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WEEK

26 TAMMUZ 5773 PARSHAS MATOS-MAASEI

AchdusTimes
this issue
WEEK IN REVIEW 1 SPOTLIGHT ON RABBI POLLACK 1 SPORTS 2 STAYING HYDRATED 3 ACHDUS IN SONG 3 OUR NEW CAMPUS 4 PHOTOS 5 ALL AROUND CAMP 6

SPOTLIGHT O N S T A F F

If

RABBI AKIVA POLLACK

Week in Review
R A B B I A K IV A P O L LA C K

there was one word to describe Rabbi Pollack what would it be? Well truthfully, Im not sure. Theres just so much to say about the new Head Counselor of Camp Achdus! Having previously held the position in other camps such as Camp Geshmak Amazing and Camp Smiley-Face, Rabbi Akiva was certain to entertain us this summer. Originally from Baltimore, MD (home of the winning team of the Super-Bowl XLVII), Rabbi Pollack was, in fact, born to a family with a long history of Head Counseling. Rabbi Pollacks greatgreat-great grandfather was Head Counselor in Camp Campamento in Ecatepec, the second largest city in Mexico. Rabbi Akivas talents range from touching his tongue to his nose, to reciting the entire alphabet in one word.

Abraham built a model of Camp Achdus. Bunk Ches played soccer with Mr. Sommers and then had Arts and Crafts. Wow what a morning! Bunks Vuv and Suf get a special announcement: The beginning of LEAGUES was upon us!!!! strangest hats on their After the teams were anMonday nounced, the games began. In heads! Among the more creaOnce again Davening is tive displays were Eli Goldbaseball, the Kishkes went shtark as the tefilos fly out fishing for the Herrings and enberg, who made a dog hat the Kol Ami windows headcame up big, ing straight for Eretz Yisroel beating the HerBunks Vuv and Suf got a where they find their way to rings 21-4. The special announcement the Kosel Hamaaravi and rise Kigels joined the The beginning of straight to the Kisei Hakavod. Cholent for KidLEAGUES was upon us!!! Bunk Aleph plays with dush and tied 21Clicks and Avrohom Zev 21 in football. Of course these out of socks and Jolly Ranchwere only exhibiers: and Shlomo Feldman, tion games. Towho wore the funniest magimorrow, the true cians hat in the world with competition begins!

UNDAYS can be tough! With nothing to do, boredom reigns! But before you know it, Monday is here and its another week of Camp Achdus!

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Lunch is very strange. The lovely campers of Camp Achdus came with the

Week in Review

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MR . I R A S O ME R S

On the Field
not had a trip? Not fair they may say. Ahhh, Its a late night at Camp Achdus and Tuesday the boys are dropped off at TRIP DAY, Yahooo!! The ULTRA ZONE!!!! The largest younger division went to Hi Lazer Tag arena in the entire Spot Lanes, and had a blast East Coast. Lazers are bowling. Avi Brenner bowled Lazeing, Blinkers are blinka 780. How? ing and kids you ask. He are kidding. bowled, toAnother fangether, with tabulous trip each camper, at Camp high-fived Achdus. them after Wednesday their shots and made each one feel like a million bucks. Of course Davening and Way to go Avi! (But maybe learning are so powerful that next time, try not using the walls can barely hold the bumpers.) voices of the Tinokos shel bais Achdus. Arts and crafts The older division played for the younger division coutheir first official game of pled with choir tryouts for all leagues. Hockey and soccer. the beautiful voices who are Absolutely mind boggling! Its about to join the Kol Tzfar4:00 pm and the Elders have deiah choir. Lunch is full of fun and laughter as the campers introADVERTISEMENT duce their very own jokes and riddles! One kid from each bunk added his afternoon your children had an opportunity to his own special play with Modular twist. Yehuda Coe, Toys construction sets after saying that he made in Israel. The likes tuna fish, kids had a ball playing with the asked what does a racetracks and castles. If you are dead man do while interested in purchasing a set for in the grave. The your children, Pechter Play, LLC answer: NOTHING! will offer all Achdus parents a Hes dead! 50% discount on the 72 piece Highway Kit and the 139 piece Fortress Engineer set. This promotion is good through the last week of the summer and only for Achdus families. cards, forks, spoons, a water bottle, and a bowlall taped together! Meir Rudinstein had some kind of Indian hat on his head (but it may just be his natural hair.) In the end, everyone who wore a hat got a ticket and the winners got fabulous prizes from Rabbi Akivas secret stash! The younger division went swimming, and had lessons from Sergey the Russian Cosmonaut! The elders stayed in camp and played Actionary, acting out crazy sceneslike a Lakewood Bochur dancing after coming up with a new chiddush even though he was supposed to be at his friends Chasunah. Soon after, the older division went swimming as well and did what all kids do at the swimming pool. They played pool. (Duh.)

ain, rain, go away. Soccer Monday was a rain-out, but the campers adapted in splendid fashion opting for indoor ga-ga. Ga-ga is a game that requires great honesty, and our campers did a great job...which made the games more challenging and more fun. Baseball almost had a rain delay but we were still able to get in some games! Each bunk learned how to hold the bat and stand at the plate...and "Set the table for Shabbos," (a cute mnemonic, courtesy of Coach Kenny). Kids can bring in their baseball mitts on Wednesdays. Following Lunch was more leagues for half of the league teams and then the final swim before the 9 Days. The elder division especially made sure to swim. Have you ever heard of Ping Pong at the pool? You saw it first at Camp Achdus! Thursday July 4th, Independence day. And oh were we independent! We sang the Star spangled banner and then in a spirit of Achdus (That is also the name of the camp, Coincidence? I think not) we also
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Week in Review
sang a plethora of national anthems with Rabbi Akiva leading the camp in a beautiful rendition of the South African National Anthem, Su Sulanga. Yisroel Meir Burger led us in an uplifting rendition of the Canadian National Anthem but we are not sure if Canada is really a country or not. And then after lunch it is time to win big prizes! Its the Annual July 4th Carnival! Bunk Sof donated their precious

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Staying Hydrated
R A B B I ZE C H A R Y A MI C H E LS O H N

Pollack guessed correctly that there were three chocolate chips in his mouth full of Marshmallow fluff and Chaim Leib Miller guessed that there were 900 whole wheat spiral noodles in the plastic jar. He was wrong but a lot closer than anyone else. For a prize he got to eat all 968 raw! Lucky!!! Friday Davening, Learning, Sports, Games, Eat Your Mouth Out, Sing Your Mouth Out, Raffles, Running, Playing and soooooo much more. Mr. Pechter was back again, this time with a teamwork-building exercise called Trust Falling, in which participants fall backwards, relying on complete trust that they will be caught by their partner. Another great week at Camp Achdus!

insight or question on the material being learned! Bunk Daled Gadol is learning Mishnayos Avoda Zara with Yehuda Tenenbaum, and Daled Kuttun is learning Mishnayos Brachos with Meir Weiss.

EARNING AT Camp Achdus is an incredible sight to behold. Can you believe that your precious sons are spending time during their summer vacation, sitting and learning Mishnayos and Gemara? It is really true! While others sit in front of a

Game Room time and set up and manned all the booths. Simcha Kaplan threw a football from 90 feet (or was it 90 inches, Im not sure) through a tire. Efraim

Even the younger campers in Bunk Ches dont waste a day without learning! Ches Kuttun learns about the Parsha with R Avi Citer; Ches Gadol does Parshas Hashavua outside, and then reviews Chumash Parshiyos screen all summer, we spend our preNoach and Lech Lecha inside with cious time sitting in front of our beloved seforim! Why, you ask? It is be- their Rebbi, Rabbi Reuvain Goldcause we need it! Whether we feel like stein. it or not, our hour of Torah gives life On Friday morning, the older campand meaning to our day, our summer, ers are given given a special address our program, our neighbors and on the Parsha of the week. This friends, and most of all, to ourselves! weeks speaker was Rabbi Tuvia Bunks Vuv and Suf are learning the Gemara in the fifth perek of Brachos, which discusses the Halachos of Tefilla. Divided into small groups, the boys learn with the budding scholars who comprise our elite staff. It is not uncommon to see the boys discussing an Goldstein, who spoke about having the right priorities. It is important to stay hydrated during the hot summer days. We make sure to stay spiritually hydrated, as well, with the sweetest drink in the worldein mayim elah Torah!

YEHUDA TENENBAUM

Achdus in Song

o Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do! Thats something you might hear while walking through the halls of Camp Achdus. Wednesday marked the first practice of the Camp Achdus Junior Choir. Bunks Aleph and Ches met during Second activity, giving up other fun activites like Arts and Crafts and Baseball, to start their career to fame. First we started with some standard vocal exercises. The

boys learned how sounds are made through vibrations in the air. By putting their fingers on their throats they were able to feel real sound. After a few warm-up exercises the choir got into full swing with Baruch Levines Vezakeini and then R Shlomo Carelbachs Yachad. The boys learnt the importance of singing together. (ACHDUS!!!) Its not about singing the loudest, its about singing together. With everyone together we could sing anything! By the way, rumor has it that a CD just might be in progress. (Shhhh!)

SPOTLIGHT ON

Our New Campus

R A B B I ZE C H A R Y A MI C H E LS O H N

HE LITTLE CAR cruised down a quiet street in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. The morning was fresh and sunny, perfect for the first day of camp. An extra pulse of excitement hung in the air, as Its humongous! was good, judging from the Sruly and Moishy waited to lively Jewish music that filled They parked the car and see the grounds they knew the halls. There seemed to be headed toward the building. nothing about. Sruly was quite a number of new faces Already, they could hear the bracing for the worst. After alongside the many familiar happy buzz of a hundred chilall, how good could it be? ones. Moishy was slightly more optimistic. As long as it was Fun facts about our new campus: bigger than last year, it Land area: 13 acres would be an improve Number of classrooms: 9 ment Arriving at destination, announced the GPS. Not bad at all, thought Moishy. Not even fifteen minutes from Rhawnhurst! He looked out the car window and Sruly peered over his shoulder. Suddenly both friends were overtaken by wonder. Wow!!! Moishy burst out, breaking the silence. Is that really it? I cant believe it, whispered Sruly in agreement. Number of brand-new air conditioning units: 9 The auditorium alone is 15% bigger than our entire 2012

What people are saying about the new campus:

Walking to the fields, thats

campus, and is equipped with state-of-the-art sound equipment. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds. Dogs have four toes on their hind feet, and five on their front feet. Yehuda Tenenbaum plays 17 instruments, and up to 8 at one time. (source unknown)

so 2012. Now all we have to do is roll out of bed and were there. Moshe Goldman
Its nice Mr. D. Ganz A million times of a differ-

ence! Rabbi Zecharya Michelsohn

Were all so excited and

dren playing, laughing, and Look, Moish, said Sruly talking with their new coun- with a grin. We have our own selors. Even the sound system bunk room. How cool is that! Finally, the music was paused, and the crowd silenced. Rabbi Akiva Pollack, the new Head Counselor, stood himself proudly at the podium, microphone in hand, and proclaimed GOOD MORNING CAMP ACHDUS! The summer had just begun, and it was off to a great start!

cant wait to see what the future lays in store for Camp Achdus amazing campus. Yehuda Tenenbaum

Spotlight on Rabbi Akiva Pollack

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On a more serious note, Rabbi Akiva Pollack has been in camps since he was five years old, beginning with Baltimores TA Day Camp and including six years at Camp Naarim. He was a popular counselor for kids with special needs at Camp Mishkan, and later worked at Kol Torah in Cleveland, Ohio. Before Rabbi Pollack found his lifes calling as Head Counselor of Camp Achdus, he held the position at Lakewoods Cheder Day Camp, with 600 campers and over 100 staff; later sat at the helm at Camp Malchus; and was Assistant Head Counselor at Kol Simcha. Rabbi Pollack, or Rabbi Akiva as he prefers to be called, received his Talmudic Masters degree from Lakewoods famed Beth Medrash Govoha, where he studied for several years, and has lived in the Philadelphia community for the last ten. He is an Educational Director at Congregation Beth Shalom in the Far Northeast, and is the regional director of RAJE, an outreach network for Russian college students. He, his wife, and their seven children, live in Somerton. The Camp Achdus family is very excited to have Rabbi Akiva on board.

Caught on Camera!

All Around Camp

R A B B I GE D A L IA G O L D S T E IN

TEP 1: PUT YOUR head in the water. Step 2: Make bubbles by breathing out through your nose. Step 3: Keep your legs straight while kicking. Step 4: Bring your arms, one at a time, up and forward and down and back. Step 5: Turn your head on its side so that your mouth is above water, take one deep breath, and repeat. Bunks Alef and Ches are learning how to swim and love it at every step of the way. It is a pleasure to meet you, Serge Achildi, Jewish swim instructor par excellence! LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, la. Feel your vocal chords vi-

brating? Rather than singing as es to be made of air-inflated loudly as you are able, blend nylon tubes! The thrills of a your voice with that of the moon bounce and the excitewhole choir. Enjoy the beauti- ment of playing challenging ful melody! That is what boys games for prize tickets helped from Bunks Alef and Ches are us feel the thanks we owe Hadoing, in shem for anxious giving us Welcome back to our anticipathe United very own Rabbi Nulman, tion of States of just back from a weeks their America, a stay in Eretz Yisroel! Achdus land of Boys Choir liberty and debut, this Erev Tisha BAv, freedom, freedom to learn ToMonday, July 15th at 1 pm. rah and practice mitzvos in Thank you, Yehuda Tenencomfort and without fear. Welbaum, our very talented choir come back to our very own leader! Rabbi Nulman, just back from a weeks stay in Eretz Yisroel. BOUNCE. FLIP! RUN. JUMP! Want to truly appreciate AmerOh, were all the worlds surfacica? Just ask Rabbi Nulman about his stopover in Moscow! Boy, do we have it good here!! Thank You, Hashem for such a beautiful country in which to live until the coming of Moshiach, may it be speedily, in our days! KEEPING SUGAR, COLORS, and other unhealthful additives out of Canteen, while

keeping prices down is a challenge, but one that we are ready to meet. Scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, freshly popped popcorn, and fruit smoothies have all adorned the canteen kiosk this week. Our young children are thrilled to be making purchases just as the adults do. Likewise, wise parents are comforted by the knowledge that their precious children are developing more healthful eating habits in a tasteful and fun way. Lchayim! COME ONE! COME ALL! This Tuesday, July 9, all campers have the opportunity to extend the privilege of attending camp to a friend who will, in turn, become a camper for the day. Dont miss the excitement of Marc Garfinkel, illusionist extraordinaire, as he dazzles the camp with a one-of-a-kind performance! (Parents can go to www.marcgarfinkel.com to get a glimpse of the marvels in store!) What will Achdus pull out of its hat next?

MR S . D OR IS L IP S K Y

Arts & Crafts

Need a last minute reminder

Did you know that one sheet of paper can be made into an eight-page book? With just the right folds and cuts, Bunks Ches Kattan & Ches Gadol did just that! They even made a cover for their books and ornamented it with the Camp Achdus logo. Would you like to learn how too? Just ask your boys and they will show you! to send in an undershirt for a tie dying activity? Want to know when the bus is running late? Receive these helpful pieces of information and more on text messages sent by camp, now developing its mass texting capabilities. We sent our first mass text today to ensure that this service is working properly. If you did not receive the message, please contact us so we can keep you in the loop!

ith Bunks Alef Gadol and Ches Kattan's pizza projects, who needs to go to the pizza store? Did you see all of the creative toppings that were put on their pizza collages? They looked good enough to eat! (Though, unfortunately, they may have tasted more like the cardboard box that a pizza comes in and not as much like the pizza itself)