Summer 2017

In #TheReturn, rookie Madrich Zach Berger returns to NCSY Kollel for the first time since his debut as an NCSYer during the 2011 summer campaign.  As a DRS alumnus, Zach spent two years learning in Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh before becoming part of the YU chevra.

Zach’s powerhouse Chaburah features Usher Klein from Monsey, NY (Heichal); Avi Kupchik from West Hempstead, NY (DRS); Shmuel Metz from Columbus, OH (CTA); Akiva Motechin from Teaneck, NJ (TABC); and Jonah Naiman from Cedarhurst, NY (DRS).

The Chaburah has already developed into a warm and tight-knit crew and is aiming to grow as a team through both physical and spiritual experiences this summer.  The learning in Chaburahs is mostly focused on different topics that relate to Shabbos Kodesh.  Whether they are learning halachos, minhagim, or delving into the depths of what Shabbos is all about and how to connect to it, they are always having a good time and are building relationships that will last far beyond the summer.

Aryeh Kaminetsky leads an amazing group of masmidim this summer, who are all ready to learn, grow, and have fun. Aryeh is no stranger to Kollel. He has been a member of the program for the last six years (two as a Madrich) and spent several summers on the program as a child by dint of his father’s position on the staff. Aryeh uses his experiences as a camper and junior staffer to create the ideal atmosphere for creative and productive development.

Helping Aryeh are his star-studded cast of campers. First off is Moshe Carrol from Woodmere. Moshe attends DRS and brings with him a sense of consistency and dependency that is appreciated by all. Joining Moshe from DRS is Baruch Berger from Far Rockaway. Baruch can be described as someone with the capability of enriching any discussion with his unique perspective. Then is Meir Gasner of Passaic. Meir attends Heichal Hatorah and burns with the desire to grow. Also from Heichal is Moshe Fogelman of Monsey. Moshe’s sharp mind and strong learning skills are an asset to any Chaburah. Coming in next is Yehoshua Kanarek from TABC. Yehoshua brings a high level of energy and an upbeat attitude to the Chaburah. Also from TABC and hailing from Riverdale is Akiva Sturm. Akiva is usually one of the first to arrive every morning, and he rarely disappoints as a lamdan.

Things are looking good for this group of kids, and they all are looking forward to a fantastic summer on NCSY Kollel. They should do spectacularly well as they move further into the world of Exploration of the Broad Spectrum of Didactic Fields Within Jewish Study and Thought (EBSDFWJST).

What was otherwise a normal start to the week following a rejuvenating off-Shabbos was highlighted by the welcoming of TJJ Ambassadors for a special two-day joint program!

After a weekend of getting to relax, rest, and spend some time with family and friends, NCSYers returned to Kollel for another normal day, but with one incredible addition – TJJ Ambassadors.  The Ambassadors arrived shortly after morning shiur ended and immediately joined the Kollel for lunch.  Following Mincha, Rav Sobolofsky spoke briefly to both programs to introduce the next two days, and for the rest of the day, the “TJJers” integrated seamlessly into the daily Kollel routine.

They spent Chaburahs getting a special Chaburah of their own from Rabbi Benovitz.  During the afternoon, while many NCSYers were playing in leagues, the Ambassadors joined the Mini-Tiyul chevra for a fun trip to bowling in Beit Shemesh.  After dinner, they joined in with Rav Burg’s night shiur before heading off for their own special night activity put together by Azi Fine.

It is truly amazing to see the two programs gelling so easily and coming together to enjoy a couple of days of learning and fun.  We can’t wait for tomorrow’s big siyum and celebration with both of the programs!

Check out the recap of our amazing first two weeks!!

We apologize for the delay due to technical issues

In these weekly updates, we try to describe the exciting happenings on NCSY Kollel.  Sometimes the words can’t do them justice.  For that, we rely on our media department for pictures and video that provide a more vivid representation.  And sometimes, when words fail to tell the whole story, we can use numbers instead.

257 is the final tally of participants on the NCSY Summer Kollel 2017.  Yes, it’s our largest group ever.

406 is the number of people we serve in our brand new dining hall, three times a day.  Yes, further breakdown of those numbers reveals a most impressive staff/NCSYer ratio, which is one of the true secrets to our success.

While on the subject of food, 180 is the number of pies of pizza delivered to the water park on Sunday night.  That makes us somebody’s favorite customer.  (By the way, 0 is the number of outside visitors at the park that night.  It was rented for our exclusive use and fun.)

49 is the number of high schools represented on the NCSY Kollel this summer.  The diversity of our group adds an incomparable dimension to the program.

38 is the number of basketball teams competing in our intramural leagues.  They play daily on 5 courts (3 that have been redone for this summer).  12 is the number of hockey teams, playing in the only summer floor hockey league in Israel.  While we are here:  3 is the number of legit slam dunks recorded in NCSY Kollel sports action this week.  In case you are wondering, that’s 3 more than we had in the previous 25 years of game action combined.  And 17 is the margin of victory for our “new” 11th graders, after their showdown with the returnees in our first all star contest of the summer.

Significantly, 2 is the number of daily Mini-Tiyulim offered during the afternoon break.  These activities stimulate and excite those not interested in our leagues.

3 is an important number for us as well.  It’s the count of Roshei Yeshiva learning and teaching in our Beis Medrash.  Rav Schachter arrived on Monday and Rav Twersky on Thursday.  They join Rav Sobolofsky who has been with us from the start.

85 is the number of attendees for Rav Mordechai Burg’s late night, optional (!!) parsha shiur.  We may need to buy some more chairs.

 

The list goes on, and there are plenty of more numbers we could share.  But as expressive as these numbers may be, they too can fall short of describing the essence of NCSY Kollel.  For that, there is only one number that matters: 1.

Here, the number one is not a reference to theology or monotheism, although there is an understanding of and there are encounters with that concept and reality.  Nor is it even a reference to the awesome unity of NCSY Kollel, although the cohesion and respect between NCSYers from the 49 schools referenced above is something to behold.  Rather, the most important number on NCSY Kollel is the one of the individual.  Each NCSYer stands alone, and deserves an experience in the summer that most speaks to him and is most sensitive to his needs.

Years ago, while teaching in MTA, I had the opportunity to present at a recruitment meeting together with Rav Yitzchak Cohen.  Rav Cohen alluded to the concern that a large school can become impersonal, and like a factory.  Maybe it was a place where people were just numbers?  “It’s true!,” he thundered repeatedly.  “You are a number!”  He began to point to each of the eighth graders in the room.  “You are number one, and you are number one, and you are number one…”

With a large group there is always a danger of NCSYers falling “between the cracks” or ending up under the radar.  Not only would this negatively impact the summer, but it would also run contrary to the very ethos of NCSY Kollel.  Sure, the panoramic shots of the full group and birds-eye view of the multitudes provide an awe inspiring image.  But the greatness of our summers is found in quieter moments and in more personal interactions.

The aforementioned staff ratios are a vital part of this.  They help insure individual attention for each NCSYer.  And so, the real beauty and power of NCSY Kollel is found in a one on one conversation with Rav Schachter, a madrich and NCSYer walking together on a tiyul, and the countless chavrusas that dot the schedule.  It’s also reflected in the real friendships and peer-to-peer connections that are so much more accessible and intense in the context of summer camp.

This kind of prioritization informs our programming decisions as well.  If the NCSY Kollel is truly designed for the individual and his particular growth, then we cannot settle for a “one size fits all” mentality.  We don’t.  Perhaps another critical set of numbers from this week are 6 and 3.  Six is the number of night activity options we offered after breaking our fast on 17 Tammuz (one of our rare opportunities for a more typical summer night program).  These manifold options were not simply an attempt at crowd control or filling slots.  They were specifically designed to cater to the varying tastes of our NCSYers.  There was an interactive session for Tzizis making and a special presentation on the Beis HaMikdash.  There was a moonlight night hike and organized fun in the swimming pool.  We had open courts and some challenge matches in basketball and a rousing game-night tournament of board games (Codenames was the winner of the night) and other competitions.  Something for everyone.

Of course, this format was simply borrowed from our year’s of experience in trip planning.  Wednesday’s tiyul sent 7 buses in three very different directions.  We had our first master hike through the mountains and waterfalls of the Black Canyon.  There was an in depth tour of Tzefat and a visit to the world-renowned Blind Museum.  Somewhere in the middle was a rousing ride in kayaks down the Jordan and a visit to the Chocolate Factory.  The high level of satisfaction reported from our tiyulim has as much to do with this diversification as it has to do with the quality of the experiences themselves.

It’s found in the learning too.  We present 15 different levels of morning shiruim.  As mentioned above, there is ample opportunity for individual instruction built into all times of the learning day.  Most notably, our entire night program is centered around NCSYer choice and individuality. 

Put together, it is fair to say that no two NCSYers have the identical experience on the program.  And rather than undermine the unity or family feel, this kind of specification actually enhances our family feel when we do come together as one.

So the number of the week and the theme of this (and every) summer is ONE.  We will continue to invest in and focus on each and every participant and try to bring out the best in them.

We head now to our first free weekend of the summer.  20 NCSYers have joined us for a wonderful Shabbaton at Yeshivas Yishrei Lev in Telzstone, while the rest of the group are getting some well deserved rest at family and friends across the country.  We look forward to renewed energy and excitement as we begin again late Saturday night.

Wishing you a great Shabbos from the ONE and only NCSY Summer Kollel in Israel,

Moshe Benovitz

Yitzie Scheinman, or as many know him, “that guy who takes pictures,” is not only spending his 6^th summer on NCSY Kollel and 2^nd as a Madrich, but it is also his first summer as the Head of Media for the program, after two years of assisting his brother on the job.  He is a member of both the basketball and hockey leagues, making it as far as the 3^rd overtime of the championship game as a goalie in hockey back in 2014, and being crowned “co-champion” of the basketball league just last year.  Although Yitzie hasn’t left Kollel since his first trip as a post-10^th grader in the summer of 2012, each year has been uniquely exciting and amazing, and this one is certainly no exception.

Yitzie’s incredible chaburah consists of 5 amazing post-10^th graders from all over the eastern coast: Nati Gershon from Atlanta, GA (Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael); Shmuel Lehman from Woodmere, NY (YFR); Ariel Retter from Teaneck, NJ (MTA); Ethan Schuman from Philadelphia, PA (Kohelet); and Eddie Tawil from Brooklyn, NY (YDE).  The different personalities of the Chaburah have blended to create a unique and awesome Chaburah dynamic, and the Chaburah members are quickly getting closer both in and out of Chaburahs.

This summer, Yitzie’s Chaburah is discussing sugyas from the books “Headlines” and “Headlines 2” by Dovid Lichtenstein.  The books deal with halachic questions stemming from current events and present interesting perspectives on how various Gemaras and arguments in the Rishonim and Achronim can be adapted to address modern day issues, such as shooting down hijacked airplanes or killing neutralized terrorists.  When the Chaburah isn’t spending time discussing these riveting topics, they can often be found chilling or competing in games like Heads Up or the classic Kollel favorite, Face Off.

Yitzie’s Chaburah has shown amazing progress and growth thus far, and they are looking forward to an amazing summer of continued success BE”H.

A rollercoaster week, filled with sports, learning, fasting, and tiyulim, ended on a high note, with an awesome day of sports and learning, culminating in a packed Mishmar late into the night.

For many on NCSY Kollel, the day began normally, with morning shiurim in full swing.  For four shiurim, however, the morning was far more memorable.  The shiurim of Rabbi Gormin, Rabbi Marcus, Rabbi Freedman, and Rabbi Schulman left right after shacharis on a joint shiur trip to the Aish HaTorah center in the Old City of Yerushalayim.  There, they were privileged to hear a couple of amazing speeches on Judaism and leadership before returning to Kollel just in time for lunch.

The afternoon saw 34 basketball teams and all 12 hockey teams in action, highlighted by late game comebacks and overtime thrillers.  Everyone else had the option of joining our mini-tiyul leaders, David Sperber and AZ Thau, on an exciting trip to the Latrun Tank Museum.

Night seder was rocking, with chavrusahs during both hours filling the beis medrash, tent, and even some of the rocks outside.  This was followed by a packed house for Mishmar.  The back of the beis was filled with NCSYers and staff listening to Rav Burg’s famous parsha shiur, while Jonathan Hurewitz held court for a packed balcony across the room with his Beis Hamikdash shiur.  Rabbi Rosenbluth from YULA gave a schmooze for all of his current and former talmidim on the program, and Junior Madrich Eitan Hain made a siyum on Maseches Shabbos for all to enjoy.  There was still a full beis medrash at 11:30 PM when free schwarma was given out, and we couldn’t possibly think of a better end to the week.

We are excited to pick up where we left off Sunday morning after a relaxing and refreshing free weekend beginning tomorrow!

Ben Zion Feld is enjoying his seventh summer on NCSY Kollel, and his third as a Madrich. Ben Zion, from Teaneck NJ, went to MTA, followed by two years in KBY, and he is now entering his senior year in YU. Ben Zion takes a lot of pride in being the only Madrich on the program who is a former champion of both the basketball leagues and 3 on 3 tournament here on the Kollel.

Ben Zion’s Chaburah is comprised of six uniquely awesome NCSYers. Noah Miller and Avraham Gellman are both from Teaneck and go to TABC. Yaron Kahan is from Monsey and attends MTA. Aaron Sebbag hails from Passaic and also attends MTA. Then on to the out-of-town contingent of the Chaburah. We have Jacob Stein from Skokie, Chicago, and he attends the Yeshiva, as well as Ari Rosenbaum from Ramat Bet Shemesh, and he attends Mitzpe Yericho.

This awesome Chaburah is spending the summer engaged in two main categories of topics. Firstly, they have and will continue to spend time on monetary aspects of Jewish Law in an in-depth way. Ben Zion hopes to do his best to show the unbelievable depth that is present in the Halachic monetary system. Secondly, the Chaburah will be spending a lot of time dedicated to Mitzvos and ideas which come up very frequently, such as tefillah, tefillin, and the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael.

The members of the Chaburah have been getting along great so far and have really been enjoying the learning and overall Kollel experience. NCSY Kollel is expecting big things out of this Chaburah – and we have no doubt that they will deliver.

Beit Meir, Israel – In the early hours of this summer’s afternoons, in the middle of the sometimes air conditioned Beit Midrash, a particular fascinating gathering can be found. Officially called Shlomo Rayman’s Chaburah, or as coined by the local whatsapp group, “RaymanBura”, they meet almost daily in an attempt to understand the secrets of Tefilla, Jewish prayer, in a philosophical, practical, halachic, and lumdish manner. The Chaburah is flavored by sharp questions from its DRS members, Binyamin Bortz and Avi Greenberg. Intriguing insights and the the occasional joke can always be expected from Eli Issacs and Aaron Reiss, hailing all the way from LA. The Chaburah is well diversified, with two local members from Beit Shemesh, Avraham Rosner and Yaakov Gottleib, bringing in clever opinions, great smiles, and a somewhat low English vocabulary.

Aside from delving deep into the depths of the prayer book, the Chaburah enjoys their daily Hebrew useful word of the day, supplied by their humble Madrich, Shlomo Rayman. Shlomo, also a Beit Shemesh resident, is an alumnus of the IDF’s prestigious Combat Engineering Corps, and is currently learning at Israel’s first Hesder Yeshiva, Kerem B’yavneh. The Chaburah is also well known outside of the Beis, being the only Chaburah not to get lost at the Kotel, the future winners of Chaburah Wars, and by far the best looking Chaburah in Kollel. Always ready for whatever the summer will throw at them, one can continue to expect only greatness from this extraordinary Chaburah.

Today marked by far the earliest wakeup of any day this summer, as seven busses going to three different locations in northern Israel pulled out bright and early for NCSY Kollel 2017’s first full tiyul day.

The extreme hikers found themselves putting on tefillin at shema because their shacharis minyan began too early – at 4:30 AM, to be precise – in preparation for the Black Canyon hike.  It was all worth it, though, as NCSY Kollel became the largest single group of people to ever cross the Black Canyon, with 180 NCSYers and staff members mastering the trail.  With climbing, repelling, jumping, and a whole lot of walking, the hike took anywhere from six to eight hours, and the participants were understandably wiped.  They eventually found themselves in Tzfat for some relaxation and dinner, before heading back to Beit Meir, with plenty of time on the busses in between to rest.

The next shacharis minyan began promptly at 5:15 AM and belonged to the members of the kayaking and chocolate factory trip.  Two busses made the trip up to Jordan River Rafting, where NCSYers, staff, and even a few Rabbeim and Assistant Program Directors enjoyed an hour and a half of rafting and, for many, swimming.  This certainly built up an appetite, which meant that the guys couldn’t wait for the next leg of the trip, a tour of the De Karina Chocolate Factory.  There, they got to see how professional “chocolatiers” make different types of chocolate, including plenty of free samples of course, and they even got to try their hand at making their own chocolate (which they then got to eat).  They paid a quick visit to the Eli Cohen Memorial Monument, narrated by Rabbi Lebowitz, and they ended their day together with the Black Canyon trip in Tzfat for dinner.

The final tiyul davened at the late hour of 6:30 AM and was considered the “chill” option for the day.  This trip went straight to Tzfat for an in-depth tour of the city and all of its rich history.  After spending some free time there, they made their way to the Blind Museum, a mind-blowing, inspirational museum where you spend one hour experiencing what it’s like to be blind.  Everyone returned to Beit Meir for Maariv and an early curfew.

All three trips were a blast, and we could think of no more exciting way to transition into a free weekend than with a full day of learning, sports, and mishmar tomorrow!