on the court or running the chill with the squad – his unique collection of Nike DriFit hats gives him the edge in whichever field he may be active.

Yoel Rahmani from Mestiva Ateres Yaakov (our third Five Towns boy!!) brings the highly important chill aspect to the ‘Burah. Often times, while the Chaburah is engaged in a heated discussion, Yoel brings them back down to their senses with a logic-based question – Yoel’s vast curiosity allows the Chaburah the amazing opportunity to expand the discussion and topic to points they’d otherwise miss out on. As of press time, Yoel is leading all post-10th graders in points per game in basketaball.

Yonatan Katz and Joseph Segal, both representing the Garden State, from Bergenfield and East Brunswick respectively, provide the important core to the Chaburah. Yonatan and Joe, the ‘Burah’s only dual athletes, add an excitement and seriousness that provides the Chaburah with nothing less than a sheer opportunity to learn. Their excitement inspires the Chaburah to be engaged, and their questions prove to be challenges to the logical thought process of the entire group. Their prowess on both courts certainly turns heads as well.

While not pounding it out in the Beis, the ‘Burah enjoys ball, slushies, chilling, and going on the amazing tiyulim that the Summer Kollel has to offer.

The ‘Burah is currently enjoying the Best Summer Ever.

As the third week and first half of NCSY Kollel 2017 winds down, we couldn’t help but put in a strong performance throughout the day’s schedule.

The day’s learning was powerful and the Beis Medrash was intense all day, be it morning seder, Chaburahs, night seder, or Mishmar long into the night.  Many shiurim took the morning for shiur trips, which included meaningful trips to Aish HaTorah in the Old City for Rabbi Burg, Rabbi Gordon, and Rabbi Ellman, to Shalva Center for Rabbi Gormin, Rabbi Freedman, Rabbi Schneider, and Rabbi Schulman, and to Israel Advocacy for Rabbi Turetsky.  Other shiurim and several Chaburahs had the zechus to hear from Rav Yonasan Sacks from Lander College for Men, who was finishing up a two-day visit on the Kollel.

The afternoon saw competitive league games all around, as the playoffs draw nearer and teams begin battling it out for playoff positioning.  Meanwhile, we have taken to staggering our Mini-Tiyulim on a given day to provide NCSYers the opportunity to play sports and potentially make it onto a trip.  Today, those trips included a “World Cup” of soccer at Kraft Stadium and a tour of the amazing stalactite caves, including some free time in the mall.

The week and the first half of the summer have been amazing so far, and we can’t wait for all the excitement yet to come!

The last time Jeremy Barth was spotted on NCSY Kollel was when he was a camper, but after a five-year hiatus, he has made his return as a Madrich. Hailing from New Hyde Park, NY, Jeremy attended DRS, followed by two years in Yeshivat Shaalvim and a third in Yeshivas Mir, and he is now enrolled in Lander College for Men.

Jeremy has an all-star lineup of guys in his Chaburah, including Moshe Benhamu from Brooklyn (DRS), Yosef Bluth from Hewlett (Rambam), Dovi Herschberg from North Woodmere (MAY), Joe Roth from Brooklyn (MAY), Gavi Singer from Cedarhurst (MAY), and last but not least, Eli Wiseman from Woodmere (DRS).

The Chaburah has already begun to blend together into a tight knit group, despite the diversity of skills and personalities. Each of them have already begun displaying their own unique talents. Whether it’s on the courts, in the Beis Medrash or on a tiyul, each one fills their role in order to piece together an amazing puzzle.

The greater depth of knowledge a person has of a certain topic, the more it allows him to connect to that thing. With this in mind, the Chaburah is delving deep into the topic of tefillah this summer. The Chaburah is moving through the different sections of davening each day and is gaining an understanding of tefillah through the gemara, rishonim, and achronim, while finishing off the Chaburah everyday with some machshava on tefillah. Tefillah is one of the building blocks that the world stands on and plays a very important role in creating a relationship with ה׳, which we are constantly yearning to improve.

Jeremy is looking forward to the continued fun and growth of the Chaburah this summer by building on what has already been an amazing few weeks.

Sammy Schultz is returning for his fourth summer on NCSY Kollel, his third as a staff member. After growing up in Los Angeles, where he attended YULA for high school, Sammy spent two incredible years learning in Yeshivat Shaalvim. While no longer being zoche to continue his learning in Eretz Yisroel, Sammy was able to continue his learning and growth this past year in YU, where he also plans on majoring in finance.

While over the first Shabbos Rabbi Benovitz debated the merits of Kevin Durant’s decision in joining the Warriors “super team,” the real question is how Rabbi Benovitz allowed so many incredible NCSYers to be a part of one Chaburah. This amazing group includes Yoni Benezra from West Bloomfield, MI (Farber); Dovid Pearlman from Staten Island, NY (TABC); Yis Richter from Spring Valley, NY (Frisch); Yonah Schneier from Teaneck, NJ (TABC); and Izzy Sendzischew from Brooklyn, NY (Derech Hatorah).

This summer, Sammy’s Chaburah is learning sugyas related to growing both bein adam limakom and bein adam lichavero. Chaburah topics include discussing in depth the mitzvah of emunah, delving into Rav Chaim’s mihalech on tefillah, the importance of good midos to grow in one’s learning, and yes, even understanding the issur to disagree with one’s parents (you are all welcome parents)! In addition, each NCSYer is assigned a different week throughout the summer to be their own. This not only entails preparing and sharing a Dvar Torah to the rest of the Chaburah, but also includes leading the Chaburah in their favorite Shabbos zemer to get everyone pumped for Shabbos.

Outside of learning, Sammy’s Chaburah has also had many opportunities to have an amazing time together. Whether it was finishing second in Chaburah line-up due to Yonah’s shooting, listening to our superstar singer Dovid belting out some notes, watching Yis attempt to be Tarzan during our Chaburah pool night, laughing at the jokes of our resident comedian Yoni, or trying to figure out how Izzy has so many pictures of all of us while we are not looking, the Chaburah always makes sure to have fun. These experiences have helped the Chaburah gel, and have allowed us to develop together both inside and outside of the Beis Midrash.

Sammy and his Chaburah have enjoyed a phenomenal summer so far, and they cannot wait to continue learning and growing together throughout the rest of the summer, and IMH staying close for years to come!

We are halfway through our third week on NCSY Kollel 2017, and we are quickly learning that on this program, a “normal” day is any day where something abnormal takes place; you would be hard pressed to find a day on the itinerary where something exciting is not taking place.

Today was no exception.  What looked like it would be an average day of learning and sports took a turn for the exciting when we hit night seder.  From 8:15 to 9:45, rather than the usual two slots of night seder, we enjoyed our first Leil Iyun of the summer.  NCSYers and Staff got to choose from question-and-answer based shiurim by Rav Blachman and Rav Taragin in the Beis Medrash or Rav Burg and Rav Bronfeld in the chader ochel.  At 9:45, everyone joined together in the Beis for some words by Rav Twersky before Maariv.

These days of added excitement are truly becoming the norm this summer, and we are sure to experience many more as we approach the midway point of the summer!

Ariel Sacknovitz is on his fourth year on NCSY Kollel, his first as a madrich. He also serves as the head EMT on Kollel this summer. Hailing from West Hempstead, New York, Ariel attended DRS, Sha’alvim, and is currently enrolled in YU. Ariel is attempting to set the record for most positions held on Kollel, having attended the program as an NCSYer for two summers, working as the director of the Canteen, EMT, Shoel Umashiv, and now a Madrich, Head EMT, and Shoel Umashiv again.

Ariel’s amazing post-11th grade Chaburah is an all-star lineup, consisting of five of the most incredible NCSYers around, all on their first year of Kollel: Binyamin Black from Toronto (Darchei); Akiva Goldman from Toronto (Darchei); Zach Hamburger from Monsey, NY (MTA); Ezra Entin from Philadelphia , PA (Mesivta of Philly); and Sam Cohen from Plainview, NY (Rambam Mesivta).  Every member of the Chaburah brings something unique to the table, and the blend creates an amazing cohesive unit that loves to learn, chill, and spend time together as a Chaburah.

This summer, Sack’s Chaburah is focusing on different sugyas from a variety of genres including Brachos, Machshava, and Halacha. The sugyas are built around current topics and cases which come up in every day life. The topics have proven challenging, yet exciting, and the Chaburah is having a great time learning to tie together countless Gemaras and opinions surrounding a single, modern day topic.

Ariel’s Chaburah works together to have an amazing time outside of the Beit Medrash as well. Dominating the opening second year iJump trip, the Chaburah is aiming to finish first in the Chaburah Scavenger Hunt and Chaburah Wars. Ariel and his Chaburah have enjoyed a phenomenal summer thus far, and they are looking forward to finishing on a high note, as well as continuing to remain a tight knit Chaburah throughout the year and well beyond the summer, IY”H!

Jonny Silber is returning for his 4^th summer in a row, and 5 out of the last 6, on the NCSY Summer Kollel. Having spent summers as a camper, CIT, support staff, and Madrich, Jonny re-joins the ranks this summer for his second year as a Madrich. Hailing from Lawrence, NY, Jonny has spent the last year in Yeshiva University, after having taken his talents for two years to Yeshivat Shaalvim.

Jonny’s Chaburah consists of six post 10^th graders with some of the most Geshmak and awesome personalities. Starting with their dynamic duo, hailing from Brooklyn, NY, they got Yosef Goldstein (DRS) and Marty Stevens (DRS). Staying within NY, reigning from Monsey, they sport Coby Sorotzkin (MTA). Moving on to the out of town chevra, they tout the legendary trio of Jonny Posner (HAM), David Silverman (YULA) and Joshua Wolfe (Farber). Their Chaburah started off strong with an opening night victory in their Chaburah challenges where they really exhibited a masterful performance during Chaburah lineup, with 3 of the last 6 contestants coming from their Chaburah. After such an impressive start, the Chaburah has not disappointed since. They lead the league in most dominant chills and most time spent in Chaburahs. However, Jonny’s Chaburah also knows how to shteig hard. They are delving into deep sugyas in Sefer Bereishis, as well as analyzing halachic shaylas from the series given by Jonny’s Rebbe, Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz. The series, “From the Rabbi’s Desk,” consists of halachic questions that come up when serving as a Rabbi in a shul, where the chaburah tries to analyze and discuss how we would answer up these shaylas.

Jonny and his Chaburah have enjoyed a tremendous start to their summer and are looking to only build from here as they continue toward the rest of this unforgettable summer.

As has always been the tradition and with last week’s fast day providing an exception, Tuesday on NCSY Kollel means a full day tiyul, or in today’s case, six (!!).

There were options for everyone today, despite only two shacharis times, at 5:30 and 7:30 AM.  The post-10th Graders got to choose from Nachal Amud, an intense water hike; the Blind Museum, an amazing museum where you experience everything without sight, followed by Ben and Jerry’s (where Kollel’s group actually became the first customers in a store that opened this morning); “caving”, which included repelling, bungeeing, and hiking through enormous caves; and meaningful trips to kevarim throughout Meiron and Tevarya.  The post-11th Graders, meanwhile, had the additional option of the “Returnee Extravaganza,” which took them to a bridge for bungee jumping and repelling, to the Kineret for banana boats and “abuvs”, and to a coffee shop in the north where they were served waffles and ice cream.  All of these trips met at the incredible AquaKef, a giant obstacle course-type complex of blow-up trampolines, slides, and climbing walls that sits atop the Kineret in Tevarya.  Everyone had a blast, and it was a fantastic way to end the tiyul day (not to mention the free schwarma dinner).

The CIT’s, meanwhile, had their own trip that began with sharing Divrei Torah, singing, and dancing with the members of Siach Sod, an educational center for people with special needs.  They then got some free time for lunch on Ben Yehuda before going to Yeshivat Torat Shraga to hear words of Torah from Rav Eisenstein and play a basketball tournament, and they finally ended the day with their own free schwarma dinner.  Their’s was certainly a trip that was both inspirational and enjoyable.

As with all tiyul days, we will hopefully get a good night’s sleep and wake up rested and ready to get back to a packed regular schedule of learning and sports!