Anshei Darom News

The Class of 2017: attendees at the 18th annual Anshei Darom Retreat at Camp Ramah Darom.

This year's Anshei Darom Regional Retreat had special significance, being the eighteenth consecutive annual event at Camp Ramah Darom. As we know, the number eighteen is the numerical value of the Hebrew word chai - life - and so it was an especially auspicious weekend on which to celebrate our mission of involving Jewish men in Jewish life.

Fifty-four men from around the Southeast came together to renew old friendships, make new friendships, and enjoy a weekend of great food, spirituality, and spirits. This year we were happy to welcome ten first-time attendees and two new clubs - Shearith Israel (Atlanta, GA) and Beth Meyer (Raleigh, NC). We're hoping to see the first-timers come back and bring some friends next year.

This year's Retreat theme was Conservative Judaism through the Generations: What We Learn From Our Parents, What We Teach Our Children, a topic discussed in detail by our Scholar-in-Residence, Professor Ed Halper of the University of Georgia. There were four fathers who attended the Retreat with their sons, and I can't think of a better opportunity for our precious Jewish heritage to be passed down through the generations.

Labels: Past Retreats

The Class of 2016: attendees at the 17th annual Anshei Darom Retreat at Camp Ramah Darom. [Click here for full-size downloadable version.]

We had a record (or near-record) turnout, with sixty-five attendees representing thirteen different Men's Clubs throughout the Southeast. The weekend's theme  (American Jews and Israel - Moving Forward) generated plenty of spirited discussion.

Labels: Past Retreats

The Class of 2013: attendees at the 14th annual Anshei Darom Retreat at Camp Ramah Darom. [Click here for full-size downloadable version.]

Labels: Past Retreats

The Class of 2012: attendees at the 13th annual Anshei Darom Retreat at Camp Ramah Darom.

This year's Anshei Darom Retreat was not just any Retreat... because this was the thirteenth gathering of the Men of the South. Yes: it was the Retreat's Bar Mitzvah year, and what better way to celebrate it than by combining spirits and spirituality, putting the Bar and Mitzvah in Bar Mitzvah?


The Anshei Darom Regional Banner.

Rabbi Shalom Lewis (of Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta, Georgia) was the Scholar-in-Residence at this year’s Retreat. With discussions ranging from the personal, moral, and religious issues that arise when marital fidelity is challenged by a spouse's serious illness or dementia, to whether the Eternal intervenes in people's lives as a result of prayer, we had plenty of intellectual stimulation.

Mike Mills, international president of the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs (and a member of Synagogue Emanu-El in Charleston) delivered a scholarly d'var Torah on individuals and their responsibility to the society around them - the theme of Shabbat Shekalim. As Shabbat wound down, he shared his thoughts on Meaningful Relationships... more food for serious contemplation.


Joe Ziskend and Mike Mills enjoy the Friday afternoon sunshine.


The Famous Sweat Hut.


Steve Bodenstein, our very own Pocket Fisherman Compleat Angler, gets ready for our Shabbat meal of Bluefin Gefilte Fish.

And speaking of food, there was an excellent menu served up by the fine Tumbling Waters staff. Tender roast chicken, ratatouille, and baked sweet potatoes made for a fine Shabbat meal.

Even the weather cooperated. A warm, sunny Friday afternoon was followed by a slightly cooler, cloudier Shabbat - but the predicted rain held off until well after the festivities at the campfire and the Famous Sweat Hut. Those who preferred not to brave the evening air went indoors and had an opportunity to watch the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith, in which Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau portrayed Rabbi Albert Lewis (z''l) - Rabbi Shalom Lewis's very own father.


Havdalah, the farewell to Shabbat.

Another wonderful retreat... now, when's the next one?



[Photo credits: 1,2,6,7 Jeff Frankel; 3,4,5 Steve Krodman]

Labels: Past Retreats

The Class of 2011: attendees at the twelfth annual Anshei Darom Retreat in February 2011.

Anyone interested in downloading a full-size suitable-for-printing image can find it here.

Labels: Past Retreats

The Anshei Darom Retreat, Class of 2010.

[Click on the pic for a larger version. This photo is also available for download in several sizes here, up to the full original size of 2955 x 1435 pixels... suitable for framing!]

This year's regional Retreat at Camp Ramah Darom - the eleventh of its kind - was blessed with exceptional weather, exceptional programming, and an exceptional group of guys.

The gathering began Friday afternoon, February 19, as men from around the Southeastern United States trickled in to the camp, tucked away in the hills of Clayton, Georgia. Mark Berlin, the president of FJMC (and a member of the Seaboard Region) joined us as well. We had an exceptional cohort of first-time attendees as well.

Our Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi David Sirull of Congregation Adas Yeshurun in Augusta, Georgia, gave presentations on Being a Conservative Jew and Living in a Predominantly Christian Country, and Faith After the Holocaust, both of which stimulated plenty of discussion. And the sparks really flew during Mark Berlin's talk on Fairness in the Media, as attendees raised all kinds of questions concerning current policies vis à vis the Fairness Doctrine, political speech on the airwaves, and the like. Anyone who thought Mark's session would be a good time to catch a few zayins got a big surprise.

Gene Sacks continued a tradition of long standing by leading his usual Shabbat afternoon hike to the Camp Ramah waterfall... and another long-standing tradition, the Famous Sweat Hut, was once again loaded with hot rocks and packed with guys eager for a healthy schvitz... or eager to escape Saul Sloman's joke marathon by the campfire, yet another Camp Ramah tradition.

Sunday morning was especially inspiring for me as Willy Adler, a member of Congregation Emanu-El Men's Club (Charleston, SC) led the Pesukei d'Zimrah service, chanting the psalms of praise that are the daily prelude to the Shacharit service. Willy is 92, the oldest man to attend our Retreat... and a Holocaust survivor, having escaped from Germany in 1940, where he had been incarcerated in a concentration camp. Listening to him that morning was worth the price of admission, as far as I was concerned. I'm proud to say that Willy is a Man of the South... and I'm proud to have been at Camp Ramah with him.

Special thanks are due to Doug Friedman and Howard Silverstein, co-chairs of the Retreat committee, who did a fine job of making the arrangements and ensuring everything ran smoothly. Jim Handler headed up the Ritual committee, and the services under his direction were inspiring and well-coordinated. Norm Hamburger headed up our fund-raising activities - I am happy to report that we raised an additional $2,417 in support of the region's Mark Elkan Memorial Scholarship to Camp Ramah Darom - and our trusty Treasurer, Joe Zendlovitz, worked with Doug to make sure the financial end of things was taken care of, as well.

Kol ha-kavod, guys! Let's do this again next February!

Labels: Past Retreats

The Anshei Darom Class of 2008. [Click to enlarge.]

Attendees of the Ninth Annual Anshei Darom Retreat at Camp Ramah Darom gather in front of the camp's latest acquisition, a truck donated by our own Alan Sussman.

If you're not in this picture, you missed a wonderful weekend...so be sure to sign up for next year's Retreat, the dates for which will be announced shortly. It'll be the tenth anniversary Retreat, so you can bank on its being something special!

Labels: Past Retreats

The Camp Ramah Darom Havdalah Kit.

Last Monday, Hank Needle and I had an extremely pleasant errand to conduct at the in-town offices of Camp Ramah Darom: handing Sharon Rosenfeld a check that represented the contributions of Anshei Darom members from across the region in support of this year's Project.

It's become a tradition for the attendees at each year's Anshei Darom Retreat to fund a special project to benefit Camp Ramah...and we all know how important a role tradition plays in our lives. Over the past several years, we've funded the purchase of the camp's MARP-mobile; the beautiful Aron Kodesh that graces the lakeside pavilion (and which was featured on the cover of last year's USCJ calendar); a hand-inscribed parchment Megillat Eichah with its cylindrical case. But this year's project may be the best one yet...

...because it will help Ramah Darom campers share some very special traditions with their families.

Spending a summer at Ramah is more than just sports, teamwork, and recreation. It means forging a connection with Jewish life and with Jewish observance. It means observing Shabbat and understanding the distinction between Shabbat Kodesh and sheishet y'mei ha-ma'aseh - between the six days that G-d created the world and the holy Day of Rest that followed. And because Shabbat is a unique day among the days of the week, Camp Ramah has evolved its own beautiful Havdalah traditions, when campers bid farewell to sacred time and resume the week's normal activities.

Our 2007 project is all about helping Ramah Darom campers share this special Havdalah tradition with their families by providing each camp attendee with a Havdalah video - featuring our own campers! - and a Havdalah candle...and, we hope, helping to enhance their own family traditions.


Sharon Rosenfeld , Director of Development at Camp Ramah Darom, and Steve Krodman, acting president of the FJMC Anshei Darom region, show off the results of our 2007 Project.

To all the Retreat attendees who contributed to this year's Project, please accept the heartfelt thanks of Camp Ramah Darom and of the FJMC, for helping Jewish families lead Jewish lives...and for helping continue our Anshei Darom tradition of Tikkun Olam.

Labels: Past Retreats, Projects

We had a record crowd of over seventy attendees at the Eighth Annual Anshei Darom Retreat. Here are a few pictures...




If you want to download printable versions of these photos, click here. Just click on any of the thumbnails to get a larger image...click the "View Album as Slideshow" button on the left to see a larger-format slideshow...or you can order hard-copy prints.

Labels: Past Retreats

I’m in the library at Camp Ramah Darom in the north Georgia mountains, sneaking in a quick post.

The bonfire is roaring, heating the rocks that will power the Famous Sweat Hut. There are about a dozen guys in the Beit Knesset playing poker; the rest are out by the lake, standing around the bonfire and doing their level best to empty every bottle of single malt Scotch, reposado tequila, and all other High-End Spirits on hand. Bobby Slayton’s comic stylings are playing over the loudspeaker, adding to the general atmosphere of Boyish Merriment. And the crisp mountain air is perfumed with the aroma of cigar smoke.

Yes, it’s Saturday Night at Camp Ramah.

We’ve had a weekend filled with spirituality, excellent presentations by our guest speakers, and good food. Last night, we spent several hours demolishing several bottles of Scotland’s finest while socializing in the bunkhouse.

After Havdalah this evening, we started the lakeside bonfire with a display of fireworks orchestrated by the Next Generation of Anshei Daromers: the Needle boys (Mark, Ben and Josh), Ari Weitz, and Mark Sussman.

With a crowd of about 70 guys - including a raft of Newbies - it’s been an exceptionally fine weekend so far.

In a few minutes, I’ll head back out to the lake and watch as the First-Timers experience the Famous Sweat Hut. While they schvitz, I’ll challenge my liver with a few more “wee drams.” It’ll help keep me warm. For up here in the mountains, the air is nice and cold, and there is a clear sky in which every star in the firmament is visible. Glorious.

Photographs will follow...but this will give you a taste.

Labels: Past Retreats

Just to give you a taste of what to look forward to...some photos taken at last year's Anshei Darom retreat.


Beautiful Camp Ramah Darom.


Alan Sussman and Region President Hank Needle present the "Goldene Beskitball" to tournament winner Dennis Rosenthal.


The Saturday night bonfire.


The Anshei Darom Boyz enjoy a schvitz in our Famous Sweat Hut.
Left to right: Alex Jassen, Scholar-in-Residence; Mark Needle; the infamous Alan Sussman.


The Famous Sweat Hut...the morning after.


Dennis Renyi and Jay Bailey head over to the dining room for Sunday morning breakfast.

Labels: Past Retreats