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Yeshiva, camp and the stops in between

Rabbi Lipszyc's Story of the Week
Dedicated in honor of Levi Kornfeld's Bar Mitzvah

In June 1964, I graduated the Lubavitcher Yeshiva High School. The year before, Rabbi Avrohom Korf, Shliach to Florida, decided to make an overnight camp. Camp was to begin on Sunday and the Thursday before he realized he needed counselors. He flew into New York and began asking bachurim to come. Of course, everybody already had summer camps where they were going. So he asked everyone permission to write their names into the Rebbe so that if the Rebbe would choose their names to go to Florida they would agree to change their plans. I was one of 10 who had agreed.  The rebbe circled 3 names, Yitzchok Marcus, now Shliach in L.A., California, Yankel Goldstein, later to become known as the general, because of his chaplaincy in the United States Army, and myself. From the time we got the answer to go, we had 45 minutes to catch the plane. We ran home, packed and went to the airport barely making the plane. While I was packing, I had to leave a note for my mother since she was not home, that she should please call the camp where I was supposed to go, apologize and cancel. I wrote that I’m on my way to Florida and will call when I get there and explain. When I landed in Florida I called my mother and explained that the Rebbe told me to go to Florida. The summer was very successful and enjoyable, thus it was no surprise that the next summer all three of us returned. [On a side note, since camp in Florida begins earlier than in the north, we had to leave right after exams and before graduation. The secular principal was very upset and threatened that if I was not going to be at the graduation ceremony I would not get my high school diploma. I went anyway and in fact did not get my diploma until many years later as I will tell another time.] This second summer was an exceptional, exceptional experience. Many stories connected with that particular summer. The staff was terrific and every one of them made a mark in their eventual shlichus. Avrohom Levitansky a”h, shliach in “Simcha” Monica was the learning director. Itche Meir Teitelbaum shliach in Miami Beach, Florida, and Casriel Brusowankin shliach of Aventura, Florida, besides the three of us mentioned earlier. One of the stories of that summer shows the power of children’s Tehillim. All 45 children who attended camp that summer were from non-Torah observant homes. Suddenly they found themselves in a “camp” with chassidic counselors. They were quite overwhelmed and so Rabbi Levitansky in his opening welcome speech wanted to allay any fears that they may have of a summer similar to a religious Hebrew school. Therefore, he listed all the different activities we had planned for their summer. One of the things he mentioned was a planned overnight hike. Throughout the summer we kept planning the overnight hike yet each time something would happen to postpone it. Until finally we came to the end of camp and there was only one night left that we could possibly go on that overnight hike. Wanting to keep that promise we made, we went with the intention of not letting anything get in the way. While we were setting up campgrounds, as happens many times in Florida, the skies suddenly darkened and it was obvious that a major storm was coming. Of course, the campers began to moan as they realized that their dreamed of overnight was about to come to an end. Rabbi Levitansky said to them “after a whole summer of teaching you about trust in Hashem, you are ready to give up so easily? Why not say Tehillim and ask Hashem to keep the rain away?” The campers’ reaction to this recommendation was actually quite surprising to us. They took a Tehillim and gave it to the youngest camper and then continued setting up the campsite. We asked them “what are you doing?” To which they answered, “if he, pointing to the youngest camper, will say Tehillim, then Hashem will surely keep the rain away and so we need to set up the campsite.” What could we possibly say? Sure enough, although it remained quite dark, it did not rain. A short time later, three station wagons driven by Rabbi Korf, Rabbi Weiss a”h, and the coach drew up to the campsite. All three of them got out of the cars and gazed at us in shock. We asked what happened and why are they there? Rabbi Korf responded, “you have no idea what is going on around you! For miles all around you there is such a storm pounding that it has knocked out all electricity. And you are all here sitting in the only dry spot!” We then told Rabbi Korf the incredible story of the pure emunah of our campers and one little boy.

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