A Letter to My Editor

Laurel-

It was only four months ago, right after Thanksgiving, that a camper of mine jokingly told me that I should write about my thoughts on Yavneh.  I liked the idea, but I had to acknowledge that my writing, in general, is quite terrible. I mix up my words and make silly grammatical mistakes. Every English paper that I wrote in high school had to be reviewed by my mother to make corrections. More importantly, even if I did have enough material to write about, there was no way that I could actually find the motivation to write what I had to say logically and coherently, making sure that everything I wrote was reasonable and thoughtful. I needed someone to help. Someone who knew me well, who could put up with my antics, could challenge me intellectually and offer advice. But I was stuck because I knew how much hard work would have to go into helping me. It would not be a simple: Can you glance at this paper and tell me if it’s ok? There would be so much material, so many posts. And when I asked you, Laurel, and warned you how much time and energy would be involved, I was fully expecting you to say no. You had a job and a life, and frankly at the beginning I could find no reason for you to agree.

But you didn’t. You said yes. And from that point on, Laurel, this passionate project took off. I had so much excitement at the beginning, and you helped me harness it. I had some crazy ideas along the way, and you steered me toward the center. My grammar was, as usual, atrocious, and you corrected it flawlessly. We spoke on the phone for hours trying to figure out the best way to say something or the most effective way to get more people to read the blog, and you were there giving great suggestions. Scheduled or not, Laurel, we always ended up talking at least one or two times a week. I know people who don’t talk to their parents that much.

But more than all of this, more than all of the help you have given me, the thing I care most about is your friendship and your support. I really look forward to every weekly conversation, not only because we talk about Yavneh Theory, but because I get to talk to a friend. We have really become the best of friends since the time you didn’t invite me to your Bat Mitzvah (don’t worry I am over it by now) and seem to work well together in a lot of different situations. We went to high school and sat on student council together. Kerem summer, we were both Roshes on the same team for Maccabiah. Debbie placed both of us in Maalot in 2006, and obviously we were both Kerem 2007 counselors. It’s only natural then, Laurel, that three and half years later, we are working on another project together. I know I can trust you and that you can trust me, and for that we make a really great team.

So here’s to you Laurel. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your help over the past few months and for the few months still ahead of us.

Love—

Yoni

Best. Kerem. Ever. Part 1

At a Yavneh board meeting sometime after this past summer, I heard that Debbie told the board that Kerem 2010 ranked in her top three favorite Kerems of all time. Lo and behold, a few days later it showed up as the status of one of my campers: “I was told this a little while ago, but kept forgetting to post it: apparently, we're in Debbie's top 3 Kerems of all time. She's not wrong, either.” As you can imagine, on that day, the comment was quite popular. It got 9 ‘Likes’ and 8 comments. However, the comment that stood out most to me was one by another one of my campers: “Haha that’s nasty! Who yo think the others are? 04 anddd…” [SIC] Now, as you all know, I was a member of Kerem 2004, but I am not relaying this story to you as a means of tooting my own horn. I am more interested in why my camper automatically assumed that 2004 was in Debbie’s top three at all. What did K’04 do that was so good? What did Kerem 2010 do that warranted Debbie’s comment? Is it even possible to define which Kerem is the best? We, the campers and counselors, talk about it incessantly, and yet we have no real way to determine the answer. This is one of those eternal Yavneh questions that persists every year – no matter how long this question is debated, it remains unresolved. The problem with answering this question is its subjectivity. Either you haven’t been to Kerem yet so a) you have a limited idea of what a “good” Kerem looks like and b) you don’t really know what it means or what it’s like to be in Kerem. Otherwise, you have already been in Kerem and you probably think that your Kerem was the best ever. Even if you are someone on upper staff who has seen many Kerems, and even if you are able to eliminate a bias in favor of a certain Kerem, it is still impossible to get a comprehensive, overarching assessment of a Kerem because they do so much during the summer. Kerem affects every minute aspect of a summer to the extent that no single person can comprehend the overall impact. Therefore, I think it is a fruitless endeavor to either rank the Kerems or tell you which one I think is best. It is impossible for me to remain unbiased about this issue, and frankly my opinion is as good as anyone else’s.

However, the conversation does not end here. It is still possible to assess, completely on a qualitative level, what makes a Kerem better than another. Despite the subjectivity that is nearly impossible to avoid when assessing any Kerem, I can objectively tell you what a Kerem can do in order to succeed. Every Kerem encounters the same problems, but every Kerem chooses to deal with them differently.  Every Kerem has to plan Zim and Mac, run KTV and peulot, deal with social and emotional issues, and learn how to become leaders. However, it’s the manner with which they go about dealing with these issues and how they project themselves to camp that ultimately determine who succeeds and who fails. I have come up with eight different aspects that can determine a Kerem’s performance. All of these are intangible and unquantifiable, but I think that they are important elements of a Kerem’s success. Even though they are all important, I have listed them from least to most important.

8. Cohesive,  inside and out.

It’s pretty obvious why it is important for an aydah to be cohesive. It fosters teamwork, cooperation, etc. Kids who can work together will undoubtedly have a better summer than campers who can’t. However, I would also argue that it is just as important to appear cohesive from the outside as well. As a rosh aydah for two years, one of my rules for my staff was that if we had an internal fight, the kids should never know that we were upset with each other. This rule also applies to the campers that make up the Kerem aydah. Kerem, for 2 months, is putting on a show for the rest of camp. If people see kinks in the armor, reasons to believe that the Kerem kids can’t work together, than they probably aren’t doing a good job leading the camp.

7. Attitude

The aydah as a whole needs to make sure that their collective attitude is ‘We want to be the best Kerem ever.’ They need to want it. More importantly, they have to remain positive when things don’t go their way, as well as understand that they will not be the “best” at everything. Therefore, they need to be able to take criticismand still remain positive.  This is for Kerem’s benefit as well as for the betterment of the entire camp. A lousy attitude is perceptible even to the youngest camper. There is nothing less inspiring than seeing your mentor and leader have a negative attitude.

6. Visible leaders

When I ask, “Who is the face of a particular Kerem?” who comes to mind? Even though Kerem summer is supposed to be a leadership opportunity for everyone, there is no question that some campers emerge as the leaders of the aydah. I feel as though there are two different types of visible leaders, both of which are incredibly important to ensuring a successful aydah. There is the “I love and live for Zimryiah and Maccabiah” type of leaders whom you will see in front of the camp leading a cheer, or spending hours of free time arranging a song and dance (and handmotions). They will actively participate in the behind the scenes work as well take on a more visible role to ensure that they are recognized. The second type of leader is the “I have pretty apathetic-to-average feeling about camp activities, but I am the kid who everyone looks up to in the bunk.” These kids are the center of the social circle, and usually they have an antic or ‘thing that they do’ in front of the camp. These kids focus on the intangible aspects of the summer. I think having an aydah with both of these types of people is critical to success.

5. Identity

The people who have attended camp for years talk about this blurring effect; that each Kerem, after a while, looks and feels the same. One way to curb this, to distinguish one’s Kerem from all the others, is to have and establish some sort of identity. 

·      Stand up for something. As much as the fan fair was mixed for Kerem 2007’s revolution, Kerem 2007 will stand out because of it.

·      Have a personal joke- Look no further than this past year when Kerem 2010 loved a stegosaurs song because Jeremy Tibbetts brought it to camp.  It wasn’t a big deal, but it gave Kerem ’10 character and flavor.

·      Start a “tradition”.[1] Too many to count here (check out this page for a few of the best.  Just realize that for almost all of these things, a single Kerem thought it was a good idea, and after their summer, it stuck.

Stay tuned for 4-1 next week. Can you guess which ones they are? Post in the comments...

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[1] I only use quotation marks here because of my earlier post on Traditions. 

Judaism at Camp: Part 2

This is a continuation from last week:


The Good

Shabbat- A few weeks ago, I asked on my blog poll what are the three great hours of camp. Rather than choosing something that only happens once every summer, 55% of you chose the only item on the list that happens 7 times. Shabbat at Yavneh is extremely unique and memorable. The energy and spirit that are channeled into the day go unmatched, from the moment that kids start getting into Friday Night ruach, all the way through Kabbalat Shabbat, Birkat, Musaf and finally Havdallah. As much as I hate using the word magic when  referring to camp[1] I feel that there really is something magical about the day. Including staff week, but excluding the Shabbatons at camp, I have spent 81 Shabbatot at camp, all having more or less the same feel and structure. The lack of change from one Shabbat to the next actually enhances the experience and creates a feeling of continuity from one Shabbat to the next.  No matter how much things chance inside or outside of camp, Shabbat is a constant and a comfort that we can depend on, week after week.

Hebrew- Even though I know some people might put this in the “Things to Improve” category, I think we really do a good job. We have integrated many Hebrew words into everyday conversation and there is always an emphasis on learning more. That the daily schedule is in Hebrew, the announcements are often in Hebrew, and the D’var Torah in the Orthodox minyan is in Hebrew are all signs that we don’t give ourselves enough credit. Often, the problem is that there are a few people in each aydah who constantly remind us that they don’t know Hebrew, and they resent the fact that they don’t understand much of what is being said. To half of them I would say a little bit of effort goe a long way: most of the Hebrew we use is so repetitive and simple that catching on is far easier than you think. To the other half, I would tell them they should make a good friend who knows Hebrew and can translate for them. I would love to hear more Hebrew used throughout the day. All upperstaff announcements should be in Hebrew, the D’var torah by Kerem during Shabbat Musaf should be in Hebrew, and even though it’s hard, counselors should also try to speak as much Hebrew as they can. Roshei Aydah nominations each week for counselors speaking in Hebrew worked surprisingly well this past summer. Maybe we can pass this system down to the ‘chanichim’ as well. LOL.

Community- One of the strongest features of Camp Yavneh, and part of the reason why this blog is possible, is its community. There is such a cohesive bond between all members of Yavneh that exists solely from a collective memory and a common experience. Even when I question my belief in God, or ask myself why I uphold the Jewish observances that I do, I always know that the reason why I love Judaism so much is because of the community that it cultivates. I know where ever I go in the world, there will always be another Jew that I will have an instant connection to just because I am Jewish. Yavneh, to me, is the epitome of this. The sense of a Jewish community is emphasized over and over again and has really affected me and my commitment to Judaism.

The Not as Good

Holidays- To me, one of the most irritating facts about camp’s overall schedule is the fact that there is only one Jewish holiday that occurs during the summer months, and it happens to be one of the most depressing and sad ones  of all. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is important to learn and be knowledgeable about Tisha B’av. But in the grand scheme of things, there are many more important Jewish holidays during the year, that from an educational perspective, we completely miss out on. I have always imagined how we would celebrate Sukkot by building our own sukkah, or what we would do for the Hakafot for Simcat Torah, or how we would orchestrate a camp-wide Passover seder. There are so many fun and exciting Jewish traditions that we dismiss because they don’t fall during the summer. I don’t know a way to remedy this, but it’s a shame that we miss out on such good learning and experiential opportunities.  Just to note, camps in the South always start a few weeks earlier than those in the North. On years when the Jewish calendar is really late, (like when Tisha B’av falls during Maccabiah), Shavout actually falls during the summer. Someone from Ramah Darom in Georgia was telling about a summer a few years ago when camp started on a Tuesday, and that Thursday/Friday was Shavout. This meant that they had three Shabbat-like days in a row starting on the third day of camp. While in theory, camp couldn’t ask for a better start than that, the Gurim-age kids were completely in the dark aboutwhat was going on.

Translation of Observance- There is a very strong emphasis on observance at camp, especially pertaining to Shabbat activities. Even Shabbat is a very positive Jewish experience, there is usually very little translation of activities and observance from the camp environment to the rest of the year. Once campers and counselors are old enough to make decisions about their own level of observance, most choose not to be, and those that are, are usually affected by another factor. This fact might be indicative of the generation today and the view toward identity versus religious observance. However, I think in camp there should be more structured conversations about how to bring the Yavneh culture back home.

Charity- It has always annoyed me that there is a minimal effort at camp for actual Tikun Olam opportunities. Every summer, each aydah is required to do a Tikum Olam project. Some are more substantial like a book drive, going from bunk to bunk and raising Tzedakah, and piñata making out of papier-mâché. Others are not as Tikun Olam-oriented, things like painting a fence, Maalot-Gurim buddies, or creating the Mechitza each year. Even though every summer there are one or two that are half decent, almost all of them are contrived and require an art project that a Kfirim kid will forget about within 5 minutes. I know in 2009 the roshei arayot, Aaron Lyon and Ayelet Schieber, tried as hard as they could to find a place to bring their kids to engage in a meaningful Tikun Olam activity. Besides the financial constraint of providing a bus, they had a very difficult time finding a place close enough to camp that would take an aydah of 13year-olds.  We are instructed in the roshes room to only think about in-camp projects, but ultimatelyI’m not sure thatcreating a pretty piece of artwork constitutes repairing the world. The only real significant event that Yavneh allows is when Kerem has the opportunity to participate in a breast cancer walk at York Beach. Usually kids are asked to raise money before camp, but this past summer I had each camper participate in a phone-a-thon during the camp session. They were instructed to call 3 people (usually family members) and ask for sponsorships.  Each kid took an active role in raising money, and as usual, had a great time on the walk, but more importantly they were able to take ownership of the project and felt they made a difference. We ended up raising more than $4,000, well outpacing Kerems of the past. We need more events like this. I propose organizing a camp wide walk-a-thon around a section of Northwood where we would invite Northwood residences to raise money for a Jewish cause and local cause. Kids should be given the opportunity to call home and raise money, as well as contribute a dollar or two of their own. If done correctly, this event could be a wild success, it just needs a bit of planning , energy and vision.

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[1] I have a whole theory about the feeling of magic at camp. If you want to know what it is, check back in a few weeks for an upcoming blog entry. 

Judaism at Camp: Part 1

When you meet someone who attended an overnight summer camp chances are the camp they attended was Jewish. Even if the camp wasn’t officially Jewish, most often the campers who attend are from Jewish households.[1] It certainly isn’t a coincidence that going to summer camp is a Jewish phenomenon, but as someone who has no background in the history of Jewish summer camps, I can only guess that it has something to do with our parents, or our grandparents wanting to celebrate our Jewish heritage after the Holocaust. Our grandparents would ship our parents away so we can learn, share and experience Jewish ideas and culture, and no we are going to camp for the same reason.  The continuity between generations is beautiful, and camp is the perfect place to carry on that intergenerational connectivity, Jewish or not.

As we all know, Yavneh has highlighted the centrality of Judaism, while also marketing it as a typical overnight camp. As I like to say to people who have never heard of Yavneh before, “We do summer camp with a big Jewish twist,” and usually people understand what I mean. To highlight my point, this is a list of Jewishly -relevant activities or programs that occur at Yavneh every day: Mifkad, Tfilot, Birkat x3, Kitah, Optional Mincha Maariv, and often a chinuch peulah. This does not even include Shabbat when the whole day is structured around Jewish programming. For someone who comes from an unobservant home or from a background with minimal Jewish education, Yavneh seems infused with Judaism at every possible nook and cranny.  However, for someone who attended Solomon Schecter/Gann Academy/Maimonides the transition from Jewish observance at home to that of our camp is quite natural. Because of this discrepancy, there is constant push/pull between teaching about our heritage versus engaging those who already know these traditions  backwards and forwards

While considering the Jewish culture at Yavneh, I have thought of four things that we do really well and four things that I think either are lacking or need improvement. I would like to begin with a quote by Josh Basseches who has aptly put into words what I also feel about the Judaism at camp: “I think when it comes to Judaism as a broad, category the things that Yavneh does well far outweigh the things that it doesn’t. If someone asked me what has been the single biggest thing that has shaped your Jewish identity I would respond, ‘Camp Yavneh.’  I did USY, and I grew up in a somewhat observant family, and these were all amazing experiences, but camp is the place where Judaism is the closest to me. It’s not because of kitah or how much I've learned about facts about Judaism nor because I learned t'fillot at Yavneh or didn't learn t'fillot at Yavneh, but it’s because of the intangibility of the spirituality that exists every summer. That is what Judaism means to me, and that is what I hold on to.”

NOTE: This post will be divided into two. I will give one example of something Yavneh does well, and one example of something Yavneh doesn’t do so well. Next week I will post the 6 remaining categories.

The Good

Informal Education/Kitah- Getting kids to sit down and learn during the summer, when all they really want to do is run around and socialize, is one of the hardest things that teachers and counselors have to do. However, once we are able to overcome the initial distress of having a kitah or chinuch peulah, the learning that occurs is fantastic. At least over the past few years that I have really paid attention, the teachers that Yavneh hires for the summer session are fantastic. Of course everyone has their own personal experience,[2] but for the most part they know how to engage the campers and stimulate good conversation and learning. Never in my life would I have guessed that at Yavneh one Shabbat afternoon this past summer, five of my kids would be late to lunch because they were learning text. I am certainly not saying that this is typical, but the fact there are teachers out there who know how to create these positive learning environments is extraordinary. In addition, when roshes and counselors have the opportunity to  program for their respective aydot, they are able to incorporate topics relevant to their campers interests. The success of teaching often relies on how well the teacher knows his audience – nobody knows these campers better than the counselors themselves.

The Not So Good

Prayer- Just like learning, getting kids to engage in prayer everyday is challenging. However, unlike our educational program, I think we fail to provide a good method of achieving meaningful prayer. To be honest, going through the full Shacharit service every day is a drag for everyone. Unless you grew up in a home in which it was required to pray regularly everyday,this is a very difficult activity for many campers to get used to incorporating into their daily schedules. Trying to grapple with the real meaning of prayer takes years of experience and practice, and cannot be learned sitting in a hot room with your friends fidgeting just as uncomfortably next to you. I understand that some parents want their kids to daven regularly or learn how to lead the prayers, but when everyone is either spacing out, talking with friends, or asleep, and the same 10 kids in each minyan are the Shalichei Tzibor, it does not foster a health environment for practice or learning. In order to make use of these forty five minutes every morning, we need to be change our methods  and break out of our old, antiquated system of “sit and repeat.” I don’t care if this is not what Jewish synagogues are doing in their congregations - we need to engage the kids, not push them away. Rather than having our teachers walk around and watch the kids pray, lets have break out sessions 3 days a week to learn about different topics in prayer. As I said previously, we have fantastic teachers, and we should utilize their talents in all realms of learning, including Tfillot. What is my proposed schedule? Have Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays in the breakout sessions. Have Tuesdays (only because of trip day) and Thursdays be regular davening and on Thursday make sure someone is prepared to lead an engaging conversation about the parsha. Leave Fridays (Iyun Tifilah ) and Saturdays as is, even though Shabbat mornings also drag as well. One step at a time.

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[1] Unless of course it is a Christan camp.

[2] If you have a different experience, please comment. (Really, if you have a different opinion about anything I write in this entry or any others, please comment!)

[3] I have a whole theory about the feeling of magic at camp. If you want to know what it is, check back in a few weeks for an upcoming blog entry. 

Three out of six

Here are three out of six of the Shir Aydot that I picked in my top 5. Thank you Aaron Lyon for the audio for the first two.

Maalot 01

Kerem 04

Kerem 10 (video starts at 1:08)

Top Five (Top Six): Shir Aydah

Update: When I put out a poll a few weeks ago asking if anyone wanted to write an entry, I got a few people who responded yes. If you are actually interested, (even if you don't have a topic per say) let me know (email is the best way - yoni.h.silverman at gmail dot com) . Anyone K'11 and older can write if they want.


How do you win Shir Aydah?

I think the answer to this question depends on the musical talent[1] of the counselors or Kerem more so than for the other Zimriyah song categories. For an older aydah, the more complicated the song, the better the result. It is relatively easy for an aydah with musically knowledgeable members to reap the benefits of creating a great mash up[2]. I think these types of songs gives an aydah the best chance to win. Hands down.

However, most people don’t have extremely musical people in their adyah. So what do they do? I see two different options. One option is taking the route of Maalot ‘07 and Maalot ‘05 by making a medley, which musically is not as complicated as a mashup, but actually has a similar effect. Once again, usually this type of song choice wins due to the apparent difficulty of the arrangement.  In fact, all six mash-ups/ medleys that have been done over the past 10 years (including Gurim’s “Grease” medley) have placed in the top three, which includes four first place finishes, one second and one third.[3] [4]

The other way to do it is to find that perfect song. I personally think that ‘80s music is a fantastic choice. These are all of the winners or second places who used music from the 80’s: Maalot ‘01 (1^st), Arayot ‘02 (2^nd), Kerem ‘05 (2^nd), Maalot ‘06 (1^st), Kerem ‘07 (2^nd), Kerem ‘08 (1^st), Maalot ‘08 (2^nd). If you include the five songs that got top 2 finishes from the mash-up/medleys, then a combination of these categories represents 60% of top two finishes over the past 10 years.  Wow. What is it about ‘80s music that works so well for Zimriyah?  First of all, most ‘80s music is very sing-able. Many of these songs start out with a slow build-up, have a really fast-pace chorus, slow down for the bridge, and go all out for the final chorus. It’s the epitome of a good arrangement for Zimriyah, no tweaking necessary.

What doesn’t work for Shir Aydah? If you can’t sing it in English, it’s probably not a god choice. If the aydah can’t sing it or learn it, they will fail. In general I don’t think the Beatles[5] or for that matter most 60’s music are particularly good choices. Rap or Hip/ Hop: No. Slow Music: No. I guess it its pretty obvious the things that won’t work, because as described before, there is a particular song arrangement that is perfect for Zimriyah. Anything outside of this arrangement will most likely not work.

1. Maalot ‘01- Like a Prayer, Place for Song: 1^st, Overall: 3^rd.

No question, this was the best song ever performed at Zimriyah. This song went well beyond the “best song of the summer” type. The implication of Maalot 02’s performance is removed from even the Camp Yavneh bubble. My best friend Jonah Liben, who has only stepped foot at Yavneh once over his whole life[6], still can sing me the song 10 years later. This is totally wild that someone, completely unaffiliated with Camp Yavneh, can sing a Zimriyah song a decade after it was performed. This was the broader impact that this song had.

In order to do the song justice, I asked Mera Sussman, K’02 to help me give a run down of the song.

 “You can thank Micah Shapiro for this history making Shir Aydah. Micah comes from a background of beat boxing and a capella as a former member of the Tufts a capella group. Micah took all those skills together to not only create this Shir Aydah but also win himself Melech Zimriyah in 2001. This song was made up of harmonies, a capella, beat boxing, solos (infamous Jon Safran solo with one hand over his ear as he sang similar to Boyz II Men), rounds and some great hand motions.  (WRITER’S NOTE: Even though almost all of these are staples of Zimriyah performances nowadays, remember that most of these were novelties in Zimriyah back then.)  This was the one and only time this aydah came together and through hard work and dedication produced one of the best shir aydot of all time. After this Shir Aydah was premiered in 2001 it became a camp staple as something sang in the bunks, chadar ochel and even KTV.”[7]

These guys revolutionized the meaning of a Zimriyah song, not only was the melody catchy and singable,[8] they had an intense passion about the whole song. It is so clear to me that “Like a Prayer” was the gateway to what we know Zimriyah is today.

2. Arayot 09- Heartless/Live your Life/All the above, Place for Song: 1^st, Overall: 1^st

When Neal Freyman told me about this song early in to camp that summer, I didn’t really understand the implications. Even after they pulled off the victory for the song as well as for Zimriyah as a whole, I didn’t fully comprehend that it was really that good. After listening to it afterward though, it really clicked. I already articulated how important mash-ups and medleys are, so I’ll spare you a second rant, but doing what Arayot did that summer has completely redefined what a great Zimriyah song is. Listening to the song again, it was cool how they flawlessly transitioned between the different songs. As if they were all meant to be one song in the first place. Counselors know now what they are up against, and if Maalot ‘11 does not win Zimriyah with another masterpiece, I will be quite surprised.

3. Kerem ‘04- Mr. Blue Sky Place for Song 1^st, Overall Place: 2^nd 

Kerem ‘10- All These…/Kim Possible/I’ve Gotta Feeling, Place for Song: 2^nd, Overall: 2^nd

Maalot ‘06- Heaven is a Place on Earth, Place for Song: 1^st, Overall: 1^st

Kfirim ‘06- Every Time we Touch, Place for Song: 2^nd, Overall: DNP

Mr. Blue Sky- What does whistling, pretending to be in a trance, boys singing in falsetto, and repeating the best stand up of all time[9] have in common? Yep, that’s right, Kerem ‘04’s Shir Aydah. This song was funky as well as totally weird, but it turned out to be a fantastic song. It started with David Webber repeating the stand up from the previous summer in which sung to tune Ode To Joy but instead of using the German words, he used our names and called us out one by one.[10] As alluded to at the beginning, we really used tricks that aydot don’t often use when it comes to Zimriyah. And the only reason we could was because of how weird the song was, and encouragement from our equally-weird counselors,  Jon Gradman and Josh Kirstein.  They certainly inspired us to think out of the box - when it came to Zimriyah and everything else - and I think this song’s performance was certainly influenced by them.

All These…/Kim Possible/I’ve Gotta Feeling - A little back story to the making of this song: Originally, Kerem just wanted to do Kim Possible, but after telling them that it was not the best song, they put their thinking hats on and came up with a very complicated arrangement that the aydah just could not pull off. It interwove three songs by pulling out the certain segments and layering them with segments from other songs. It was really an amazing accomplishment. And as objective as I can possibly be for this[11], I do think that this song  is inherently better than the song that Leviim performend that year. It was far more complicated, had more parts, and more overlapping sections where the aydah was effectively singing multiple songs at once. But overall, I think two things doomed it to a non-first place finish. First, Kerem screamed, rather than sang, parts of the song. Second, one of the judges came up to me afterward and asked what song it was. Right then, I knew we had lost because it was mashed up too well and became too subtle. Yes, I will say it, I can completely see how Leviim deserved to win for this Shir Aydah in 2010, but at the same time, I don’t know how much better, on paper, a song could actually be. It just shows you that execution in Zimriyah is everything, and clearly Leviim knew how to get it done.

Heaven is Place on Earth- I remember the exact place on the highway up to Acadia National Park when five counselors driving in the van produced the clinching lyrics to this song. I know in hindsight that lyrics don’t really matter, but at the time, we needed the best of the best. We were trying to think of a pun between Maalot, Stairs, heaven, and staircase to heaven and we were having a very difficult thinking of them in Hebrew. But finally, with an inspiration from a local pizza bathroom in the middle of Maine, we got it. “Beyachad Machanenu/Gan Eden Beolamainu/Anachu Hamalachim/ Al Maalot Lashamyim. ”  In English it reads, together we are a camp/ heaven on earth/ we are the angels/ on a staircase  (Maalot) to heaven. Beautiful. Too bad judges don’t understand Hebrew when 51 kids scream it at them. I honestly think we could have said gibberish for that entire verse and it wouldn't have made any difference. We won with intense energy and passion. We had a few gimmicks along the way, but mostly this Maalot really wanted it. This is also a good place to mention that Maalot ‘06 is the only aydah in a given year with two top 15 choices. In addition, songs fromZimriyah ‘06 had 5 top 15. I guess I really liked Zim ‘06.

Every Time we Touch- I love it because it is so cute when Kfirim does a good job, because for the rest of the summer all they want to do is get up in the Chadar Ochel and sing…. Not. But in reality, they did a great job, and the only reason why they didn’t win was because Maalot beat them out by a hair. I remember right after this song came out, my sister and I would debate in the car ride to New Jew/Gann the validity of whether this would be a good Zimirah song. We ended up agreeing it would only be good for a younger aydah did it because it is too simple for Leviim-Kerem. I guess we were right. Even though I wasn’t in that aydah, and even though it is more than 4 years later, I can still sing that chorus and do the funky hand motions with my fingers. Yeah, you know hand motions I am talking about.

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[1] By this I mean music composition and theory.

[2] Remember, mash, not medley. Mashing is significantly harder.

[3] Now if this doesn’t convince you that medleys and mash-ups work, nothing else can.

[4] The only second place win (Kerem 2010) would have been first if Leviim didn’t have (or mashup of their own.

[5] Yes, Maalot ‘07 won with a Beatles medley. But, first and for most, it was a medley.

[6] Jonah grew up at Camp Ramah, New England. The only time he came to Yavneh was when Machon, the aydah equivalent to Maalot, came to visit Yavneh for an inter-camp sleepover. I not going to go into all of the details, but let’s just say this will never happen again.

[7] Yep, Leviim ‘02, the girls in my adyah, did this song for KTV and won.

[8] You bet it was an eighties song.

[9] There is no question that the standup that my aydah did in 2003 was the best stand up I have ever seen.

[10] This “motion to stand” started by David Webber, has been used multiple including most recently in 2009. Talk about an epic stand up.

[11] Which is obviously up for debate considering I was their Rosh. 

Top Five- Shir Yisraeli

Please fill out all 3 polls so I can gauge what I should be writing more about.

How do you win Shir Yisraeli?

More than any other Zimriyah song category, I believe that Shir Yisraeli is won by the actual song chosen to be performed. Usually there is not much embellishment (except for Kerem ‘03, to be discussed later) which means pretty standard hand motions and minimal H/S[1], Now, if you asked me last year, I would have said that over the past 5 years, Shir Yisraeli is won in one of two ways. Either you’re Gurim and you pick a cute song that everyone knows, or you pick a super emotional song that represents Israel’s pain and sorrow with a subtle, positive outlook, reflected in both the lyrics as well as the music. Here’s proof: starting in 2005 Leviim won with Zirchonot shel Africa, a song by Ethiopian children documenting their journey to Israel. In 2006 Kerem won with Emtza Ha Liela, a song about the current situation in Israel. In 2007 and 2008 Gurim won with Yerusalim shel Zahav and Elli Elli.[2] And in 2009 Kerem won with Mitachat Lashamayim about a relationship that is plagued by hardship, but ultimately the relationship is rekindled.

After 2009, things changed. This past summer, Leviim did a song a by an Israeli boy band, and Kerem did a song about the African Jungle. Both songs in their own way were very new. I like the change, and I hope it is a sign of what’s to come in the Shir Yisraeli category.

How do you lose Shir Yisraeli? Nowadays? Mashina or anything like Mashina. Period.

 Best Shir Yisraeli

1. Kama Ahava - Leviim ‘10, Place for song: 1^st, Overall: 1^st

Beautiful. One of the only songs from which I think an aydah could have made money. As I mentioned before, this song falls into that whole new genre of Shir Yisraeli music that has yet to be explored for Zimriyah. I expect that in coming years, counselors and Kerem alike will be looking at songs like this one to decide what constitutes  ‘good’ Shir Yisraeli. There is no question that Kerem ‘12 is setting the bar high.

2. Halo Ya’akov- Maalot ‘02, Place for Song: 2nd, Overall Place: 1st

This is the only song in the top 15 (5 per song category) that I have had a really hard time finding on the Internet. I did find one website that has a translation to a song about Jacob called Halo Yaakov, and considering I remember the activities that Maalot ’02 incorporated into their performance, I am betting that it is the same song. But more than anything else, I remember the effect this song had on the entirety of camp. The lasting outcome of a song is so much more important than most things in Zimriyah when it comes to creating a legacy. Just like Rakevet/ HaSharm el-Sheikah, Kerem ‘03 really knew how to push the envelope and demonstrated this ability with their choice of Shir Yisraeli. During the song, Yehuda Lerea dressed up as Jacob in the Bible, did a short rap number, accompanied by severalgirls in his aydah who were dressed up as angels climbing a ladder.  Even the fog machine made an appearance. It was really cool and creative, and regardless of the fact that it wasn’t exactly singing , I think these types of performances have a significant effect on how people should think about Zimriyah. It’s a performance as much as it is a singing competition.

3. Rakevet/HaSharm el-Sheikah-Kerem ‘03, Place for song 2^nd, Overall: 2^nd 

Emtza Ha-Laila- Kerem ‘06, Place for Song: 1^st, Overall Place: 2nd

Ani Esh- Kerem ‘08, Place for Song: 3^rd , Overall Place:  1st

Rakevet/ HaSharm el Sheikah - Even just 8 years ago, a song that won Shir Yisraeli (or should have won in 2003[3]) really has no place anymore in Zimriyah ^[4]. Kerem ‘03 combined a very somber political song with a fantastic, upbeat, rock song called Rakevet by Mashina. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but both refer to places in Egypt. Two things really stood out for me about this performance. First, In the middle of the song, there was a part where they all sang ohh ohh ohh…. While doing this, the aydah swayed back and forth together. It was totally mesmerizing. Second, after the swaying segment, the entire aydah ducked down, leaving Jeff Cohen standing as he screamed, “Gila, Gila Kogah Bodi (Gila Gila Kogi’s Body).” At the time, it seemed like jibberish and I only know what the words are because I looked them up. Even now they mean nothing, but at the time, it was a huge statement of power. I absolutely thought Kerem ‘03 had that song in the bag. Clearly the judges thought differently.

Emtza Ha-Laila-  Going into it, I really thought that Arayot (with Ani Yachol La’oof) was going to win this song. However, Kerem delivered a really nice performance with Emtza Ha-Laila. It was melodious and emotional, and I think perfectly represents what the judges want to see for Zimriyah. Josh Goldman, dressed as an Israeli soldier, held up an Israeli flag throughout the performance. It gave the song a beautiful and memorable feel.

Ani Esh- Although gurin wom Shir Yisraeli in 2008 with Elli Elli and Leviim placed second ith Od Nageah, I think Kerem 2008's perfrmance of Ani Esh is certainly up there for the most beautiful songs ever done at Zimriyah. the song didn’t  necessarily have that a “wow” factor that most of the others in these rankings did, but I do remember thinking that I wished most songs in Zimriyah were like this one. It was just a feel good song.

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[1] Harmonies/Solos

[2] Come on. Really? Yerusalim Shel Zahav and Elli Elli? And they won with that?

[3] Even though my aydah swept Zimriyah as Maalot ‘03, I am the first one to say that Kerem deserved to win for Shir Israeli that year. Shir Le Shalom doesn’t compare to the creativity that was their medley.

[4] The staff for Maalot ‘08 decided that Mashina (same band who performed Rakevet), was a good choice for Zimriyah. It wasn’t. Zimriyah in the five years since this song has certainly morphed into a different type of category with similarly evolved expectations.