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

Quickly

its 6:20 and dinner is at 6:30 so i kinda have to speed things up a bit. 2nd session is already 2 or 3 days in, and i think i'm thriving. Some really good old friends have come back, and i'm working on building new one. Already just about everyone knows my name, and from what i hear, i seem to have a good rep. I'm in the Teva Major, which includes 2 camping trips, one which is river rafting, and one rock climbing - so i'm excited for those, but so far, the major has just been about random jewish quotes and trees - which is not exactly intellectually stimulating. In David Singers class, i'm forced to think - its good for me. On that subject, i had a good talk with DS the other day about how people are sheep untul they are notified of it - in reagards to judaism and observance and prayer. Also i came up with a really good metaphor for prayer using a rubiks cube.

One more thing - there are like 5 israeli campers this session, 3 guys, and 2 girls. I've gotten REALLY close to the guys, they're fun to hang out with - and as a plus i can practice my hebrew.

Gotta go, hope its not lasagna.

Who Woulda Thunk it?

I guess, since i have time now, and i feel the need, i'm going to do the cliche and reflect.

Background:
Yesterday we went to the Rally for the release of Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser, and Eldad Regev. I think it's important that we were there, for numbers sake. Other than that, i've never been one for the 'ra ra ra sis boom ba' emotional and purposeful chanting. I mean, if compelled and in a fun manner, i'm all for it, but "Free him now!" is a little bit too intense for me.
Today i stole DS's (David Singer) Glasses, and they sit beside me now. I'm excited to see if he'll tackle me or ask me nicely.
Programming: I've been really disappointed with the programming this session of Kutz. I don't know if its different programming, or i'm more aware of things, but i'm bored and un-inspired by them. Last year, i was always excited to go to program, because it was inevitably interesting, and i learned a lot and was challenged, not so so far. I hope next session is better.
Next Session: I'm really excited to see the new group of people, i think next session will be a good one, i'm ready for the change.

Last year at Kutz, i Grew, with a capitol G. I discovered a lot about myself, and who i want to be - jewishly. I don't know about this year so much. I absolutely love Kutz, and it is my current favorite place in the world, yet i think that this session was more about socially growing and learning how to deal with problems. That may be important, but i'm looking for jewish stuff. I approached DS to ask him to go through T'fillah - weekday, weeknight, and shabbat, and teach me about it. Also, i approached Josh Morris to teach me Jewish History - the only way i'm going to learn it if i pursue it myself.

Last day of camp - tear.

#*($*#&$

I wish Hebrew could be directly translated to English, because the only way i can describe the way i feel right now is "ain lee koach". It basically means - I don't have the energy/strength/willpower, not as succinct and easy as ain lee koach.

Its like the 4th to last day of Camp - first session -, and i am kinda ready for it to end. I LOVE the kids this session, they're amazing and wonderful, but there has been so much drama, and, being the person that i am, people apporach me with their problems. I'm totally fine with being someones shoulder to cry on, and i'm ALWAYS there for a friend if they need someone, but i think i've reached a point. There have been soooooo many problems, big and little, that have been going on, and i've played a role in and helped out with, but theres only so much one can deal with. At least 4 times throughout the day - every day, i am approached by different people with life-issues, let alone the small "she said that he said that i said" and "i like him but she likes him too" problems. It tires me out.

I AM aware that all of the above was flat out whining, but i think i'm entitled to it, i havent been doing too much of it.

I think the solution is just to chill out, be alone for a while, and if someone asks for my help with a problem, just tell them that before i can help with their problems, i have to deal with mine.

Excuse me, can i ask you a question? No.

Yesterday was Trip Day. I was scheduled to go to the Central Park Zoo, and then the show Stomp.
First, after breafast, we had a hour and a half Torah Service, which ended up being a bat mitzvah for a girl who never had had one - it was cute. When she finished reading torah, candies were passed out to pelt at her (a terrible tradition in my mind), and i ate mine.
We get to the Central Park Zoo, all 20 of us, and then we had to figure out what our groups were (the URJ Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life requires everyone on trip day to be in a group of 4 or more). My group was a group of 12, and we called ourselves the Red Team. I, played the important role of Red Team Leader, who #1, dictated where the group would go, and instigated the red team count off with, "Red Team Leader 1" followed by 2, 3, and eventually "12 and last". It was cute.
When it was time to leave and get on the bus, we left the Zoo, and hung out at i think 64th street for about an hour, because the bus was late. During that time, i came up with the idea of, first, getting a beef empanada (delicious), and second, conducting a survey. First the survey started out with meaningless trivia, such as, "What is the name of our current president's father?". But then i wanted to do something interesting. The Question, "WHat is the most important thing in your life" arose, and was asked. Here are the answers.
-Myself
-Persuit of Truth
-1st God, then Children (this one was one of the last)
-*Family* - most said answer
-Children * - Said a lot
-Attitude
-Quality of life
-Happiness (not said too much, i thought that interesting)
-Living
-Nothing of Value (said twice!)
-Relationships with everything**** - ill get back to that later-
-Humanism
-Health
-Alcohol, Sex and Drugs
-Empathy and Compassion
-Love * (Said a lot)
-Breathing
-Walk Away - with that famous New York blow off style
-Friends
-TV
-Other People

Those were the New Yorkers, all of the answers written down on my arm b/c i didnt have paper. These Are the answers of my J Studs Class:

-Family
-Commmunity
-Holy Community - Kehillah Kedosha
-Judaism - said by two people
-God
-Friends
-Don't know YET - i emphasise the Yet - its important.

The answer i agree with most is the relationships with everyting. The woman who told it to me said it, and i was like, "ok, with friends and family and your boyfriend/girlfriends...", and she said, "not just that", and i said, "yeah, i got it, like with God and everything", to which she responded, "no, like your relationship with that bracelet, or with your shoes, EVERYTHING, thats the most important thing in my life".

I like that.

PS. Somp was Amazing.
PPS. I Got to see my good friend Adam from Israel, and hung out for a while, it was nice.

Cham?

What is it...monday?, tuesday acutally, my bad. Its tuesday and i am supremely tired. It's maybe 97 degrees today, with about 87% humidity, making walking much like wading through a swamp.

Rachel Wolman, Wolf, DRC, Jeremy and I decided to pull a prank, which involved a nighttime seniors '08 Dance Party in the tennis courts. Also, to prevent geese deficating on the Kutz Campus's grounds, black wooden wolves were set up to scare them. We decided to put swimming suits on them, and also chalk up all of the walkways with various 'senior' statements. We had everything cleared, with our RA's, and Shmirah (night watch), but it was suggested by one of the faculty to not wake people up at 12:45 at night, but at 5 in the morning. I opposed this idea, but i figured, whatevvs. So we go to sleep, and at 4 in the morning, Zi, DRC and I got up and woke WOlf and other people up. As it got lighter, we got some more people to the tennis courts, and Mar and i decided to wake up the Bayit's, which involved me going into the boys cabins and waking them up and inviting them to the dance party in a nice, yet loud way. Needless to say that werent too enthused with the idea of a crazy man disturbing their slumber and making them go outside at an ungodly hour. one particular phrase i heard while in there was, "GET THE #### OUT OF MY CABIN, I'M GOING TO ####### KILL YOU BENNY!". Simple yet eloquent. Thats when i left. I guess i got carried away a little bit because i forgot the rule that participants arent allowed into other participants cabins.
In the end, we got like 30 people or something, but it was kinda a lame prank. I claim full responsibility for the actions took, but not a lot for the general ideas. I ended up with all of B5 and B6 hating me, and 2 or 3 people chasing me around for 'bout a half an hour, with the intent to harm. A chase is not the first thing i want to do with regard to the weather.
Next in my day of tiredness, i go to the Tower for 3 hours, climbing and belaying, without respite. <-- probaly spelled that wrong.
I gotta go do things, hopefully i got a package.

PS - my day is nothing compared to the AVodah, so any Avodaniks who read this, i hope you understand that i get how hard it is for you - thanks!

Rollin Out

Im Halacha C'moti

Break during J Studs

The URJ Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life was just turned upside down, completely. We were forced to re-assess and define what our views on T'fillah and services were.

A visiting Faculty Member, Composer Mark Bloom, led evening weekday services yesterday. We had felt his presence a Little bit earlier on in the session with his 'musical stylings through the venue of his keyboard and pre-set beats. People viewed his musical input as somewhat sacrilegious, although no real hubbub was made, maybe a, "who was that guy with the keyboard?".

So, with a few disciples, most of whom are friends of mine, he decided to do services on a 'jazz' theme, inclusive of his keyboard, a microphone, a drum and some guitars. Beginning of the services were awkward, with people confused as to whether or not to clap after a song and such. When some of the hard-hitting prayers came up - such as the Amidah, the Chatzi kaddish, and the shemah, people were shocked to hear jazz stylings in the background, and prayers cut short for the sake a new song.

This made an uproar, which was exemplified by people, individually, getting up and leaving the services. People were offended to say the least. At some point in the service, the NFTY North American President got up and quietly told people he was leading alternative services in the bathroom.

By the end of the service, I'd say about 48% of the population was gone, leaving the rest to talk amongst themselves about the various outrages against Judaism that this service was committing. Also, afterward, our evening program was a sort of family feud/American idol thing, in which people were given the chance to sing - acapella - and be judged by celebrity judges, and during the singing Mr. Bloom deemed it necessary to add background music.

Personally, i found his service disrespectful to T'filah and prayer. That is NOT, and i repeat, NOT to say that he deserves disrespect in return. I have no qualms with those who left the service, i had to leave during the Aleinu, even though i don't stand during it, because i don't like what it says, it still deserves to be respected. An Eye for an Eye, disrespect for disrespect, does not work in this case. The minion in the bathroom was the right thing, at the wrong time.

They say that to shame someone is to kill them, and i think that no more K'vetching is needed.

Our J-Law class prompted us to think, what are our boundaries in the context of T'filah, as in, what is appropriate, and what is our breaking point. Here's a good question:

Halacha:
say the SHemah 2x a day
DOn't mix meat and milk
light the shabbat candles
separation btwn men and women

WHY WE NO DO?

I brought up Bava Metziah 59 b in the conversation - one of my favorite Jewish Texts, one of the bases of Judaism. In it, Rabbi Eliazer says, "Im Halacha C'moti" - if Halacha is as i say it is - then, a carab tree will be uprooted, and a stream will reverse its flow, and the voice of God, the Bat Kol, will speak up for me, all of which happened. How can one argue that Halacha is not as Rav Eliazer says it is? Rabbi Joshua has an answer, "Lo Ba-shamiem He", It is not in the heavens. To which God laughs and says, "my children have defeated me, my children have defeated me". The nimshal, or moral of this story is that Halacha is every changing, ever evolving, and can never be set as one thing. Halacha is as i say it is.

What is your Halacha?

How Many?

Yes, Mom, were you here, you would be telling me, "You shoulda___", but i didnt, so now i have a cold. Not dabilitating, but annoying enough to test my patience. NO matter, back to the subject. How many people can say they have gotten Anat Hoffman to back down? not too many, im sure, but i'm one of the few, the proud, the naggy.

After a disturbing complaint from my friend that Anat had made a point that certain people should not wear Tzit Tzit (which my friend does), i decided to talk to "the Hoffman". She is, needless to say, intimidating, because of her hard-headedness, and her drive, yet still, the fearless (and humble) person that i am, i decided to approach her.

"anat, do you think women should wear Tzit Tzit?"
i don't remember her exact response, but it was along the lines of - if someone is not consistent in waking up for shacharit, and wearing t'fillin, and all that jazz, then that couldn't possibly mean they are serious and have the ability to fully appreciate the mitzvah of wearing Tzit Tzit. This is a valid point, but i responsed, "says who?".

I guess this got her and she said, "ok, you're right ZImmerman, i might have been thinking wrongly in the time i said it beforehand".

Whoohoo.

Also, interesting part of "how do you say Tikkun Olam in Hebrew" - the Elective that i have with Anat, she was baffled as to the lack of celebration and festivity for 4th of July. She brings up a point. Yes, this is a Jewish Camp, for Jewish Leadership, but still - this is AMERICA. where are the fireworks, where is the pledge of allegiance? - Yes, there are miniscule american flags posted variously around camp, and yes, there is a movie called "independance Day" playing - mind you, it's about aliens taking over, and its playing during our free time. Canada Day got more publicity.

The MinHash - the daily collection of articles and announcements handed out during lunch - doesn't mention the significance of the day, except for the date on the top left corner, right next to the hebrew word of the day - Balagan - a mess.

I'm not too bent out of shape about this, but its something to ponder.

I'monna go try to get some rest.

Why arent i eating lunch?

Back from Hineni - Jewish Ritual. I'm not too enthused with this class, as it had 4 participants, not including the ever changing teacher. Although, an interesting idea was posed today: Ritual vs. Routine. ENough on that subject.

I've been writing - notes, journal entries, and i think it would be a good idea to put them on the internet. Too bad i have to go eat now, but later i might post some stuff.

4th of July, and i'm feeling patriotic

At the insistance of Rachel Wolman, and my own need to write, i have created a Kutz Blog.  Its 11:44 Am here at the URJ Kutz camp for Reform Jewish Teen Life.  Today is Maccabia, or Color Wars, in which the whole camp is divided into divisions of Red, Blue, Green and Yellow, to engage in friendly yet competetitive competition (redundant?).  At the end of maccabia, a team is crowned winner, based on the points system.  Points are awarded as a result winning games, spirit, and team attractiveness (my team totally wins).

I find myself wearing rainbow pants, red underwear outside of them, a multicolored towel as a cape, a red 'hug?' hat, a red cup taped to my leg (with red duct tape), and my pants tucked stylishly into my socks.

J-Studs has just ended, which never ceases to question my beliefs and ideas.  In studying the 'torah' section of the CCAR Statement of Principles, we were given 30 minutes and prompted to answer the question, "what does it mean and how do we know God Loves Us"?.  Because i think im coming down with a cold, i decided to go against the norm and stay in the library instead of go outside and ponder.  I came up with the following answer:

What Does it mean "God Loves Us?"

First - This forces us to think of OUR definition of God
Second - It asks us what our relationship w/ OG (Our God) is
Third - How do we KNOW God Loves us?

My answer:

1.  An unknown connection between every person, place and thing, which binds us all together (slightly bouberistic)
2.  I get in touch w/ MG(my God) through moments of self realization, and any time i think  the thought, "you/I/That  Is/Are/Am Holy"
3.  B/c I see the love btwn Friends, Family, Nature, all of whivh are functioning units of God.


Other Answers are:
    -God Is, We Are
    - Just like my parents make me look things up instead of telling me the answer, God gaves us the Torah to look up our answers.

It's time to go to 1st elective now, "hineini - Jewish Ritual".

Baller Out