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Camp life

Rabbi Lipszyc's Story of the Week
Dedcated for a Refuah Shleima for Levi Yitzchak Ben Bella

When telling the story about camp in Florida and Coach Montgomery and his involvement in the camp, I mentioned that I had a special relationship with him. That’s how I knew the details of how he came to be in camp. How did we end up in such a special relationship? That’s the story I will tell this time.

Coach was a very interesting person. He was very serious about is responsibilities as a coach and he would carry around with him a large paddle. He was big, over 6 foot tall and quite husky with bulging muscles. Whenever he saw someone doing something which he felt was inappropriate or if the person who was not moving fast enough when he expected him to be, he didn’t hesitate to use the paddle on that person’s butt. It made no difference to him whether it was a counselor or a camper anyone was fair game for his paddle. Everyone in camp, camper or counselor was terrified of him. There used to be an advertisement that was very well known in all kinds of media that was promoting body building and that was called Atlas. The advertising had pictures one was a 98 pound weakling that represented before and then big husky powerful person representing after. That coach was that powerful person was obvious, just as obvious was that I was that 98 pound weakling.

Coach used to enjoy coming into the synagogue to watch campers and counsellors during prayers, as well as joining us in the dining room during meals especially enjoying the singing of Grace after Meals. And if he saw someone not doing what they were supposed to be doing – praying as they should, or talking when they shouldn’t, or if they weren’t bentching when they were supposed to, you can be sure that his paddle would come a-swinging. Every morning after prayers before breakfast coach would take all the campers for a run, doing laps around the baseball field. Except for Yaakov Goldstein and myself, during that time the staff members would put on Rabbeinu Taam’s Tefillin. Goldstein and I, felt that we should run together with the campers. We therefore, would put on Rabbeinu Taam’s Tefillin, during repetition of Shmona esrei. Coach liked that.

Every few days, arbitrarily, coach would get on the PA system and announce a surprise run of 2 to 3 miles. These sudden exercise runs could come at any time in the day. One day in the middle of learning class, the PA system suddenly turned on and coach was announcing a 3 mile run. Whenever coach would announce such a run, wherever we were in camp we had 45 seconds to get online at the flagpole. Heaven help the camper or counselor who didn’t get to the flagpole within 45 seconds.

As the campers whom I was learning with, began to get up to go to the flagpole, I told them “sit back down.” The kids were rightfully terrified and they argued but coach announced lineup. I told them “coach is not in charge during spiritual time, we are now learning and this is not his domain.” Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, coach comes marching over with his paddle and asks me, “Itchie, did you not hear the announcement for lining up at the flagpole? Everyone else is at the flagpole why aren’t you?” I stood up, my full height came to his chest, and I said, “I’m sorry coach but these children learn only one 45 minute period a day about their heritage, that has to remain sacred without any interruption.”

Not only the children thought that he was going to give me a whack that would send me flying to the moon, I thought so too. Coach gave me a very serious look, but then he turned around and walked away. A minute later the PA system came on and coach announced that everybody should return to their learning classes. After learning classes was over, the PA system went on again and coach announced everyone should lineup at the flagpole for a 5 mile run including counselors. Avremil Levitansky a”h, who was the learning director, was not around when this incident happened but when he learned of it, came over and gave me a big thank you. I went over to coach afterwards and apologized for putting him in a difficult position in front of the children and thanked him for graciously accepting my explanation. From his part, he had a different respect for me knowing that I was ready to put my “life on the line” for our beliefs. As I mentioned earlier, we then became very close friends and very respectful of each other.

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