The Royal Ballroom.
The name evokes a cascade of memories. A succession of head counselors up on stage, leading a packed room in an animated performance of that year’s camp song. A group of TeenZone dancers performing a graceful Shabbos Revolution dance before hundreds of eager campers. Visiting Day, with hundreds of families traipsing in and out for an all-day-long smorgasbord as they soaked up the happy vibes. Hundreds of Shabbos meals served here, the tables and walls decked out in gorgeous displays, the air carrying hundreds of voices singing TheZone Shabbos songs together and the smell of fresh challah baked by campers in preparation for the holy day. Rabbi Chaim Mintz sitting up front fielding questions from the girls, always with a wise answer tailored to the audience, or throwing out camels at a crowd of outstretched arms as every girl vied to be the one with the right answer to his Torah Trivia question. The indelible image of our beloved Rabbi D. addressing the girls from this stage. How many girls sat in this lobby over the years in deep conversation until the wee hours of the morning, developing bonds of friendship and of shared growth.
And this year, the freshly painted, shingled and upgraded structure saw something new: in lieu of the usual campers, the Royal Ballroom became the center of FamilyZone, each week another group of Zoniac families getting a taste of TheZone’s warmth and positivity as they enjoyed a reprieve from months of lockdown and stress.
It may not have been a shul or bais medrash in the strict sense of the word, but this was surely a makom kadosh, a holy place. Here we heard powerful words of inspiration, whether from our mashpias, rabbinical guests, or our campers themselves sharing emotional stories of personal growth. Here we gathered together for the Huddle every week as Shabbos came to an end, on a spiritual high that comes only from experiencing a sense of connection that lights your soul on fire and makes it feel real. Here we sang songs of yearning, poignant songs and uplifting songs. Here, in short, we grew closer to each other and closer to Hashem.
This was not all we lost in yesterday’s flames. We lost the Windows of the World (WOW) – the upstairs loft that housed a decade of TeenZone memories and was renovated this year into a new and modern space for the Discover U program. This summer, our college aged girls were the only division able to carry on with a full program under our TR permits and they took full advantage of every moment together.
We lost a brand-new commercial kitchen, equipped to churn out thousands of nutritious, drool-worthy meals. For all our campers, but especially the ones coming from less privileged backgrounds, mealtime at TheZone was a treat, with an endless array of fresh salads, pastries and dishes.
We lost the game room/arcades below the ground floor, an entertainment center that provided a safe, fun outlet for kids to hang out in during their free time. During TorahMates hour, mentors could sometimes be spotted here with their mentees as they bonded in a casual environment.
Yet as we mourn the loss, we also look ahead to rebuild. And knowing that this was a holy sanctuary, we seek comfort in the words of the Talmud: The Holy One said, “I ignited the fire of destruction… and I Myself will rebuild it in the future with fire.”
And now we turn to you: please share your personal memories of this special place! Send to [email protected].
May it inspire the AISH HATORAH to ignite in the Zone clientele