Bracha Jacobson is from Far Rockaway NY, she went to TAG high school and then spent a year and a half studying in Michlalah. She is PUMPED to experience the Best. Summer. Ever. on michlelet!!

Bracha’s chaburah is titled the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Yidden based off of Stephen Covey’s book the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The girls in the chaburah study each of the seven habits in depth from the Torah’s perspective. The structure of the book is comprised of three habits that bring a person from dependence to independence by working on middos like proactivity and integrity that build up the individual from within so that he/she feels fulfilled on his/her own and does not need to rely on other people for emotional or intellectual approval. Once a person has mastered the traits of independence, the following three habits transition into practices of interdependence which focus on bouncing each person’s individual strengths off of the strengths of the people he/she interacts with in order to create something greater than either one could have created on their own. Some of the Torah principles covered in these habits include being נושא בעול עם חברו carrying your friends burden and being happy for their successes, giving and accepting Mussar/rebuke, and learning from every person we encounter. The last of the habits is the habit of self care/ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם because by taking care of both the body’s physical and psychological needs, it is enabled to perform as a kli to practice all other habits effectively and to focus on its Avodah.

The amazing girls in Bracha’s chaburah are Batya Bogomilsky, Rachelle Gelbtuch, Hannah Gerber, Pessi Mermerstein and Aliza Polatsek

What is your favorite michlelet kind of day?

Batya- In days because I love being able to learn all these amazing things and get so inspired from it!

Rachelle- Tiyul because I get to see how beautiful Israel is and spend time with friends.

Hannah- Chessed is my favorite day because it is a time when the whole camp comes together to not only tour and love the land of israel but to also help and care for the Jewish community.

Pessi- In days because I love the learning. It’s the reason I came back for Shana Bet!

Aliza- Chesed because it is so fulfilling and inspiring to help others

We had an incredible trip to the north this weekend!! Started with raft building where we learned to work as a team to build a raft that actually floated on the water! Girls had a blast seeing their hard work pay off. Another group went on a special tour of Tzfat, After a beautiful shabbat together in Chispin with amazing programing and great weather, we had a party boat motzaei shabbat. We partied, sang and danced the night away on the gorgeous kineret! Sunday we had 5 trips. After everyone went rafting in Kfar Bloom together, one group went to Amuka to daven and one group went to the Chitzbani water hike where they walked waist deep in to the river and had a blast cooling off in the heat. Another group went to visit the Talmudic Village and had a tour around there with a great guide. The last group went to De Karina Chocolate Factory, had a tour and made yummy chocolate to take home at the end. It was an amazing and memorable weekend had by all! 

Week 4 was amazing!!

Today we had an amazing morning of shiurim and chaburahs! We also had our favorite activities. After lunch everyone went painting for chesed. Some helped fix up run down buildings while others helped paint children centers. We had a visit from Lander College for Women who brought us a delicious Burgers Bar dinner. Tonight we were zocheh to two night speaker! Dr. Luchins from Touro College adressed the girls before dinner and after Mrs. Schneider from Tiferet gave a shiur. Our day ended with an awesome dance party with special guest: Shimi Adar!!!! 

Orah Wilens is from Chicago, Illinois and is currently attending Touro College and is majoring in psychology. After going as a camper, orah was excited to come back as staff because she knew how much the program has to offer!

The amazing girls In Orah’s homeroom are Devorah Burg, (Bergenfield NJ), Leeyan Cohen (Aventura, Florida), Meira Entin (Boca, Florida),Carly Vaccaro (Mount Kisko, NY) and Shifra Weiss, (NY,Queens).

Orah’s Chaburah is called You, me and Hashem”- which is based on the pasuk in Pirkei Avot 1:2, על שלשה דברים העולם עומד על התורה ועל העבודה ועל גמילת חסדים
T: On 3 things does the world stand on Torah, avodah and Chesed.
Each one of these foundations of Judaism is connected to 3 categories. Bein Adam leatzmo,- ( relationship with self)- connected to Torah. Bein Adam lechavero (relationship with others) -connected to Chesed.
And Bein Adam lemakom, (relationship with Hashem)-Connected to Avodah.
Going through different topics related to each relationship we are better able to understand how each one builds on each other and how they all play an integral role in building our relationship with Hashem.

If you could have lunch with one person in Tanach, who would it be and why?

-Devorah Burg-
If I could have lunch with anyone in Tanach it would be Devorah the judge. For obvious reasons we share the same name. But also since she was the only female judge in Tanach she could teach me how to be a role model and leader while still being modest and tzanua.

-Leeyan Cohen-
Aaron we have the same last name so we can lowkey be related and that’s cool and special.

-Meira Entin-
I would want to have lunch with dovid hamelech because he went through so much adversity and came out so strong and went on to build up yerushalayim and wanted to build the Beit Hamikdash.

-Carly Vaccaro-
I would have lunch with Moshe to find out what it was like to have direct communication with Hashem. I would ask him to describe the insane connection he must’ve felt. I’d also ask him what it was like to have been chosen by Hashem to lead the Jews out of mitzraim and get the Torah! Was he nervous that Hashem entrusted him with this immense task?

-Shifra Weiss-
If I could have lunch with anyone in tanach it would be Shifra from mitzrayim. My name is Shifra and Shifra from tanach was brave and was always looking out for the best for binei yisroel. This is a true leadership quality which is what I aspire to be.

Today we got up before the sun at 430 am!! We went straight to Ben Gurion Airport where we were zocheh to greet 232 olim chadashim who were landing on a Nefesh B’Nefesh charter flight. We sang and danced with them, wished them mazal tov and were inspired but their commitment to this country. Then we had a great day of shiurim and activities at Reshit. We baked, made some art projects, played sports and more! In the evening we boarded the buses for YOM NCSY! It was a BLAST. We joined 19 NCSY programs b’achdut, had an amazing BBQ together and a fantastic concert with Eitan and Shlomo Katz!! 

Today was anther fantastic day on Michlelet! We got up early this morning and headed to 5 different amazing trips. Girls chose between, Shiloh, Ein Gedi, Masada/Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and a Masada sunrise trip. The Shiloh trip was a very special experience that the girls really connected to. We took a tour of Shiloh where the mishkan once stood, sang songs and connected to the Kedushah of the makom. Then we went to a community called Givat Olam to each lunch and meet some of the people who lived there. One of the women told us her Aliyah story from California when she was younger. After that we went sheep herding!! We had so much fun trying to keep the sheep in line learning to work as a team. The Ein Gedi trip had a great time in the water and then went to an archeological dig where they dug up interesting artifacts and had a blast! The Masada/Dead Sea trip started their day with the cable cars up Masada with a tour at the top. After they enjoyed some time floating in the Dead Sea. The girls on the Tel Aviv trip spent some time relaxing on the beach. They also had a graffiti tour through the streets and paid a visit to the Ben and Jerrys Factory. The early-risers who did the sunrise hike on Masada left Reishit at 3 am. They hiked up Masada, had a tour and hiked back down. After they went to Ein Pashcha and splashed around in the water a bit to relax from their long morning. All trips came back to Reishit for a BBQ dinner outdoors and then a Simcha Leiner concert!! It was a busy and energy filled day for everyone!! 

Orit Reiter is from Staten Island New York. After attending Bruriah for High School, she went on to study at MMY for a year and a half. Orit is currently in Stern College, double majoring in Psychology and Judaic Studies. Orit came on Michlelet as a camper and is psyched to be back as a Madricha! Her Chabura is titled “Hello the Rebbe’s Name is”. The Chabura explores different Chassidic Rebbes throughout history and draws out an applicable life lesson from each of them. Through the Chabura the girls will hopefully learn about themselves and how relevant Chassidus is to their lives.
The girls in Orit’s Chabura are: Yehudis Herschberg (Woodmere, NY), Sari Frankel (Spring Valley, NY), Ariella Deil (Great Neck, NY) and Daniella Mandelbaum (Los Angeles, CA)

What is your favorite part of being in Israel?

Yehudis Herschberg: “my favorite part of being in Israel is being able to travel around the land with michlelet experiencing new people and places every day!”

Sari Frankel: “my favorite part of being in Israel is being able to combine learning Torah with learning about the land through the amazing tiyulim.”

Ariella Deil: Being in israel makes me feel connected to and a part of a nation. Learning Torah all year long makes me feel connected but when I come to Israel and see the land that our ancestors fought for I feel a connection that cant be explained. Going from place to place and just being able to experience and take in every second makes me appreciate all that I can contribute to our nation.

Daniella Mandelbaum: In Israel you feel a sense of belonging that you don’t have anywhere else. Even though you may technically have a home elsewhere, Israel is our home, a place we can always come back to. Going to the kotel and praying makes me feel a connection that exists no where else. A longing for Emunah, faith and love seems non existent before stepping out of Ben Gurion airport.

Today was an eventful day on Michlelet NCSY!! We started our day off with amazing chesed. The girls chose from 4 meaningful options. One group went to the Lone Soldier Center where we heard about what they provide for soldiers and what it means to choose to serve this beautiful country. We gave out care packages and letters to the soldier there. Another group went to Melabev- a home for the eldery with alzheimer’s ; they sang and spoke to the people there and really made a difference with their simchat hachaim. Other girls went to Leket Israel where they helped with boxes of food for poor people. The last group went to Save A Child’s Heart and played with children who are here to have treatment for their heart diseases. We love doing the mitzvah of putting a smile on each and every patient’s, person’s, and solider’s face!! In the afternoon we had another round of outstanding chaburahs and classes given by our amazing madrichot and teachers. Then at night was the grand finale of the day!! We welcomed GIVE NCSY for dinner!! They joined us for our night speaker as well, Mrs. Yudin and we played each other in a basketball game afterwards. The energy in the room for spectacular!! All the girls had a great time cheering on their teams. GIVE won but both teams played a great game. Thanks to GIVE for joining us and adding so much to our summer! Tiyulim tomorrrow!! 

Shabbat Shalom from Michlelet NCSY!!