A Picture of Chuck and Other Betarim

This picture was given to me by Nissan Teman and was taken in 1964.  I am fairly sure that it was after the first Israel Day Parade down, then, Lexington Avenue - which was before they moved it to Fifth, but I could be mistaken (see comments below) as I joined Betar only in the Fall of 1964.  That should be Central Park.

From L-R: Danny Epstein, Elinoar Ariav, Chaim Chuck Hornstein, Baruch Kraus, Reuven Genn, David Sprung and Aaaron Kinsberg.

Please add in comments any corrections of additional info.

Yahrtzeit for Eli Solomon and Chuck Hornstein - 37 years

The Hazkara this year – 37^th – for Eli and Chuck will be held on Tuesday, November 23^rd, 16 Kislev.  We will meet at 3:30 PM (15:20) at the entrance to the military cemetery Har Herzl.

Mishmar HaKovod

Rain Parade 1966

Right to left
Jerry Kandel, Danny Epstein, Dovid Skolnik, Chaim Fischgrund Chaim "Haran" Horenstein z'l, Rhisa (Rich) Tzohar. Mella Pollacheck, Aharon Goldberg, Mel Laytner and I can't remember who carried the other rifle and is not in the picture

Shachna

At The Memorials For Eli Solomon and Chuck Hornstein (Haran)

As we do annually, former American Betarim and friends of Eli Solomon and Chuck Hornstein, killed in the Yom Kippur War, gathered at Har Herzl Military Cememetery for the memorial services.

Here's this year's group:

Front row (l-r): Reuven Miller, Nissan Teman, Aaron Bashani

Second row: Eugene (Butch) Brody, Yisrael Medad, Emily Udler, Yehudit Miller, Heather Rosing, Risa Tzohar

Third row: Chaim Fischgrund, Rina Genn, Danny Rosing, Batya Medad

Back row: David Sprung, Reuven Genn, Nachman Eckstein

Bet Sefer L'Madrichim

Barak Koffler has been very busy scanning pictures for us (see the previous two posts as well) and deserves a hearty 'kol hakovod'. Here's a photo of taken at the end of a "Bet Sefer L'madrichim" held after the campers went home. I attended the one in the 1966 where Barak was one of the mefakdim. I distinctly remember he was in charge of the clean-up roster in the dining room.

Tuvia Schwartz (z"l) inspecting some of the participants in Bet Sefer in the mid-1960s.
This was on the Misdar grounds, at graduation on the final day.
At far right: I cannot remember his name (but maybe somebody can)
Next left Baruch Kraus, Shachna Waxman, Barak Koffler (Tuvia Schwartz shaking his hand, David Blobstein, next person is completely hidden except for the hat,is hidden, next: Joe Grunberg, next Mel (Moshe) Laytner, next Chuck (Haim) Hornstein (hy"d) next, Eli Solomon (hy"d) and the last person holding the flag is unidentifiable.

Chaim Hornstein Z"L

Not sure where this picture was taken, but it is a great shot.

Baruch Kraus,
David Kandel,
Chaim Hornstein Z"L






Ben Rappaport adds:

The photo of Chaim Hornstein Z"L with Baruch and David Kandel was taken near Amatzia on a nearby hill known as 'Sheikh Ali' that has a fanastitc view of the area.

Another from the 1963 Bet Sefer L'Madrichim

(L-R) Back Row: Reuven Genn, Benny Rosen, Alan Berg, Chaim Frydman, Yona Ferman, Nisan Teman, Baruch Kraus, David Sprung, Chuck Hornstein z"l 

Middle Row: Tzvi Neuwirth, Joey Grunberg, ?, Eli Solomon z"l, Danny Fields

Seated: Elinoar Sprung, Marcie Rosen, Aviva Stone ? Lucy/Leah Cohen

The Waiters

We were a motley crew in 1964. With Benny Rosen as our counselor. Our Kvutza was Rak Kach, our emblem the Shtei Gadot with a torch being held by two hands. And we wrote a song to the tune of Alei Barikadot..........

We're a Kvutzah in Betar, we're the waiters from dawn to dark
We're the terrors by far, from here to Bradley's Bar
With Rack Kach as our name, and the spirit of Etzel or fame
We will work, we will fight, we will win every night
To hell with Shomriah, and the nazi fascist youth
Jordanians, Egyptians, and the bloody Syrians too
Rak kach, we're the waiters of Camp Betar
Rak kach doesn't matter what the odds are
The British forgotten, our State has been gotten
Now Rak Kach for Shtei Gadot

So, who were we?
We were: Chaim Hornstein Z"L, Chuck Waxman, Ehud Sperling, Joey Grunberg, Steve shifman, Walter & Michael Chayes, Tom Kovary, Uriel Messa (the fanmous photographer), Chuck Marsden, Mel Laytner, Steve Pickel. And then their were the girls, whose counselor was Malka Mezahav. The only ones I recognize are Linda Fuld and Linda Sclafani - but there were 5 more!

If I remember correctly, the kitchen staff quit after the first week and we had to wash the dishes that shabbat.

And then there was the rain hike. On one of our day's off we decided to hike with the rest of the older bunks to Loch Shledrake and back. Well on the way back the skies opened up. They sent the truck (Tzvi and the Red Truck) to pick everyone up. That took a number of trips. When it was our turn, we were so wet alreay that we decided to finish the hike back to camp. When we got back we put on put bathing suits and decided to shower(with soap) in the rain. Benny was mad as helll at us. Never heard a sailor curse so loudly!!

Let's Go Back to 1964

In Central Park, L-R: Danny Epstein, Elinoar Ariav, Chuck Hornstein z"l, Baruch Kraus, Reuven genn, David Manny Sprung, ?

Dance Group

The Betar dance group was a very special part of Betar. Everyone wanted to be in it -and everyone almost was. I was in the dance group from 1966- 1972. I have all the Dance Festival programs except 1966.

I don't remember who the leader was in '66 but we did Im Balim and Ad Or Haboker. I remember rehearsing in a dance studio in Manhattan that year since the Moadon was too small. In later years we rehearsed at Ramat Orah, Ohav Zedek, and Bnei Jeshurun (right before Young Judaea came in to rehearse) We were Fred Berk's "special project". I remember him coming to our rehersals and screaming at us - but always in a nice way.

Dance Festival Program themes: 1966- ??, 1967 - Yom Ha'Atzmaut, 1968 - The Hills, 1969 - And they Shall Beat their Swords into Plowshares, 1970 - Let us go and Build the Walls of Jerusalem, 1971- Work and Love.

Dance Group members over the years: Rena Epstein (L), Mella Pollacheck, Reuven Genn, Shoshana Fenig,, Chaim Frydman, Benny Rosen, Miriam Rosen, Elinoar Ariav, Leah Edelstein, Mottie Lederman, Chaim Hornstein Z"L, Elana Leventhal, Sara Rosenberg, Hank Shieber, Eli Solomon Z"L, Tova Twersky (L), Chava Weiss, George Feldman, Tom Kovary, Moshe Ast, Nancy Dallek, Michael Finck, Nava Freid, Fred Lisker, Seth Lubin, Lauren Lubin (L), Bella Potack, Eileen Shupack, Eileen Solomon Z"L (L), Deena Winkleman, Guita Epstein, Shira Nadich, Suzy Pollock, Motti Rosemarin, Josh Scharf, Maddy Schwartz, Yisrael Winkleman (who?), Debra Wohlgelertner, Lilly Zborowski, Sindy Bachner, Madeline Bernstein, Roxane Bernstein, Danny Epstein, Yeudit Frommer, Chaviva Gertner, Rona Gersten, Carol Greenspan, Ilana Lewin, Susie Reasenberg, Kenny Arfa, Mitch Chupak, Marty Erdfarb, Karen Herrera, Rachel Korman, Sherri Plotkin, Jay Rosenstein, David Sebag, Diane Wyshgorod (like I said - almost everybody - L is for Leader)

Program Highlights: Who can forget the undulating Hills we did in 1968. People thought we were on roller skate, but those capes sure were hot - must have lost a few pounds in there. We even made the paper that year - NY Times I think.

Yom Ha'Atzmaut - 1967: We had short sticks with Israeli flags on them; we were in two lines facing the audience; Motti Lederman was in front of Eli; Eli dropped his stick and it rolled toward Motti; Motti picked it up without skipping a beat, threw it backwards to Eli; Eli caught it (without his glasses); and of course the flag unfuirled as it was being tossed back - what an ovation.

Every year we would make Fred mad by starting an impromtu Hora on stage after the finale - with me screaming Abba - Ima at the top of my lungs. Then we would take the Hora out to the middle of 57th Steret and stop traffic in front of Carnegie Hall - the organizers finally decided to rent a place after the Festival for us to let our energy out.

Photo-Yom HaAtzmaut 1966

Shachna (far right) leading the troops.

Chuck Hornstein z"l in the front

Photo- Yom HaAtzmaut- 1966(?)

Chuck Hornstein on the left (z"l)

How I Joined Betar

I had been going to Camp Betar since 1960 - have no idea how my mom heard about it. I remember that Bubie Ariav came to my house in Brooklyn to talk to my mom and me about the camp. From 1960 -1962 there was no obvious movement presence. But in 1963 all these "strange" people in uniform started coming up on weekends - David Sprung, Efraim Dimant, Reuven Genn, Baruch Kraus, Chaim Freedman, Levi and Freida Silverman, Aaron Kinsberg and many many more. The ruach on Shabbat suddenly changed with all these songs they were singing. It was very uplifting. A Beit Sefer was held that year and some of the kids from my bunk attended (I did not) - Chaim Hornstein, Joey Grunberg to name a few. When I got back to the city I joined the Brooklyn Moadon under the leadership of Aaron Kinsberg and we met in his dad's basement in Bensonhurst - can't remember how many time we painted that basement! Some of the members were - Alan Berg, Mella Pollachek, Joshua Scharf, Mickey Katz, Shoshana Fenig, Yossi Klein. I remember meeting Reuven Genn, Benny Rosen and Big Ben Rappaport at a shabbaton held at the Young Israel on Bensonhurst - they were real nice to us. One note about our first fight....we were walking from the Moadon to the train at 86th Street and Bay Parkway when a bus passes and someone yells out "dirty Jew" - well Mickey Katz yelled back. By the time we got to the train station, there were about 10 of them waiting for us, and we had a real brawl right in front of the Chock-Full-O-Nuts on the corner. In the end the cops broke it up. Well the rest is history - as they say once a Betari always a Betari.

Bivrachat Shalom v Tel Hai

Shachna