Today, after davening, breakfast, and our second full day learning in the hotel, we drove again to the Riverfront Sports Complex for another exciting day of leagues. After our basketball and football games finished, we boarded the busses and headed to Rita’s for ices and frozen custard. We then drive to The Revolution Ice Centre, where we davened Mincha, ate dinner (hero sandwiches), and had a blast ice skating. The ice rink was divided into two sections, one section for those who wanted to “free skate,” and one section for those who wanted to play “Broom Ball,” a combination of ice and floor hockey. After ice skating, we headed back to the hotel for Maariv, a night swim, featuring some intense pool volleyball, and a staff shiur by Yitzchak Ginsburg. At 11:30pm, after a long day of fun and excitement, the NCSYers were treated to an optional kumzitz led by the Madrichim, both in song and in inspiration; those who stuck around got poppers and kugel!

After an action packed day, we are ready for Dorney Park tomorrow, and we look forward to seeing all parents tomorrow night!

Moshe Bennett is returning to work under Avi Rosalimsky for the third year in a row, but this time as a madrich on RTC. Moshe went to DRS for high school and was in Yeshivat Sha’alvim this past year. Moshe loves to connect with to the guys through both Torah and sports.

Moshe’s Chaburah consists of 5 awesome NCSYers from New York/New Jersey: Noah (HALB-DRS) and Shmuel (YKLI-DRS) are both from Woodmere, Dovid (RYNJ-TABC) from New Milford, and Eitan (RYNJ-MTA) and Mordechai (Yeshivat Noam) from Teaneck.

Moshe’s chabura will be based off of Dovid Lichtenstein’s book, “Headlines” and will go through many interesting contemporary cases in Halacha that come up in our fast-paced new world. Through delving into each topic, the NCSYers will gain insight into how a Rav delves into the sea of Torah in order to come out with an answer to a question which seems to be absent from the laws of the Torah, but in reality is not.

Each NCSY’er in Moshe’s chaburah was asked the following question:
“Which athlete do you respect most, and why?”
Dovid: “Conor McDavid, because his team is so bad but he continues to play hard.”
Eitan: “Derek Jeter, because he played with determination.”
Mordechai: “Julian Edelman, because he supports Israel.”
Shmuel: “Sandy Koufax, because he didn’t play on Yom Kippur.”
Noah: “Kevin Durant, because everyone hated him when he left the Thunder but he continued to play at a high level and people stopped hating him.”

The chabura is really looking forward to the inaugural RTC Best. Summer. Ever.

Today, after davening, breakfast (pancakes, cereals, and bagels), and learning in the hotel, we headed out to PNC Field for an exciting Triple-A subway series showdown between the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders (Yankees) and the Syracuse Mets. Before the game, we had the special on-field opportunity to ask questions to two star Railrider pitchers, Daniel Camarena and Joe Harvey. In addition, Assistant Director and Sports Commissioner, Rabbi Jeremy Fine, and 7th/8th grade division head, Jacob Grossman threw out the first pitch, followed by the singing of The National Anthem by Avi Schachter and his son, Simcha, one of our very talented NCSY’ers. Theoughout the game, the RTC crew brought much energy to the stadium by participating in on-field games in between innings, and chanting in support of their newly adopted favorite players.
Following the game, we headed out to the Riverfront Sports Complex, where we davened mincha, and had our opening day of basketball and football leagues! Following leagues, the NCSY’ers were all treated to a post-Leagues snack of Krispy Kreme donuts. We then headed back to the hotel for dinner (general tso chicken, egg rolls, salad, etc.), followed by Maariv. After Maariv, the NCSY’ers enjoyed a night swim (highlighted by a very intense pool-volleyball game) while Rabbi Wiener gave a staff Shiur to the madrichim. After night swim, the boys enjoyed some intense Kan Jam, Spike Ball, and “Exit Ball” (a game that the boys made up) tournaments. We can’t wait for another day of learning, sports, and activities tomorrow!

Gidon Hagler is joining RTC for his first summer as a madrich. Gidon went to JEC for high school and will be returning to Yeshivat Shaalvim for shana bet this upcoming year. Gidon looks forward to building upon his four years of experience as a counselor in various sleep-away camps in order to inspire his campers, while showing them an awesome time!

Gidon’s chaburah this summer is made up of five boys. Ezra is from israel; Yoni (HALB-DRS) is from Lawrence; Abie (RYNJ-MTA) is from Suffern, NY; Simcha (HALB-DRS) is from Valley Stream, NY; Zev (RYNJ) is from Teaneck.
Gidon’s Chaburah will be focused on learning relevant halachos of everyday life. Whether it’s halachos of wearing a kippah, waiting between milk and meat, etc., the boys are bound to build a greater appreciation for these Halachos and how they developed over time.

We asked everyone in the chaburah the following question: which mitzvah do you connect to most and why?

Ezra- “I connect to the Bracha of ולירושלים in shmoneh esrei because I live there.”
Yoni- “The mitzvah of כבוד אב ואם because I really want to respect my parents.”
Abie- “The mitzvah of כבוד אב ואם because I would naturally respect my parents, but now I also get a mitzvah for it.”
Simcha- “Davening, because it’s where I feel like I can personally talk to Hashem about the things I need and want. It’s definitely the mitzva where my connection to Hashem is the strongest.”
Zev- “The mitzvah of tzitzis because it reminds me of all the mitzvos.”

With Gidon, these boys, and these topics, this summer will definitely be the Best. Summer. Ever.

Yonatan Kurz is spending his first summer on RTC and his debut as an NCSY advisor. Yonatan went to TABC for high school and is returning next year to Yeshivat Shaalvim for Shana Bet. Yonatan aims to create the ideal environment for learning and growth, while also promoting a strong love for both halacha and talmud torah.

Yonatan’s chabura consists of six young phenoms and future gedolim. Eitan (TABC) is from West Orange; Avery (TABC) is from Teaneck, Dovid (MSP), Benjy (MSP), and Ari (DRS) are all from Woodmere, and Tzviki (Yesodei Yeshurun) is from Cedarhurst.

The chabura is learning about different halachos pertaining to various aspects of life, such as nicknames and social media, while also trying to connect them to how the mesorah of halacha is transmitted. They also begin every day by learning about a different Gadol and finding out more about his life and his works.

In addition to that, each day Yonatan sends in a halachic shailah in the WhatsApp group related to the day’s activity, and the chabura has a lively discussion on different ways to answer the question.

One question asked to each boy in the Chabura is “What are you most looking forward to this summer in RTC?”

Tzviki: Everything.

Avery: Hershey Park.

Eitan: Going white water rafting again.

Ari: Hanging out with friends.

Benjy: Spending a lot of time with my chabura.

Dovid: All the activities in general.

A summer of learning and enjoyment is in store for this Chabura, and it will certainly be the Best Summer Ever!

Our first full day of programming got off to a beautiful start with Davening, followed by breakfast (eggs, cereal, hash browns, and fruit). Following breakfast, the NCSYers had their first shiur with Rabbi Wiener – first the post- 8th graders and then the post 9th graders – and their first Chaburahs with our Madrichim. Following learning, we hit the road and headed out to our two trip options, mountain biking and paintball. The bikers rode a whopping 18 miles, with some spectacular views among the way! The post 8th graders and staff battled with the post 9th graders and staff in an epic few games of paintball! Following the activities, the boys davened Mincha and were then treated to soft serve ice cream. After the ice cream, we headed out to intercamps at Camp Morasha. The NCSYers competed against the campers in basketball and football, winning 5 of the intercamp games, and were then treated to a barbecue by Morasha’s beach pavilion. Following dinner, the staff played basketball against Morasha’s staff. The game was a nail-biter, and while RTC lost the game by one, their sportsmanship on the court was noticed by everyone in attendance. After the staff game, we davened Maariv with Morasha, and headed back to the hotel. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Eitan Warburg is extremely excited to be a madrich for the first ever summer of RTC. Eitan had the privilege of attending MTA for high school and is looking forward to going to Yeshivat Sha’alvim next year.

Eitan is thrilled to be able to give chaburas to five fantastic and talented NCSYers who come all the way from New York and New Jersey. Avraham Mordechai (MTA) is from Pomona; Dani is from Bergenfield (MTA) and Ari (DRS), Akiva (DRS) and Moti (DRS) are from Woodmere.

The goal of all the chaburas is to strive to be a Ben Torah. The chaburas will be on Tefilah, Teshuva and consistency throughout Judaism. These three topics are fundamental and crucial for a growing Ben Torah and hopefully each of us will be able to take something out of the chaburas and continue to strive to be a better Ben Torah.

One question that was asked to every single boy in the Chabura is “Who is your role model and why?”

Avraham: Kobe Bryant, because he became an NBA great and had a great work ethic. I hope to apply the same work ethic and care that he had for basketball to anything I try to do in life.

Dani: My parents because I watch them do chesed and I want to emulate their actions.

Ari: My great grandmother. She is very kind to everyone she meets and is very serious in davening. She walks to the hospital  every day and visits the people who are sick. She makes them very happy and everybody knows her as a great person. I want people to know me as a great person and I want to be a role model like her.

Akiva: My grandmother, who devotes her life to chesed. She runs an organization that provides clean water to African villages that don’t have. I hope to flow in her footsteps and be a בעל חסד.

Moti: My parents because they do a lot of chesed, and my father learns a lot while still finding time to hang out with me. When I grow up I want to raise a family in the same way that my parents do.

They look forward to a summer full of growth and fun. It’s going to be the Best.Summer.Ever!!!