Interview with Rick Recht

I had the chance to interview Rick Recht today about his music career and his influence on Jewish Camps.

Esther: How long have you been playing music?

Rick: Since I was 8.

Esther: Do you have any advice for people who want to follow your career choice?

Rick: For pursuing a career in Jewish music, working really hard at your instrument, whether it's a guitar or your voice. Also studying judaism, going to Jewish camp, and working at a religous school or camp are all great ways to succeed in the career.

Esther: How were you discovered?

Rick: Well I was never really "discovered," but I started writing eleven years ago for a day camp in St. Louis, and there I recorded my first CD called "Tov." From there I went on a Summer tour where I played at 50 different summer camps, adding up to about 40,000 kids. By word of mouth from the campers I started getting hired at Jewish Synagogues.

Esther: Could you see yourself doing any other career choice?

Rick: Well I actually consider myself a Jewish educator, and music just happens to be my method of teaching. I could see myself teaching in other ways.

Esther: What is your favorite song that you have written?

Rick: Although I don't have a specific favorite song, I do have a favorite moment. That moment is when people that hear me preform get excited and feel like a community. When people put their arms around each other or jump up and down, that's my favorite song (and it's usually a different song every time.) At Ramah it seems like every song is like that. My goal is really to create a sense of community and Jewish pride, and music just happens to be a really powerful way to do it.

Esther: Will your kids Tal and Kobi follow in your footsteps?

Rick: As long as my children Kobi (9) and Tal (6 1/2) are happy, I don't really care what they do. Although I have a feeling they both want to be rockstars.

Esther: How much gel do you use in your hair?

Rick: It's more like a molding mud, and most people use a dime sized amount but I used a quarter size. My hair can get pretty big so I do whatever it takes to keep from looking like a clown. :)

Esther with Jewish singer Rick Recht



Squeakers

Mom this is squeakers. It's a dolphin I got as a prize from the Israel fair.
-Brooke N.

Shalom (Goodbye)

Blogging is sadly ending right now. We need to change chugim (electives). I will try to write but not for sure. I will miss my followers. Have a good summer!


-Esther


P.S  Tell Ziggy that I miss him and please send me pictures!

Shalom!

This will be my last post. Blogging was fun, but I think I'll take Jewelry for my next chug. I wish I worked a little harder on some of my posts, but learning to to customize the layout and everything else was great. Love you all! 


P.S Mom, please send me my tallis! (we use it a lot here!)


-Brooke N.

care packages

Many kids want to receive packages, some things that should be included are toy balls, lanyards, things that were forgotten, cards, water balloons, and sunglasses. If you want to send anything to your children here are some ideas given by campers themselves.


-Esther

Squeakers (Israel Day)

At the Israeli fair, you can milk cows and earn shekels by balancing a tomato on a spoon! I purchased my beloved Squeakers there, which makes the scorching heat well worth it. -Brooke

Rick Recht Concert Review

July 3rd 2011
Rick Recht came to Camp Ramah in Ojai California. He called up each edah (age group). What I thought was special is that one of the first groups to be called was the Amitzimers and Ezra staff (the special needs campers and staff). We love Rick Recht!!


-Esther

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July to all. Go USA

Fashion Around Ramah

Most people don't think about fashion when heading off to the swimming pool, dojo, or their chug.
But some people do, and spend hours on end thinking about what to wear tomorrow, or on Shabbat.
Here are some of the fashions around Camp Ramah.

 Even after returning from the dojo; sweaty and sticky, these girls still manage to look fashionable.

This graphic tee--with its SHOCKING Hot Pink script;  is actually quite popular among the Solliem girls. Note the matching pink shorts and assortment of cute wristbands.

Long shirts, short shorts. A perfect combo!

Floral prints are all the rage at Machemeh (Camp) Ramah...and this graphic tee takes Floral prints to a whole new level-- by arranging them in the form of the English flag!

 

Another Floral print. The pink undershirt is a pop of color against these black shorts.

Esther's Overnight Review

I interviewed a Sollelim boy named Alex about the overnight we recently went on. He thought the the water hike was pointless, he chose to do rock climbing which was not enjoyable. "We had to walk 45 min to go to climb the rock and only got to climb it once, and 45 min back."

                                                          Above: Alex; Sollelim 2011

Personally I thought the water hike was so fun, I also chose to do rock climbing which I agree was a total bummer. I didn't even get to climb the rock because we ran out of time. I started on the hard rock but couldn't boost myself up on the  rock, so I changed to the easy rock, but sadly ran low on time. Although the sleeping arrangements weren't as bad as the last time we were on a slope, EVERYBODY slid down at least 1-5 feet through out the night. I'll talk to you later!

Art Around Ramah

We interviewed campers and teachers from ceramics, omanut (art), and jewelry. We asked them what their inspiration was for the piece, were the pieces for anyone in particular, and what materials they used to make the various pieces. This is what we found:

Amy- mirror:
Q: What was your inspiration for your piece?
A: I needed a mirror for my tent.

Q: Who did you make it for?
A: Myself.

Q: What did you make it out of?
A: Clay and glass

Michelle
Q: Who are you creating your piece for?
A: It's a present for my dad.

Q: What do you think about art?
A: It's a way to express yourself.

Q: How long have you been interested in art?
A: Since I was five years old.

Molly- bracelet:
Q: What was your inspiration for your piece?
A: I picked my favorite objects and animals, and then threw them on a bracelet.

Q: Who did you make it for?
A: Myself.

Q: What did you make it out of?
A: Chain, charms, jump rings, and a clasp.

Sarah:
Q: What's your inspiration for this piece of jewlery?
A: It was something to challenge me.

Q: Is this piece for anyone in particular?
A: No, just for me.

Q: Why do you like art?
A: It's a chance to learn new techniques.

Shabbat Summary by Brooke N.

"There once was a young farmer who would change the world forever..." And so begins the tale of Moshe, who would join the Rabbi and defeat pharoh, rescue the princess, and some other stuff. So begins the Shabbat wars (stories told by Rabbi Joe to the theme of Starwars) and after comes.... Shabbat dinner! Which without a doubt is the best part of Shabbat, next to Shabbat breakfast of course! Then Havdallah was beautiful, down by magal ilan (the fire pit). One candle lit among hundreds of people under the stars, songs in the air, and ice cream right after!

Mock Interview with Theodor Herzl

We had a practice interview with Theodor Herzl, known as the father of modern Zionism. Through this interview we learned how to conduct an interview and what questions to ask. We also learned how to carry out a conversation and how to prepare for an interview.

Brooke: Where  and when were you born?

Theodor Herzl: I was born in Pest, Hungary on May 2nd , 1860.

Esther: Have you always lived in Pest, Hungary?


TH: No, I spent some time in Edlach, Hungary as well. Something else to note, was that in WWI Hungary became Austria-Hungary.

Brooke: What is your view on Judaism?

TH: I am an Ashkanzi Jew.

Brooke: What was your job?

TH: I was an Austria-Hungarian journalist.

Brooke: What was the Uganda Project?

TH: It was the original plan to place the Jews in Russia as their homeland, although this plan fell through and instead Israel became the Jewish homeland.

Brooke: Is it true you changed your name?

TH: Yes, my name was originally Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl.

Esther: What is your goal by believing in Zionism? 

TH: As stated in my novel Der Juden Staat (The Jewish State), Zionism is the belief that the Jews should have a place to call their homeland, which has become Israel. The goal of Zionism is to have a Jewish homeland.

Although Theodor Herzl passed away in 1904, the mock interview was a way to learn about interviewing so we will be prepared for live interviews in the future.

What we like about camp so far/What we are looking foward to

So far, what I really like about camp is well, the food. The food is amazing; seriously. And swimming everyday is fun too. The bike ride we went on was awesome!


Wow!!! I can't beleive we are at camp already, the last thing I remeber is going to English class. Now i'm having fun swimming and hanging out with all of my friends. I'm REALLY looking forward to Maccabiah  (color wars). Well, I have to do a new activity so BYE!!!

Bye!

Brooke N. + Esther R.