Letter From the Godol

Transcription

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2 Letter From the Godol Hey Fam, Hello again. So It s my last my time writing a Letter From the Godol...ever, and frankly, I m not sure what I want to write about. So here it goes The year has been the definition of success. We excelled and improved our chapter in every aspect. Our program quality improved drastically and we utilized committees unlike ever before. Services were fresh and we had great attendance at regional events. We more than doubled our chapter s attendance at summer programs from last summer and we had a united and efficient board. These are only a few of the many accomplishments our chapter has made this year and I could never have been more privileged to lead such an exemplary chapter. (btw we should have won chapter of the year two years in row...but that's none of my business) I must say Nathan has been spectacular with the Meatball this year and I hope he is proud of himself. A lot of people believed the position of Sopher (which I motioned to add freshman year, a solid example of a non board member making an impact) would be an utter failure, but Nathan diminished those beliefs immediately. Obviously we had a fire website and lit newspapers; but we also got articles in the community review, temple booklets, and even created our own custom Harrisburg AZA Havdallah booklets all because of Nathan. I really hope his successor can keep up with the incredible things he has done this past year. This journey I ve embarked on the last two years as a member on chapter board has been extraordinary. Looking back and seeing the impact one person can create is unbelievable. It s crazy to think that our membership has grown by one hundred percent, we have many events with over 30 chapter alephs, we hosted the largest convention Liberty Region has ever had, we ran Latkefest with 95 members in attendance, retention is at an all time high, and that we are the LARGEST non-coed chapter in all of Liberty Region. It s even crazier to me that I had a huge effect in all of that. AZA has given me opportunities one can find nowhere else and given me friends from all over the world. Harrisburg AZA #128 has become a gigantic part of me and even though I won t be on chapter board next year I am more than excited to see what they do without me.

3 Dear everyone, Life isn t about waiting for the storm to pass It s about learning to dance in the rain. Whether you are a board member or not on board, shy or outgoing, or a new or old member, make the most of what you do. Go out, have fun, and do everything you can. Come to as many events as possible and make as many memories that your brain will allow. Well done is better than well said, so don t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and talk to as many people as possible; you d be surprised by who you can make a friend. The opportunities in AZA are like apples on an apple tree, they're right there all you need to do is grab them. In my opinion, AZA is a community that accepts everyone, with no regard to background or hobbies, not only welcomed but loved. In only about 8 months of being an AZA I managed to make countless of what I would consider best friends. It is truly amazing and special how accepting AZA is and how quickly great friendships are formed Yoav Shavit Frats to CLTC , bunny heaven, ultimate Frisbee at 1 a.m., hoots, nature walks, SJR girls, my missing pillow, Kehilah BBGs, Weeeeiiiiinstock, the Boston market, poppers, shirtless Tony, deep late night talks, proud prudes, wearing hats backwards, long good and welfares, nature walks ;), sauls balls, meatballs, the megillah gorilla, my tie-dye bucket hat, ninja turtle slippers, keepin it saucy, no sauce, Link N Logs, my rap career, Harrisburg H, Julian s sweatiness, Yoav Shavit, dancing in the rain with Rachael Mason, VIBES, Broad Shoulders, Coloring Book, Lincolns favorite reggae playlist, Spotify, Achshav BBG, Lil Dicky, Fshhhhhhhh, Ravid Dosen, getting sentimental while writing this, all of your beautiful faces, unnecessarily long fraternally submitteds and Harrisburg Larry Urie AZA #128 AZAlaways, for the last time, your friendly neighborhood Lord Commander, Lincoln Samuel Weinstock P.S. Make sure to smile, the most important thing in life is to be happy, it's all that matters.

4 LETTER FROM THE SOPHER Hey Guys, I m going to try to keep this kind of short, because there are so many amazing (and very long) articles in this edition, which I firmly believe is the best one yet. Serving on board this year has been one of the best experiences I could have possibly had. I ve learned so much about, well really everything, but especially how much work and dedication it takes to be an effective leader. Starting a position basically from scratch is not easy, and I d like to think I ve done a good job. No matter the outcome, of elections, I hope I am still able to serve this chapter to the best of my ability. I have put countless hours into working to make this chapter great, and I have gotten more in return than I ever could have imagined. This year has been my best in BBYO in the chapter and in the region, and I hope I can further this success. I want to end this by sincerely thanking everyone who has made The Meatball and everything else I have done this year possible. Shout out to the 88 th Board you guys are literally the greatest, I don t think any board will ever top you guys. But I really want to thank everyone who took their time to write articles for this paper, the chapter members who really stepped up. I would be remiss if I also didn t shout out HBG s 2 fantastic advisors Paula and Sally Jo; you guys are the best. Ok, I didn t really keep it that short, but compared to the book Lincoln wrote, it is. So without further ado (such a cool phrase), Fraternally Submitted with an undying love to a list of things so long I m not going to waste space typing it cause there are so many great things for you to read next and run on sentences, I forever remain Aleph Nathan Sage Adler

5 SUMMER Guy The Summer Guy Award, which men compete in for looks, personality, body, and other masculine qualities, goes to Andrew Casher! Runner Ups 1. Trevor Weinstock 2. Duncan Weinstock 3. Theodore Roosevelt 4. No Sauce 5. Some Sauce 6. A lot of Sauce 7. Christian Bale 8. Pablo Escobar 9. Josh Guberman 10. Kid Cudi 11. Al Pachino 12. El Chapo 13. Chance the Rapper 14. Chance the Singer 15. Chance the Probability 16. Eli Spotts 17. Liam Neeson 18. Klay Thompson 19. Sameer Khan 20. Francis J. Underwood An Interview with Andrew How does it feel to be selected as the Summer Guy? It feels like an honor to be picked from my chapter for the Summer Guy in the Meatball. What is your favorite part of BBYO? My favorite part of BBYO is being social with my chapter and those in the region. What is your favorite Havdallah song? The General. What was your favorite event/convention of the year? WOW Convention.

6 A LOOK BACK AT THE MARCH OF THE LIVING An Interview with Tyler Swidler What was your favorite part of the Poland leg of the trip? In Poland, I think Treblinka was the most powerful place we went to. Since I have seen Auschwitz and Birkenau so much from education, actually seeing what would happen if the Nazis would have succeeded, what they would do to the camps, chilled me to the bone. What was your favorite part of the Israel leg of the trip? In Israel, celebrating Yom Ha atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) with my friends was of, if not the, best part of the trop. Just having fun in the streets, buying things, and having a great atmosphere was fun. What was it like to be at the concentration camps? Auschwitz and Birkenau, for me, was unsettling. I am used to looking in history books seeing the black and white photos of the camps, but to see the camps themselves was the disturbing part. The camps are also very green, the grass grows well, there are trees growing from the ground, and animals live there. So much life in a death camp. Why should seniors go on this trip? I think every senior who wants a life changing experience should go. No amount of virtual tours, pictures, talks, or maps can truly describe The March of the Living. Anything else people should know about it? Good things to know are: bring things you would like to trade, the Snake Path sucks, and get large data plans or bring a wireless hotspot.

7 Without Them, There Would Be No Israel By Hallel Cheskis Last week The Israeli Defence Force c elebrated its 68th anniversary. The IDF is and has always been an essential part of the State of Israel, a nation whose safety is constantly threatened by its neighboring Arab countries. If you re a citizen of Israel, joining the IDF isn t a choice. But for some people there is not a more noble cause than that of fighting alongside their Israeli brothers and sisters for the land of their ancestors. That is why this article is dedicated to all those who have served, will serve, and are serving in the IDF; the ones who use their own time to fight for our spiritual homeland and to keep it safe. We need to remember them and thank them for all that they do, because without them there would be no Israel. The IDF was founded on May 31, Immediately after the founding of the State of Israel, it was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, starting the Israeli War of Independence. Despite being a brand new organization and being overwhelmingly outnumbered by the Arab armies, the IDF won the War of Independence. The signing of the armistice agreements of 1949 followed shortly after the end of the war in July In the years following, Israel s neighboring Arab countries often violated those agreements. Israeli boats were blocked from using the Suez Canal; Egypt, Jordan, and Syria formed alliances against Israel; and terrorists from the neighboring countries infiltrated Israel and carried out attacks. In many wars including the Sinai Campaign, the Six Day War, and the Yom Kippur War, the IDF gained control over more territories like the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula. However, partially due to pressures from other first-world countries, Israel pulled out of these areas in hopes to establish peace with its neighbors. Israel made many attempts to make peace with its Arab neighbors. Israel signed a peace agreement with Egypt in 1979, and another peace agreement

8 with Jordan in Israel also signed the Oslo Accords with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in In the process, Israel gave up parts of the West Bank, many of which were large centers of population, to the Palestinian Authority. However, despite all these attempts to make peace with the Palestinians, Israel remained a target for major conflicts in the Middle East. These conflicts included the First Intifada (Palestinian Uprising) in 1987, followed by the Second Intifada in Since the moment of the country s birth, Israel has encountered fatal conflict with its Arabic neighboring countries. Even today it is not uncommon to hear of attacks in Israel from terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas. Thankfully, we have the IDF there to defend our country every second of every day. Without them, there would be no Israel. My First Year in BBYO BY: Trevor Weinstock Over this year, BBYO has changed my life forever. When my cousin, Carter first called me almost a year ago I could never imagine what the BBYO would be like. I was nervous, yet excited. I did hear bits of information of what it was about from friends of my brother. The first event I went to was the regional kickoff and I met many people there. After the regional kickoff, I went to an overnight event for new members and had much fun there. It was the first time I got into a circle and sang about wizards going to Africa. I also went to Latkefest, which at the time I was questioning my commitment to this organization. During Latkefest, I was just standing by a chair looking at my fellow alephs for Havdallah when a senior came up to me. His name was Ben Schiller and as I was there, I asked him many questions about BBYO. He then told me about the fraternity BBYO has and that each aleph is part of an organization that will help you in times of need. At first, I didn't even know he was on regional board. After hearing what Ben said, I went to every meeting I was available for. I fell in love with BBYO and went to both Spring and WOW convention. WOW was an amazing weekend for me and I got to talk to many fellow alephs, including Ben Schiller. The programs were great and hanging out with Zucker, Andrew, Eli S., Ben Kluger, Will, Joel, and Joseph was great. The best part for me was playing the big Jenga game with Andrew, Daniel, and

9 3 other girls. Also, it was my first time for me hearing No Sauce s awesome music. The two food trucks were awesome and so were the free tee shirts. Spring was just as good as well. The Life ceremony was crowded, but yet great. Ben Schiller gave part of his life and told me to keep on asking questions. I also was lucky enough to get a shout out from a girl named Jo-Jo for asking her to sit with me, Andrew, Sam Welks, Zucker, and 3 other people in our region. The Regional elections were extremely long though. Spring was still an amazing experience I will always cherish. All in all, this was a great first year for me in BBYO I hope to become a great member like my Great Uncle, my Pop-pop, my father, my godfather, my brother, and my cousin. The 3 main people I have to thank are Ben Schiller, Jeremy Sussman, and Carter Weinstock. Jeremy and Ben both helped me understand the importance of an organization such as BBYO. Carter, thank you for getting me involved and telling me about upcoming events. This has been a great year. Can't wait for the next one!!! Fraternally submitted with an undying love for... Chicken Pot Pie, bean Soup, Jenga, sour Patch Kids, fedoras, Andrew s robot voice, Jacobs animal screech, Jacobs hair, Trump s hair, Dunkin, the word Daboo, the alto Saxophone, cows, chickens, Guardians of the Galaxy, LMS, Sam s need for a girlfriend, No sauce, Will wearing a fedora, dead bunnies, jumping (falling) off the chair at a Hora, urban dictionary, dead bunnies, everyone reading this (that includes YOU), Harrisburg Larry Urie #128, and Liberty Region 13. I forever remain Aleph Trevor G. Weinstock.

10 Convention Recaps WOW By: Will Chaddock WOW Convention for Liberty Region this year was held in a beautiful hotel in Newark, Delaware. In this convention, the programming was based around fraternity, friendship, and generally just having a good time. It was planned very well, and I will go in depth into each section of the convention. After the usual opening dinner and prayers as seen in every convention, the first notable event was the speaker brought in by the regional board. While I personally do not think this speaker was able to live up to what we have done in the past, I think that most people would agree that his presentation was informative and interesting. His knowledge of different colleges was definitely useful for myself and others. After he finished with his presentation, we moved into the Coffee House segment, which had both food and performances. This was capped off by an outstanding show put on by Brett Hoffman, whose Irish tap dancing was very clearly the highlight of the night. On Saturday, after the morning services ended, the rest of the early day was spent on various fraternity-building activities, as well as one that centered on the feminist movement. Building relationships with fellow Alephs and BBGs is the keystone of WOW Convention, and each activity was useful for meeting new people. A great Havdallah led directly into the real highlight of the convention: the dance. This dance was planned very well, with several activities along with food trucks, a first for the convention. This night was one of the best times I have had in BBYO since I joined two years ago. For those who could not attend this year, going to WOW is worth it for just this alone. Sunday was the business-oriented segment of the convention. The region held a meeting, where we once again attempted to pass a motion to change regional board order, and, as usual, it failed. The tensions during voting were strong, and it is clear that the Alephs of this region are passionate about how the region is run. Finally, after a great session of funny stuff, everyone went into friendship circle, and afterwards headed home. WOW Convention was great this year. There was plenty of things to do, and tons of great people to meet. While I do not know what next year s convention will have in store, based on this year, I think it will be great. I hope that I will see everyone at WOW next year!

11 Spring By: Eli Adler Spring Convention ended off the year very well. Harrisburg AZA and BBG both had great turnouts, with 19 Aleph s and (?) BBG s. The convention was a lot of fun, and the food was surprisingly not bad. We said goodbye to our old regional board and voted in our new 5th regional board. Shout out to Lincoln Weinstock for winning the position of our 5th Regional Moreh, as well as to Ben Loux and Jeremy Sussman for their amazing speeches, although they didn t win their positions. Also, whoever wrote Eli Center on their ballot, you suck. The life speeches this year were very good, a lot of people made some very good points. They only lasted until around 1:30, unlike last year. Overall spring was a great convention and I bet everyone who went had a great time. It was a great send off for our last convention of the year. Some congratulations are in order LBR s 5 th Regional Moreh Lincoln Weinstock 2016 Regional Aleph of the Year Hallel Cheskis [Chapter] Member of the Year Tyler Swidler Adiv Lift New Member of the Year Jason Weitzman [Chapter] Spirit Award Josh Guberman

12 PAST EVENTS Fraternity Night On April 2 nd, Harrisburg AZA held fraternity night. It was a huge success with 30 Alephs attending! Highlights included some fun and meaningful programming, and epic cheer circle, and lots of ultimate Frisbee. Model Seder On April 24 th, Harrisburg BBYO held a chocolate Passover Seder. Hallel Cheskis and Simona Shuman planned an amazing event with great programs, friends, and of course chocolate! Car Wash On Mother s Day, May 8 th, Harrisburg AZA held a car wash fundraiser at Sonic. Lots of Alephs showed up and had a great time washing cars and raising money for the chapter. Meetings Chapter Meetings were held on April 3 rd and May 15 th. Much important business was discussed, 2 new chapter awards were added, and as usual, there were some great sword fights. All Summer 16 While the Programming Year may be over, Harrisburg AZA still has many teens going on BBYO Summer Experiences CLTC Nathan Adler, Ben Loux, Scott Roth, & Hallel Cheskis ILTC Lincoln Weinstock

13 New Member Superlatives Our New Members are so super we gave them some Superlatives! MOST LIKELY TO OWN A CAR WASHING COMPANY Zevy Altman MOST LIKELY TO BE IN AN AXE COMMERCIAL Max Astrachan MOST LIKELY TO GET INJURED IN A NERF GUN FIGHT Joseph Caplan MOST LIKELY TO BECOME TONY STARK Andrew Casher MOST LIKELY TO BE ON INTERNATIONAL BOARD Henry Gold MOST LIKELY TO BE REGIONAL SUNSHINE GIRL Josh Guberman MOST LIKELY TO BE FEAT. ON THE NEXT NO SAUCE ALBUM Ben Kluger MOSTELY LIKELY TO BEAT ZEKE BERGER IN SMASH BROS Avi Lucatcher MOST LIKELY TO BUY A SPORTS CAR AND IMMEDIATELY CRASH Max Miskin MOST LIKELY TO BECOME A ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR Eli Spotts MOST LIKELY TO GRADUATE Tyler Swidler MOST LIKELY TO BE VOTED BEST WEINSTOCK Trevor Weinstock MOST LIKELY TO BE IN A MENTOS COMMERCIAL Jason Weitzman MOST LIKLEY TO GO ON A MAGIC CARPET RIDE Sam Welks MOST LIKELY TO GO ON A NATURE WALK AND ACTAULLY TAKE A NATURE WALK Jacob Zucker

14 BOARD QUOTES Appreciate life like it s the last Dorito in the bag. - Lincoln Weinstock Insert quote here. - Ben Loux Get me some markers, some construction paper, and some GLITTER GLUE! - Carter Weinstock Life is like a period, it s normal 3/4 of the time. - Julian Sherr If it s too early for lunch, it s not too late for breakfast. - Hallel Cheskis At least I m not last. - Jake Chadwell I swear I didn t kill it. - Nathan Adler Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes Vibes -Lincoln Weinstock

15 Autographs

16 Board Directory Lincoln Weinstock Godol Ben Loux S gan Carter Weinstock Moreh Julian Sherr Mazkir Hallel Cheskis Shliach Jake Chadwell Gizbor Nathan Adler Sopher lincolnsweinstock@gmail.com belx172@gmail.com carter.weinstock@yahoo.com juliancsherr@gmail.com hallelcheskis@gmail.com chadjakewell@gmail.com nathan.adler1999@gmail.com Paula Rosen Sally Jo Bronner Advisors prosen@justcabinets.com iteachesl@comcast.net Check Us Harrisburg harrisburgaza harrisburgaza.weebly.com Harrisburgaza@gmail.com to for our Remind101! Got an idea for an Article? Want to submit an article or pictures? me at hbgsopher@gmail.com Editor: Nathan Adler Other Contributors: Lincoln Weinstock, Hallel Cheskis, Will Chaddock, Tyler Swidler, Eli Adler, Trevor Weinstock, Ben Loux, Carter Weinstock, Julian Sherr, Jake Chadwell, Andrew Casher