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Unfortunately due to a computer glitch this did not go out on Friday.
Dear Parents,
What an amazing week we had at Camp Sports. As we complete our first full week of camp it has been wonderful watching the friendships grow, the sports teams compete and watching your son have an amazing time.
Our first Shabbos together was full of excitement and ruach. The dancing and singing at the meals and davening was truly inspirational. Watching the camp come together on Shabbos as a group was wonderful, Shabbos is always the time we feel the most together. This feeling is something we hope to inspire in camp. We want everyone to know that they bring their uniqueness to our camp which by itself is very special. Individually we are all great but our sum is even greater than our parts. This is true in sports but even truer in our personal growth. I am sure Shabbos this week will once again be amazing .
Let me just tell you a little about some of what happened in camp last week. Of course you can see the pictures, follow us on twitter and read our blog to get more current news, but here is a summary of some of last week’s highlights. Following the Friday night meal we had an optional oneg (“Shalom Zachor”) with Rabbi Tuvia Fried our learning director who was celebrating the birth of a grandson. At Shabbos morning davening we heard words of encouragement from Rabbi Yissachar Frand a world renowned speaker who teaches and lives on campus. Shabbos afternoon was reserved for catching up on much needed rest and optional classes. As Shabbos ebbed away we gathered together for some singing and a little inspiration. This week we spoke about the how everyone has their unique challenges and opportunities and they go hand in hand. We shared inspiring stories, words of Torah and uplifting singing in a way that only NCSY can. On Saturday Night we went bowling and ate some late night pizza.
Sunday night we held a free throw shooting contest to benefit Chai Lifeline, we raised over $700 and it is still continuing. On Monday we had a sweet trip to Hershey Park, as you can see from the pictures and video it was a sweet day (full of chocolate) with lots of ups, downs, bumps and drops (on all the rides). On Tuesday we went back to sports with an added incentive to burn off all the extra pounds of twizzlers and chocolate we ate. Tuesday night our swimming plans got rained out and we redirected our bus to Seven Mile Market to swim in the sea of kosher food and treats. Wednesday found us back on the road again for a two part trip. The first part of the day was spent at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor taking in the sights and trying to win a scavenger hunt. After a barbecue dinner at historic Federal Hill we went to the Orioles versus Nationals baseball game. In addition to the fun of the game, each NCSYer was assigned a random player and could win points for treats back at camp. Two games for the price of one, and it was a free t-shirt giveaway game, so everyone came home with a prize. On Thursday we had a great day of learning and sports followed by a successful mishmar program of voluntary learning and kugel.
It has been a trying two weeks for Klal Yisroel. The State of Israel has gone from the tragedy of the murder of the three boys to the current difficult situation. We are doing all we can to keep the NCSYers informed of what is going on, to share with them what is happening to the NCSY tours in Eretz Yisroel and to inform them of what they can do to help. We have started a program of “free time” learning that they are doing in memory of the three boys. They are also updated at maariv (evening prayers) about the situation in Israel and are encouraged to take that specific prayer even more seriously as a merit for our brethren in Israel. This week we hope to give them the name of a soldier who they can keep in mind during their prayers and learning. We hope that peace will be restored soon, but we will do all we can until then to help in whatever way we can. If you have any ideas feel free to share them with us.
Have wonderful shabbos ,
Rabbi Jon Green
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