Dear Parents,

We make no apologies for having so many consecutive days of superlative reports! Today was another winner from start to finish. At least we can assure you that it was different than the days that preceded it, and provided new thrills and excitement.

It was our final full tiyul day of the summer, and the range of options was typical NCSY Kollel. Two buses trekked down to Nachal Darja, for our most challenging and exhilarating hike of the summer. This group did incredibly well and will have a memory for a lifetime. Another group went to the other touring extreme and enjoyed Rabbi Gordon’s now famous Torah Tour of Yerushalayim. Under Rabbi Moshe Gordon’s unique leadership, the NCSYers saw some of the sites and met many of the personalities that comprise the history and present day representation of Torah in Yerushalayim. These encounters were also unforgettable. Our final group enjoyed a morning in Netanya and time at the beautiful beach there, before heading to a Karting racing competition. All groups returned to Beit Meir charged up and on a high.

It only got better from there. After a full BBQ appreciation dinner (presented by the staff of our hosts at Yeshivas Ohr Yerushalayim), we began the annual “Chabura Wars” games. This year’s edition may have been the best ever. Each aspect of the competition brought out the best in the NCSYers and showcased new talents and skills. We look forward to announcing (to you and to the NCSYers) the winning chaburas!

Tomorrow we return to a full and regular learning schedule.

Moshe Benovitz

Zev Miller is spending his fourth summer on NCSY Kollel, having spent two years as a camper, working as a Jr. Kollel Madrich last summer, and serving as a Madrich for the first time this summer.  Zev is a champion on the Kollel; he has already won the 3-on-3 tournament in his first summer, the hockey championships in his second, and is looking for more this year!

Zev has the privilege of learning with three other amazing members of their “Core 4” Chabura: Netanel Arussy, from Fairlawn NJ, Areli Bolour, from Englewood NJ, and Shlomo Aminsky, from Queens NY.  The Chabura works and learns together like no other.  This summer, they are delving into the depths of the topic of Tefillah investigating many interesting Halachic questions that may arise.  From the fascinating topic of “Isn’t Hashem everywhere?” to “C’Mon man, let me sleep!” Zev’s Chabura really covers it all.  They continue to strive towards a better and deeper understanding of such an important aspect of all of our daily lives.

The “Core 4” look forward to a strong finish to what has been an amazing summer and hope to put on an unforgettable performance in the upcoming Chabura Wars!

Dear Parents,

The energy in Beit Meir was on a completely different level today, as our annual 3 on 3 basketball tournament dominated the schedule and completely took over the campus.

The tournament is plenty more than basketball. There is an entire festival throughout the afternoon. This years action included a wiffle ball homerun derby, a 200 man dodgeball battle pitting NCSYers against staff, all you can eat popcorn, cotton candy and slushies, and free t-shirts for all participants. The atmosphere was incredible, and it was a great celebration.

And of course, there was some amazing basketball. The tournament is designed to be all-inclusive, and there was far more action and participation than in a regular league day. There are two divisions and skill levels to further allow players of all talent levels to excel. Nothing brings the NCSY Kollel together like the 3 on 3 tourney, and this year was no exception. Even between games or after elimination, most NCSYers stayed near the courts and enjoyed a fantastic afternoon.

There were the usual upsets and buzzer beaters and plenty of crowd pleasing feats. It was telling that the final 8 teams in the competition all featured balanced scoring and equal contributions from 3 teammates, while some of the bigger “stars” of NCSY Kollel basketball were defeated. This is what the 3 on 3 tournament is all about. (With no offense intended to the aforementioned stars!)

On Wednesday the Final Four will take the court in the advanced bracket, and we will play the championship game in the intermediate bracket.
We look forward to providing full updates on that and on our awesome final full tiyul day.

Moshe Benovitz

Dear Parents,

We have built on last week’s great momentum with an incredible three days, spanning an inspirational and energizing Shabbos Nachamu.

The weekend really got started late Thursday night with a you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it post Maariv Mishmar program. Approximately 90 minutes after the mandatory learning for the week ended, well over 125 NCSYers were still in the Beis Medrash with their madrichim and other staff members. The program was punctuated by an emotional seudas hoda’ah, giving thanks to God, for the opportunity to learn again on our home campus in Beit Meir. There was also a remarkable original song composition presented by NCSYers Sam Kalnitz and Yaakov Galen that absolutely electrified the crowd. It was hard to say which was a more valuable and clear byproduct of the late night learning – the crucial connection to Torah or the overall bonding and unity that was created from gathering in such a way as a group. Either way, it was a special moment in the summer.

Friday was spent both in Yerushalayim for some down time in Malcha Mall, and back on our campus for sports and swimming. The sports were focused on the start of our “King of the Kollel” tournament, pitting each group of NCSYers and staff against each other for 2014 Kollel basketball bragging rights. Straight off the bat, the tournament provided some thrilling upsets. A rugged 11th grade all-star team held off the talent and youth of the 10th grade all-stars, while the CITs routed the favored sports staff squad. Later in the day, the tournament favorite Junior Madrich squad handled the CITs, but the 11th graders tallied their second big win of the day by shocking the high-seeded madrich team.

Shabbos was almost indescribable. It seemed that energies and emotions that had been building for weeks and weeks were unleashed on a single Shabbos, and the consolation of Shabbos Nachamu was felt more than ever. The Shabbos was carried by awesome spirit, song and intense Torah. The common denominator was a high level of inspiration and a real group experience. As always, the song elements were led by the incomparable Rabbi Kaminetsky who led the davening, unforgettable Friday night tisch and all of the other singing for the weekend. For Torah, our regular chaburas and chavrusas were greatly enhanced by Rav Schachter’s influence over his last Shabbos with us. Following Havdala, we continued the annual tradition of escorting Rav Schachter out of the beis medrash with song and dance and thanking him for his invaluable contribution to the program this summer.

On Motzai Shabbos we barely had time to pause and catch our breath before heading out for the next highlight. We combined our shiur melava malkas with our shiur trips for an action packed and meaningful Saturday night program. Each shiur traveled to the community of its rebbe for fun, food and shiur bonding. It was a great end to the Shabbos programming.

As was explained to the NCSYers this morning, the measure of a fantastic Shabbos can often be taken only on Sunday morning. By that standard, Shabbos was every bit as great as we sensed it to be. There was an extra lift across the program as we began our last week together this morning. The shiurim were strong and the learning was excellent throughout the day. We introduced a tefila campaign, with special shiurim and other projects designed to enhance davening over the last days of the program and beyond. Late night optional shiurim were well attended, and the focus on maximizing our remaining time together was especially sharp.

Beyond that, it was an amazing day of intense sports. The playoffs began in the basketball league. The parity in the league was on full display as the 16 seed in the bracket defeated the 1 seed in the day’s major upset. Many other games went down to the wire in a thrilling day of Kollel sports.

The “King of Kollel” tournament reached its conclusion with an epic match between the Jr. Madrichim and 11th graders. The 11th graders continued their stellar play with a fantastic effort but just fell short by a late basket to the mighty Jr. Madrichim.

There was plenty more: A great mini tiyul, special guest shiurim, Pizza Hut in the canteen, and the unveiling of the bracket for Monday’s 3 on 3 tournament.

Looking forward to a great rest of the week.

Moshe Benovitz

Check out the pictures from our amazing 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, sponsored by Yeshiva University, that took place this afternoon!!!

http://kollel.ncsy.org/gallery/599188593535928/3-on-3-tournament/

Asher Becker is spending his 7th summer on the NCSY Summer Kollel.  Asher first attended the Kollel as a camper in his summer after 10th grade, and has been there ever since.  Asher has come to the rescue of NCSY Kollel many a time during the 9-days, with his many Siyumim on such short notice.

Asher’s Chabura is a potpourri of guys from all over the world. Meir Yaakov Sobolofsky from Bergenfield, NJ, Moshe Goldfischer from מודיעין, Samson Karben from Los Angeles, Aaron Koshner from St. Louis, Eitan Socolof from Cleveland, and Michael Weiner from Philadelphia. This summer, Asher’s חבורה is focused on investigating the (in)famous “Aveirah Song” line-by-line and analyzing in-depth each line as an independent topic. As we have been nearing Tisha B’Av they have also been focusing on topics relating to משיח, specifically when he will be coming and what the world will look like when משיח does in fact come.

Asher and his Chabura continue to grow together through the intense, fun style of learning that they enjoy every day.  The NCSYers of his Chabura hope to IY”H make many Siyumim of their own as well.

Dear Parents,

The best days on the NCSY Kollel have always been when there are no highlights.

To explain: Over our six weeks together we are blessed with quite a few extraordinary moments. These include standout tiyulim (incredible hikes, water parks, and memorable encounters with the great people and places of Israel), exhilarating sports and times of significant spiritual inspiration (powerful shiurim, meaningful chessed, or nights like last night at the Tisha B’Av Kumsitz). Our summer would be worse off without these moments, and there is no doubt that they help shape and define our experience.

However, the true greatness of the program is found in the awesome rhythm of day-to-day activities. The more important moments are the quieter and subtler times of learning, conversation, ball and “regular” occurrences. The ultimate formula for our success is remarkably simple. Accessible and uplifting learning, first-rate tiyulim and sports, and an extraordinary group of young men on both the staff and NCSYer level. Everything else is an additional bonus.

So today was fantastic. 3 full sessions of learning, led by our incomparable team of Rabbeim (morning and night) and Madrichim. 4 periods of intense leagues, with a record number of games scheduled on a single day. A mini tiyul with over 40 participants. Some swimming and a packed canteen night too. Over 50 NCSYers in the Beis Medrash after maariv attending optional shiurim and enjoying extra chavrusas. Countless conversations between NCSYers and their madrichim.

All in a blessedly regular day on the NCSY Kollel…

With appreciation,

Moshe Benovitz

Dear Parents,

What can be said about our Tisha B’Av? If you joined us for the live webcast of the kumsitz at the Kotel then you already have a better sense of what transpired than anything we can describe. If you didn’t, then the written word will likely fail to capture the extraordinary power of today’s events.
We will start from the end. A very moving 25 hours of reflection and connection were punctuated by the final kumsitz. The Kotel kumsitz has become a major NCSY Kollel tradition and one of the most impactful events of the summer. While it is always special, there is no doubt that this year’s singing had an even greater importance. From our perspective, the sense of appreciation and relief we had to be sitting in the shadow of the Kotel was a driving force all afternoon. On a broader level, it was impossible to miss how much our presence impacted our immediate audience and the internet viewers as well. The kumsitz was such a strong expression of unity, vitality and prayer – all of which were deeply desired by so many amongst us. It’s hard to imagine that any of the NCSYers or staff will soon forget this Tisha B’Av.
I am convinced that the Kumsitz would be significantly less meaningful if it were not the culmination of so much Tisha B’Av conversation and experience. Almost from the minute of our arrival we were all invested in creating the proper mood and trying to understand what the day was about. The night Kinnos were all introduced by members of our staff, and there were a host of Tisha B’Av appropriate sessions and workshops after. The highlight of the night was the less famous NCSY Kollel Tisha B’Av kumsitz. This Kumsitz cannot rival the Kotel Kumsitz in terms of popularity or pomp, but it can more than hold its own with regard to intensity and power. It also served to set the stage for the next day’s singing.
On Tisha B’Av morning we ran two simultaneous programs, with significant overlap and plenty of back and forth by design. Inside the beis medrash there was a more classic kinnos recitation with full and detailed explanations provided by our Rabbeim and Roshei Yeshiva. These explanations were often inspiring, and always enlightening.
Elsewhere on campus there were a series of more creative and interactive programs. Qualified Rabbeim helped facilitate these discussions, and the level of participation was very high.
All in all, it was an especially meaningful day. We hope the merits of time so well spent will lead to greater relief of our land and the end of Tisha B’Av as a day of mourning.

Moshe Benovitz

To listen to the introduction to the Tisha B’Av Kinnot given by the Rabbeim of NCSY Kollel, follow the link below!

Introduction to Kinnot

Please check back tomorrow for pictures from our incredible Kumzits at the Kotel!!