Through a journey of our roots in Ukraine and Eretz Yisroel, and filled with fun and incredible experiences, Camp YTT has been a place of growth, understanding and hiskashrus to our Rebbe for over 20 years.
Camp YTT – Swerdlov Summer Program has opened registration at campytt.com
The following is a speech given at the banquet by camper Chaya Bryski from Arizona:
There is no way to sum up the experiences of the last five weeks but I’ll try. Let me start out with a story.
One time, a yeshiva bachur went into Yechidus with the Rebbe. He told the Rebbe that he wanted to get a head start on his life which would mean leaving yeshiva early. The Rebbe pulled out a paper and told the bachur to make a perfect circle using only his pencil–of course, that is impossible and so his circle came out shaky and misshapen. The Rebbe told him that if you use a compass–which is a drawing utensil with a rooted needle in the center and you rotate your pencil around the needle–it would create a perfect circle. So why does this little needle make all the difference? The answer is because the circle with the compass has an established center.
The only way to live our lives to the fullest and to stay grounded is with an established center. That is what this camp has given me. Connecting to all the Rebbeim in Ukraine and seeing what my nation went through helped me strengthen my center. In the next stages of my life, everything that I do, I will be able to ask myself– is this in line with my center, my core? Is this in line with who I truly am? If someone does not have this strongly rooted base, then their circle, which we compare to as our lives, will turn out shaky and unstable. Just like the first circle the yeshiva bachur drew. Each and every one of us came to this camp not truly knowing where we came from and what our meaning in life really is, but this camp has deepened our core and our center to a whole new level.
I found it very inspiring that by the Kosel, there were so many different women–dancing hand in hand, no matter their background. I feel that on a personal level, this group reenacted that exact experience. We all come from different families, different places, and we connect to the Rebbe in different ways. But the fact that we were all together and experienced this incredible place–despite our differences– is amazing. Each and every girl here contributed majorly to this mind-blowing camp.
This is the prime time to take the opportunity to thank our outstanding counselors. Thank you to Bassie, Mirale, Chana Esther, and Adina for being a wonderful addition to this camp experience. You made sure we were always gaining inspiration and having an amazing time.
A huge thank you to Rabbi and Shuffi Telsner. Rabbi T, you made this camp much more special than it is already. Thank you! Shuffi, thank you so much for being our temporary mother.
I would love to thank my wonderful parents for sending me to this camp so that I would be able to gain and learn this summer–love you:)
Dalia, as soon as you saw us, you made an instant connection with every girl you met. You are truly an inspiration!
Thank you also to Shosh who made sure we had a place to sleep and food to eat.
Of course, I have to thank the one and only, Bubby Swerdlov. Dalia showed me a bracelet of hers that said “it takes a big heart to teach little minds.” When I saw this, I immediately thought of Mrs. Swerdlov. She has the biggest heart and we can all see that it is her true desire to teach, reach, inspire, and touch every single girl in her program.
You have helped give me a whole new outlook on how to love Hashem and the Rebbe. I showed up for my life and chose to come here and learn about myself and who I am, and thanks to the wonderful people and mind-blowing program, I feel that I have achieved that this summer–and I hope you all feel the same.
All in all, this incredible program and tremendous experience will help each of us shape our circles and give us a strong, rooted center. We will use this guidance to help hold that center in place and make our way through life around it. And we’ll be able to focus on what truly matters which is that we are all connected in order to do what we all came here to do–to bring MoshiachB’mheira B’yomeinu Mamosh!!!
