The Tzofim Are Coming!

In the United States there are two Scouting organizations recognized by the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM), the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA. In Israel there are six associations that are part of its Scouting organization. Most Scouting organizations have boys and girls within their ranks. Israel is no exception here. As a matter of fact, segregation by sex as in the United States is quite rare. In Israel the Hebrew word for "scouts" is tzofim. Among the six Scouting associations, the Hebrew Scouts Association is by far and away the largest at 60,000. The Arab School Scouts Association has some 13,000 members, while the last four groups of Arab and Druze Scouts number a few thousand each. Each year three or four caravans of Israeli (Hebrew) Scouts travel to the United States and entertain crowds in key cities. A very intense competition is held to determine the forty Tzofim who possess the best voices, the most energy and best smiles to act as ambassadors to israel. Several dozen other Tzofim who are lucky get to travel to the U.S. to be located at a number of summer sleep away campus run by various organizations, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) being the chief sponsor. Also, the Friends of the Israel Scouts help raise money to finance the caravans that criss-cross the country performing songs and dancing their way into the hearts of attendees. In some cities the Tzofim perform private concerts for summer day camps, which is great for the kids, but doesn't allow for outsiders to see the show. Last year the Tzofim performed at the uptown J.C.C. for the first time in over a crowd in front of a crowd of over 200. This year, however, the J.C.C.'s summer camp is sponsoring the caravan and they are holding a private show just for day camp attendees. But I will be there and I will get pictures (I hope) of their performance. I am excited...can you tell? These young men and ladies are an inspiration and they beam with confidence about the future of the state of Israel. They are Israel's greatest secret weapon. Interestingly, most of them will enter military service and fulfill a commitment of two or three years right after the summer. So, this free trip from Israel to the U.S. is a great opportunity for them, but an even better opportunity for those of us lucky enough to be in the audience.

Father's Day

As I sit writing this fine stormy morning with lightning flashing and thunder sounding about me, I am at peace. Today is Father's Day and it is a day from which I derive great solace because being a father has been a full-time occupation for me since my son was born in 1986, but much more urgently applied since my wife passed away in 1995. It is a mantle I wear with honor and, while we don't discuss it much between ourselves, it is my most treasured job. Now that my son has passed from teenager to college student and about to undertake his senior year at my alma mater, I must admit that I am a lot less the center of his attention. Many of the things that interested me when he was a mere tyke still do. These include Scouting, music, theatre, animation and action films, Judaism, and an appreciation for the fairer sex. I hope that many of my values have been instilled in him, but as he is now 22, most of that instruction has either taken or not. I have to stand back and revel in the wonders that he still has to unveil in life. A father can relive his life vicariously through his child, but the journey is like that of a car where you are a mere passenger and no longer in control of the vehicle. As any father, I wish the best for my child and pray that he will live a long and outstanding life. The saddest thing for me is to read or hear about a parent having to bury his child. In his books "Big Russ and Me" and "The Wisdom of Our Fathers," the late Tim Russert made a case for the tireless parent who gives his all in order to provide for his family. Bill Cosby talked at length about what we do in "Fatherhood." To be a father is easy. To be a good father is difficult. Sometimes the lessons we need to teach are painful to both parent and child. Yet, it is a wise parent who knows what has to be done in order to teach and secure his child's way in the world through these lessons. My joy is to see young fathers experiencing the trying relationship for themselves. Eventually it kicks in. This is a limited run. The time a parent spends with a child is well spent, but it is far too short before they no longer have the desire to be with a parent, choosing instead to be with their own peer group in social outings. But isn't that what we most want? To make them upstanding and independent creatures so that they won't have to rely on us for everything? Like it or not, we won't always be able to be there for them, nor they for their children. It is the great continuum as we move on and they take our place. To be a father is to know both joy and pain. It is a road that we fathers happily tread and one, we hope, our sons will embark upon too. My father, both my grandfathers and my maternal great-grandfather have passed on. One day I, too, shall be gone, but the promise that one or more will carry on in my stead gives me pause and lifts me up today and through all of my Fathers Days to come.

Tim Russert

My apologies to the daily readers of the Kosher Computing blog, but I have been busy at Boy Scout camp for the past few days. I heard the news about Tim Russert, the NBC political correspondent, who unexpectedly passed away yesterday at the age of 58, over one of the parent's radios as they were taking their Scout home early. I was devastated. Russert was one of my most admired TV personalities and I believe he was light years ahead of most commentators. He had an unbelievably easy grasp on one of the most difficult beats to cover: Washington politics. He was an amiable and likeable fellow and I am pleased to report that I was privileged to see and hear him speak at a fundraiser for Cuyahoga Community College (commonly referrred to as "Tri-C") among my first duties as a staff reporter for the Cleveland Jewish News. Russert was a student at Jesuit school John Carroll University, the university that gave my township of University Heights its name. He picked up his law degree at Cleveland State University. So, it was only natural for a Clevleand area university to invite a former Clevelander to talk on the importance of education in that city. Russert reeled off joke after joke in warming up the crowd and he had an easy going manner with the audience. What was most apparent was his deep attachment to his father, whom he wrote so eloquently about in "Big Russ and Me" and his commitment to his Catholic religion. He loved sports almost as much as he loved politics. But it was in politics, as host of NBC's long-running "Meet the Press," where Russert really excelled. Even the Smithsonian decided that his famous slate with the words "Florida. Florida. Florida" from 2000 needed to be enshrined within its hallowed halls. His interviews of famous politicos were as incisive and hard-hitting as anyone could deliver. He could hit a subject with a question head-on and then, when least expected, come back with a follow up that would yield jucier material. When Senators, Representatives and Cabinet members sat before him and the cameras, they had to prepare well in advance and even then many were shaking in their boots knowing a Tim Russert interview was undeniably tough. What a loss for NBC. What a pity for broadcasting. The nation has lost one of its favorite sons and a figure who will be sorely missed when this historic November presidential race is finally played out.

Little Sioux Scout Camp

The news from Little Sioux Scout Camp in Iowa is not good. At least four Boy Scouts were killed last night as evening fell in an sudden, unexpected tornado and 40 other Scouts and Scouters (the term used for adult leaders) were injured to varying degrees. The word is that all of the killed were from the Nebraska area, but that has not been confirmed at this time. In the meantime, the Scouting network has risen up to help its own in time of need and has established several efforts to help. First, monetary donations to help rebuild the Little Sioux Scout Camp that was totally destroyed can be made to the Mid-America Council out of Omaha, Nebraska. Second, Scouts and Scouters are being urged to send pictures and letters of support to the families struck so severely by this tragedy. Council Scout Executive Lloyd Roitstein was credited today for his leadership by Chief Scout Executive Robert "Bob" Mazzuca and BSA National President John Gottschalk, whose home council was Mid-America. There is no doubt that were it another group other than the Boy Scouts who were affected, I would strongly suspect that greater loss of life and more suffering would have occurred. Congratulations to the young men who took cover and helped their stricken fellow Scouts after the storm passed. They are a credit to what the Scouting program is all about and a living testament to the Scouting slogan: "Be Prepared!"

A man, a plan

I remember several years ago when Tim Bugg, the Scout Executive for the Southeast Louisiana Council, began to actively court volunteers and prospective donors for his preposterous idea that a swimming pool was just what was needed at the Salmen Scout Reservation, the site of our local council's Boy Scout camp. And just where was he proposing that the pool be constructed? Why right smack in the middle of the parking lot across from the dining hall! With a beautiful lake located just a few hundred feet down from the main complex, I thought it was unnecessary and downright inconvenient. After all, every Scout who had regularly attended Boy Scout camp through the past 75 years or so had learned to swim in the lukewarm waters of a lake. It has been like that ever since I can remember at the new Salmen Scout Reservation. Well, Tim Bugg left for the Heart of America Council just before Katrina and I thought that all of this pool nonsense would go away. I was wrong. The new Scout Executive, John Cabeza, picked up the torch just where Bugg had dropped it and the discussions became even more fevered pitch. Last year, after all the damage was fixed from the camp facilities, a major donor came forward with the final funds needed to put in that pool. Over the course of the last year, the work commenced until today where an Olympic size pool is in place at Salmen Scout Reservation for the first time. I must admit that I wish the parking lot was still there, but now with a brand new state-of-the-art climbing tower adjacent to it, the swimming pool is looking mighty good. Congratulations to John Cabeza and his crack team including John Olynick, Director of Field Services. This pool can only improve the numbers of Scouts that will attempt to get their aquatics merit badges. It is a wonderful addition to an already impressive set of facilities.

Tigers Lair

And now time for a sports break. Normally, I am not that interested in filing local sports stories, but I am making an exception because the news from Baton Rouge is (in my estimation) worth noting.

Following their first loss in 24 games, the LSU Tigers in a must-win game pulled out a 9-7 victory over the Anteaters of UC-Irvine on Sunday night. Again, with the end of the season on the line and the final game ever to be played at Alex Box Stadium on the LSU campus, the Tigers wallopped the Anteaters tonight 21-7 to move from the Super Regional to the College World Series. The Tigers knew they had to come out swinging and swinging they did. With powerful hitting and nearly flawless fielding, the game extended LSU's winning record to 25 of the last 26 games. LSU registered 24 hits in 49 at bats and started the game off by scoring an impressive six times in the first inning including three back-to-back four baggers. The Anteaters, whose pitching staff was as deep as any seen in the college ranks, were stunned and never recovered. Also, the crowd of 8,173 registered for Monday night's decision was announced as the largest crowd ever to witness a game there. Next year a new stadium will be dedicated bearing the same name as the venerable stadium built back in 1938. But for now the focus will be on the upcoming games in Omaha, Nebraska against North Carolina, LSU's first opponent, the time and dates still to be determined. This will be LSU's 14th appearance at the College World Series, held since 1950 at Rosenblatt Stadium. The Tigers have won the CWS title five times before (1991, 1993,1996, 1997 and 2000).

Big Brown Boondoggle

Oh, my. Were I to have had the mortgage on Ed McMahon's house, I would have bet it all on Big Brown today. Were I to have had loose cash, I would have waged it all on what was a sure bet in the Triple Crown. Let's face it. The worst kept secret in all of sports this year was that Big Brown was going to be the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. It was the lock of the year. And, yet, Big Brown pulled up in what should have been the greatest triumph of his career and became famous, or infamous, for a startling fact. Big Brown is the first last-place finisher of the Belmont that had previously won the first two jewels of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Oh, this must have been God's greatest joke on those of us who had hoped to see another horse follow in the tradition of Citation, Secretariat and Seattle Slew. Like Smarty Jones four years ago, we had a horse with great promise that did not measure up. I must admit that the hoopla from the press got me excited and moved from hopeful to anxious. There's no stopping this one, every reporter would trumpet over the airwaves or publish in print or online. It is very easy to be sucked into the maelstrom of the media hype and to lose perspective, allowing disappointment to set in when hope is dashed against the pari-mutuel windows. So, until next year when the first weekend in May brings us yet another Kentucky Derby, I will endeavor to not be so easily turned into one of the mindless members of the mob whose thoughts and actions (and perhaps wagering) are shaped by the media. I'd give you five-to-one on that.