Shmulie's Judaica Shop

So at Kutz, i tried on some Tzit Tzit for the experience, and to remind me to be holy - in other words, make moral decisions, and think about my actions.  So I decided to go and buy a pair.  On my way home from my senior portrait brought me down Pico Street, or as locals know it - the Chood.  This is the jewland of beverly hills, and houses such restaurants as 'Eilat Burger', 'milk and honey' and 'pico kosher deli'.  The area also holds Shmulie's Judaica Shop - with everything you need to be jewish.

The moment i walked in it was a complete environment change - from the sweltering 90 degree weather outside, to the air conditioned climate inside.  Everything was jewish - there were little kids playing with kippot on their heads, amused by the action figure of 'mitzvah man'.  The walls were coated in jewish literature, and there were basketfuls of kippot and talitot.  I, a somewhat ignorant of the orthodox lifestyle REFORM Jew felt out of place to some degree, and even more awkward as the bearded stereotypical orthodox man asked me what he could help me with.  "yeah, where are your tzit tzit"? i asked.  to which he responded, "right over here, are you ashkenazi or sephardic"?   I told him i was ashkenazi and he found me a pair of tzit tzit - but they were all cloth, and that wouldn't be to nice to wear on a hot summer day.  

We quibbled over the size - 18 it was decided.  Now, what kind of material he asks.  I told him i would like mesh, because it's not very hot, nor is it heavy.  No such luck.  They only had size 18 in cotton, or they had sort of an undershirt with tzit tzit hanging off.  finally, the guy brings out a mesh pair of tzit tzit - size 14.  They fit well enough, so i say ok.  as i'm buying it the man gives me a post card showing the three kidnapped Israeli Soldiers.  I tell him i already am aware and show him my bracelet with their names and my dogtag showing the same.  He said, "Great! So you can send in a post card!"  "no, i'm alright, i've already written to my governor many times about the issue - and i went to the rally in New York".  I tell him i've been at Jewish Leadership Camp and he laughs at the name 'Kutz'.  "What is that, somebody's name?  what?"  i tell him i don't know, thank him, and get the hell out of there.  On one hand - i don't know the difference between ashkenazi and sephardic, but on the other - i'm wearing a pair of tzit tzit so i guess i balance out. 

Thank's David Rose-Carmack

I guess this isn't going to be the end of my blog, i find important jewish issues in my life every day, and i can't really post them on my livejournal b/c people who ready my lj don't care about jew stuff.  So this is my jew blog.  Here's the latest issue:

I've been interviewing some people whom i find at least somewhat knowledgeable about judaism, and asking what the difference is between Reform and Conservative Judaism. No, this is not another way for me to prove NFTY is better than USY, but i'm seriously interested. I know of many a jew who considers themselves conservative, yet follows none of the guidelines set by the movement, and furthermore, agrees with reform principles on many issues, and visa versa. So what's the deal?

The answers that i've gotten go somewhat like this: Reform bends halacha and picks and chooses what they agree with and what is antiquated. Conservative is more binding with the jewish laws, but not as binding as those crazy ultra orthodox people. Plain and simple - people think Reform is lazy, and conservative is more strict. Here's my problem - it seems to me that unless you're really involved in your movement's happenings, and know what's up, THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. Personally, i think that everyone is a reform jew, and its just to what extent that separates you from the rest - and that level of observance is characterized by movements. I can explain this reasoning later if wanted.

I guess this is going to turn into a rant because i think that this problem, of labeling yourself before you know what's going on, is a big one; You can't call yourself a horse unless you look and act like one, otherwise you're just another idiot who wants to be ridden. hah.

I think the key to this problem is education, and a key phrase: Choice through Knowledge - educating yourself about a subject and making a decision based on that information. Obviously this is a vague and idealistic game plan, but even if it could be executed to the smallest degree more, maybe we could call the progress. If you want to call yourself Reform - you have to know that it's not synonymous with the words lazy and picky, also going for Conservative. 

So my hope and challenge to anybody who reads this is: Learn about your movement, get educated, and find out what YOU think about the subjects. Don't just look at the CCAR Reform Jewish principles of 1997 and say this is what i believe, find out what's good, and what's shitty, and what makes sense...to YOU. You don't have to let a movement define you, in fact, DON'T let a movement define you (said by DRC), but learn about the ideals of Reform or COnservative, and make a decision based on that, i guarantee you'll be happier if you know what's going on.

iTorah

Hey you guys, So one of the rabbis at my camp emailed me to ask me to write this thing called an iTorah - its basically a drash that gets emailed to everyone on the list every friday. Mine is supposed to be about how judaism and nature connect with a tie in to sukkot, and my experience at Kutz. I'd love to hear your opinions and critiques - Shira - not too scathing ok? Here it is and keep in mind its only a rough draft:

Are Judaism and nature related? How does this connect to Sukkot?

Unless you have spent much time at The URJ Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life, or specialize in the subject, it seems to me that Judaism and nature don’t seem to cross paths a whole lot. Services are usually inside of a building, and apart from the whole ‘living in the wilderness for 40 years’ part, Nature, in my view, takes a backseat in our lives.
I’d like to tell a story that my Teva teacher, at Kutz told me: There was once a boy and his grandfather, and every day they would go to pray at their local synagogue. And every day, right before the Amidah, the boy would, silently, sneak out the back door of the synagogue and walk into the woods surrounding. Now, the boy had gotten very good at sneaking off so as not to disturb those praying, but after a while, his grandfather noticed. So one day the grandfather decided to find out where the boy was going, and right on mark, just before the amidah, the boy crept out the back door of the synagogue, but this time, the grandfather followed him. He followed the boy deep into the woods, until the boy stopped, and started davvining, praying the amidah. After waiting for the boy to finish praying, the grandfather confronts him, asking, “child, why do you go out into the woods for the amidah? Don’t you know that God and see and hear you no mater where you are”? to which the boy responds, “yes, grandfather, but out here is where I can see and hear God”.
Although God can supposedly see and hear us anywhere, it was in nature that the boy felt most connected, and it was in nature that the boy was really able to see holiness in everything. 
A great aspect about the holiday of Sukkot is that we are commanded to live in booths, temporary and flimsy shelters outside of the normal comforts of our concrete and metal houses, outside of our normal routine. A sukkah is more of a tent than a house, considering that tents are also just flimsy shelters in the wilderness. Sukkot is a harvest holiday, in which we celebrate the produce that we have been able to reap, and we thank God for this.
I had the privilege to go to Camp Kutz this summer, to make friends from all across the country, to learn and grow as a reform Jew and as a person. One of the aspects of Kutz is that we have a major for 2 hours a day, and this major can be one of many things, for my second session, I chose the new and unique Teva Experience – Teva meaning nature in Hebrew. In my major I was able to connect to Judaism through the wonder of being outside. Despite the obvious bonuses of being able to go river rafting and rock climbing, I had the opportunity to learn how Judaism connects to the natural world around it. Every day we learned something new, and every day we slowly became more aware of God’s presence in everything around us. It’s hard to look around in your kitchen and say that that Styrofoam cup is holy, but to look down see that the forest floor is actually a cycle of life and death – the dead leaves and twigs providing an environment for new plants to grow and flourish – that is divine.
Maybe, just maybe, Sukkkot is not just all about harvesting fruit, maybe it’s about bringing you closer to nature so that you can find that divinity in everything. So here is my challenge to you: You don’t have to conduct services in the middle of the woods – although it is a wonderful experience - , but every once in a while, take a second in your normally busy and hectic lives, to appreciate the beauty of Gods creations. Luckily, you have a holiday coming up where you’re commanded to be outside, so appreciating nature might be a little bit easier, considering you’re in it.
Happy Holidays,
Ben Zimmerman

Last Post?

Since the blog is entitled 'Kutzalicious Blogtime' and i'm not at Kutz anymore.....I guess this is where i have to realize that i'm back in real life and the roller coaster of Kutz has come to an end and led way to the flatline of my everyday life.  My life isn't that boring, really, but compared to Kutz....

I feel kind of bad, because i have no PKD - Post Kutz Depression.  Last year i had it bad and this year i guess i've become a cold emotionless bastard.  I think that the reasoning is that Kutz this summer drained me, it drained me dry.  Here's what i think:  Last year, because it was my first year at Jewish Leadership camp, and because of the people, my summer was about defining my jewish identity, and growing as a reform jew and as a person.  It was a completely new and exciting environment.  This summer was not as new.  I think that this summer taught me how be better at social stuff, but i also think a BIG chunk of my summer was devoted to problem solving. Dealing with other peoples problems - big ones to boot, and my disappointment with the programs this summer, both contributed to the feeling and reality of being burnt out.  I hate to say it, but i reached my limit at the URJ Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life.

So maybe i'm not a cold emotionless bastard, for not missing kutz, and not missing my friends as much as they seem to miss me - maybe that does make me cold, but i'm done.  Its hard because i don't want to convey that i'm just tossing my Kutz friends by the wayside and saying, "i'm done with you", but i think that for now, i'll chill out, and wait for PKD to come in a couple of months, when i'm hating my real life and wishing for friends who appreciate and understand me to the extent that nobody here ever could.  I thank EVERYONE who contributed to my Kutz Experience - even if you weren't at Kutz and you made me think about something i learned, and especially if you were at Kutz.  I can say that i will devote my time and energy to ensure that those after me have the same life-changing experience at Kutz as i did.

You Stay Classy Kutz Camp, and thanks for everything.

Sorry?

Aight so i've been so busy that i havent had time to check my blog or write on it.

A little background: Me, Rachel Wolman, Josh Levine, and Gaby decided it would be a memorable experience to, at 5:00 in the morning, go on top of the roof of the tron, and watch the sunrise. Inevitably, after a few days, we got caught, and as a result we had to write an essay about how what we did was stupid. Heres my essay:

Ben Zimmerman
8/1/2007
The Union of Reform Judaism and the North American Federation of Temple Youth’s Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish teen life
To: Mike Fuld – Head Resident Advisor and all around cool guy (not flattery)

Stupidity: a contemplative and analytical essay about the thought process of teenagers today

Teenager. The word is synonymous with rebellion, pimples, and idiocy – in the following instance, idiocy will be addressed, along with rebellion (I don’t think acne would be relevant in this case). First off, I would like to acknowledge that as teenagers, we have the ability to spend our respective summers goofing off and not working towards the betterment of our people or ourselves, yet, here we find ourselves, individuals aspiring to lead the masses. Now, with that out of the way, I can move on to the incident. This essay is going to entail the various issues of health, respect and responsibility, all of which relate to each other, but are separate issues at the same time.
During a normal day here at Kutz, we have the privilege of access to a nurse at any time, to whom we can come to for any variety of health concerns. The nurse is trained in the practice of divvying up pills, diagnosing the Kutz Crud, and bandaging up sprained ankles and cuts. At 4:47 in the morning, the nurse is neither awake nor around to lend her services to the people. For this reason, climbing a rusty and rickety ladder to the top of a 30 foot, 50 year old building and walking on its 45 degree slanted roof glistening with dew, over a lake containing diseases as of yet undefined and not discovered, was, to be eloquent and concise, stupid. Our health was jeopardized in this act, any number of things could have gone wrong in which we needed medical attention, so many in fact that it is useless to even try to list them. I thank God that nobody was hurt, and I do realize that we are extremely lucky, because the chance of something going wrong was extremely high. This, of course, recognized in hindsight, like an average teenager – act first, deal with the consequences later – not a good process.
As a rule, there is a certain time frame in which we, as participants, need to be and stay in our cabins. This rule, like all rules, needs to be respected, for it was created to keep us in line, and from doing stupid things, like this particular incident. I would like to recognize that in this, I did not respect either the rule to keep us out of trouble, nor did I respect the staff of this camp, whose job it is to enforce the rule. It is now that I realize the importance of this rule – to keep kids from doing stupid things – like us.
The next issue to be addressed is that of responsibility. I, as a participant of Kutz, an incoming senior, a firm believer of following morals before emotions, and a Jew, have the responsibility to model the best behavior, respect the property, and maintain a good reputation for this fine institution. The Tron is a building of great age, and an unknown amount of durability. 4 half grown individuals on the roof of it was not only endangering their safety, but the integrity of the Teatron’s structure and stability. By walking on the roof of the Tron, we disregarded our responsibility to take care of our surroundings. Also, had one of us been hurt, god forbid, we would have damaged Kutz’s reputation as a safe and secure place for Jewish teens around the country.
I recognize and take responsibility for my actions, and the inanity of them, and would like to apologize to you, Mike Fuld, and anyone who reads this, and I will make a brit to myself, and, if wanted, to Kutz, to show that I will not engage in any stupid activities, and will be nothing but a good role model and participant from now on. Everyone makes mistakes, some mistakes bigger from the other, but the point of mistakes is to learn from them, and I believe that I have learned from my mistake earlier on in the week.

Also, a lot of shit has been going on here.

One more thing, i was informed that some staff members were also kicked out of camp for a breach of contract. I only know who one of the people is, and don't know for what, but i respect thier privacy.

Theres 2 days left in camp, and i'm ready to come home - thats not to say im not having fun, im just burnt the #### out.

PS, i ran a program with my major today and it turned out terribly - i think the blame can be put on one person, but i don't want to say their name nor do i want to say what happened.

Ouch?

Here at the URJ Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life, everyone has a major, in which they spent 2 hours of the morning. I'm in Teva, which in hebrew means Nature. This program is supposed to give us an appreciation of Nature through Jewish Values and such, plus we get to go on 2 camping trips, one river rafting, and the other rock climbing. Yesterday and the night prior was the river rafting trip, where 6 people per raft would float downriver for about 9 miles. Unfortunately, we forgot about the power of the sun, and none of us wore sun tan lotion. I find myself burned on just on and around the kneecaps, a very specific, and intense burn which is not comfortable in any way. Also my shoulders got pretty red, so, i'm in pain to say the least.

Oh i forgot: One of the israeli kids, Itai (pronounced ee-tie) is kind of a joker and has been giving me wedgies, and random, unnecessecary, painful and annoying chest pumps, much like one preforming CPR. So, as a result, i decided to give him a present. I duct taped him to his bed, along with my friend Micah. first, he was sucure, and all was well, but then a kid from the cabin Itai is in came into our bunk and told us he woke up, tore all the duct tape off, and was swearing in hebrew. In retrospect, i think this would have been a good time to call a quits, but no, Micah and I decided to tape him again. So, Itai sleeps on the top bunk, and another israeli, Tom, sleeps on the bottom. Micah and I taped up Itai mostly, until he woke up - Shit. SO instantly Micah and I jump onto Toms bed, and wait, trying to hold in our hysterical laughter - but to no avail. During the times when we could control our laughter, we just heard ripping sounds coming from above us, and each time we heard this, we started laughing harder. Once again, stupidly, after 5 minutes of silence, we started taping him again, we should have waited for him to get into a deeper sleep. After the 1st piece of tape, he jumps up and starts yelling, and i run to go hide in a corner, and micah hides in the most obvious and stupid spots, the bathroom - a dead end. Itai gets down from his bed, and walks into the bathroom, fuming, and thankfully passing me without seeing me. Apparently he tried to throw a punch as micah. Finally Itai leaves the bathroom, goes up to his bunk, and micah and i leave scared shitless.
Its like 2:30 in the morning, and we are to scared to sleep, so we go and hang out outside of our bunk, on the steps. Oddly, the ever present shmirah (night watch) wasn't anywhere do be seen, so Micah and i walked around a little bit. We're like 30 feet from the door of the cabins, and we turn to see a the siloughette of a very angry and tired israeli - apparently he couldnt sleep, and was still pissed. He came outside yelling in hebrew and english, and started throwing rocks at micah. I start yelling in hebrew that he didnt do anything and it was all me, so he comes over and tries to kick me, which i dodged, but he still got a good punch in on my arm. FInally after a while of tellling him to chill out in multiple languages and he leaves. That was my night.

2 nights ago, as we were camping at the river, i had a really nice conversation with Simone, one of my good friends sisters. It was about the Comprehensive Web of Reality. This i will explain later, but for now i have to go and get somtin to eat.

PS. COmment on my posts, i dont have a whole lot of communication with the outside world.

Tisha B-Av

Today is TIsha B-Av, or the 9th of Av. its kind of a holiday...i guess. Basically, this is friday the 13th for jews. Both the 2nd and 1st temples were destroyed on this day, not to mention - Jerusalem was leveled and the Bar Kochbah Revolt failed. One is supposed to fast today, which is what i am doing, but also, i'm trying a new thing. The way i see it - if all these people have died and all this bad stuff has happened, the least i can do is deny myself something i'm used to. I'm going to try to be Shomeir Negiah - basically not hug or kiss people (hard for me, and for those around me). I hope people understand, and i hope people disagree, so that i can learn their point of view in contrast to mine - hokey, i know.

Last night, Seth Gordon-Lipkin, one of our RA's put on his angry face. He probaly has one of the best angry faces i've seen - ever. For those of you who don't know, an angry face is when you look and act angry and pissed off, but aren't really, you just do it to scare the shit out of people and set them in line. In the midst of him giving us a 'talkin to', he asked us a question: Why are you here? I had an answer, but i wasn't prompted so i didnt want to ruin his flow.

I'm here to learn and grow. Once again, hokey, but i find that sometimes hokey is true. I want, that by the end of the summer, i will be a different person for the better.

I been thinking about one of my core philosophies of life - everyone has a contribution to make to this world, and we can learn from EVERY single person. Wait, those 2 go in seperate paragraphs, ok - 1st, everyone has a contribution to make to the world: If anyone hasn't ever heard of the butterfly effect, its the idea that a butterfly can land on a leaf in africa, and cause a hurricaine in the united states, basically one chain of events leading to another to another to another until it finally ends up severly effecting the world. Same thing goes with people. One Smile, one word, can end up saving a life. In that sense, every person has an infinite value, and when one person dies, the world loses. This last sentence was prompted by a friend who told me they were contemplating all the different ways to commit suicide, so this was part of my argument against suicide.

My next core philosophy is that we can learn from everyone. Wether it be something someone says say, or do that makes us think, or question our beliefs, its good. I try my best to find that thing in everyone, what they can teach me, and what i can learn from them.

Aight imonna go socialize. Rollin out