Photo: Camp Yedidim’s Creative Color War Breakout

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Camp Yedidim capitalized on a trip to Six Flags Great Adventures this week, using the amusement park to kick off the ultimate camp activity – color war!

It started when the Superman ride at Six Flags was shut down after the security gate was broken. Some days later, the campers received a letter claiming to be from the CEO of Six Flags, letting them know that a review of the cameras shows that the ride was broken by campers of Camp Yedidim.

The expense of fixing the gate, along with a fine and a skyrocketing insurance rate, left the amusement park with a bill of over $2 million! As a result, the letter informed Yedidim, the camp is being sued for the full amount. Additionally, the CEO demanded a full list of all Yedidim campers in order to give them lifetime bans from entering a Six Flags park!

Of course, the campers fears turned into joy and laughter when the letter turned out to be a ruse to breakout Color War 2018. What a fun way to kick off Color War!

{Matzav.com}

 


46 COMMENTS

  1. Apologies in advance for being a wet blanket here, but as a camper I didn’t enjoy being scared with fake bad news during color war breakouts and as a parent I feel bad for the kids who are scared and upset by this type of action. Isn’t it possible to have a surprise breakout be simply a surprise?
    Breakouts I remember as a kid include a fake shooting of a staff member, including assembling to say tehillim for the “shot” individual, so this is a lot less traumatic.

    • P.S.
      This is not a criticism of Camp Yedidim at all, but rather of the way all color wars are broken out in many (most? all?) camps. Yedidim is an excellent, well-run camp and the kids who go there are lucky to have great summers, thanks largely to such a fine, dedicated staff.

    • How scary is this breakout already? The only possible consequence for the kids would be that can’t go to the Six Flags in New England. That isn’t much of a big deal.

      This was a fun and innovative idea. Kudos to camp Yeddidm!

  2. Looking forward to hearing from Rabbi Steinfeld and/or Rabbi Hoffman as to the halachic permissibility of scaring even one camper in this manner. Also if fun or having a “good time” is somehow included in “achsanyia, masechta, or puryia” (i.e. the three things for which CHaZa”L permit us to tell an untruth.

  3. What’s so great about that? Why scare kids whose parents might be dealing with financial problems and project that on the present “situation”? What happened to plain joy?

  4. What’s so great about that? Why scare kids whose parents might be dealing with financial problems and project that on the present “situation”? What happened to plain joy?

  5. Very sad to see the negativity of some of the commenters. Amazing how some people feel their role is to sit back and criticize the world from the comfort of their couch. Personally I would assume that the children in the camp enjoyed this immensely. People, time to grow up and release your negativity elseware where it can actually improve the world or better yet maybe being a bit more positive would help the world even more. Grow up.

  6. You guys are out to lunch the feedback the camp got from Jews and non Jews alike (and even six flags) was all positive! If you guys had bad experiences as a kid don’t stop these kids from having their fun. For all those complaining about “sheker” I would like to see how they speak up when someone speaks loshon hora!!
    Pleas live and let live!!

  7. as the gmara in bava kamma (56a) says , one whom scares/frightens another , is liable “bedai shamyim” to pay for his “tsar” i.e. pain. [although there are no other charges against the perpetrator in this case (dr. bills,etc.)] This is stated lehalacha in shulchan aruch![ch”m 420:32]

  8. Scared shmared. What kid knows about lawsuits? Not scared at all. If I was 10 years old, I would have no idea what in the world some silly letter meant. When is snack and when can I go back to my bunk to read.

    • Wow, mamesh a bomb kasha! We have to get the greatest poskim to be miayin into such a shtarka shaila! Maybe a taanis chalom is in order. Maybe declare a yom teffila?

  9. Very original & well done kids were not scared no reason to be they knew they are not responsible to pay for anything so why be scared they loved it thought it was great like always cheers forCamp yedidim, the camp was clear all along they were on the campers side and know they are innocent.
    & chillul hashem? Oh please you got to be kidding – no connection what so ever

  10. Awesome breakout!!
    And to all you complainers–Please don’t complain if you don’t know the facts. The camp assured the children all along that they have their backs and they know they are innocent. Everyone, young and old including people as far away as Israel complimented this breakout. except for some people here, whom unfortunately are simply party poopers with their FAKE YIDDISHKEIT!!
    #awesome breakout
    #fight fake yiddishkeit

  11. My greatest camp memories are from color war. I’m a grown adult, but my camp memories have a very special place in my heart. Why does everyone need to take the fun out of camp and color war?? Kudos to camp Yedidim for coming up with this ruse. It reminds me of my own camp memories!

  12. All complaining abour the lying, it is a מנהג ישראל מדור דור since פרעה went looking for Moshe Rabenu..

  13. Oh my gosh! Everyone relax! Guaranteed nobody’s parents got scared whether it should be for monetary purposes or whatever crazy things u people come up with! It’s a breakout. Parents found this cute and funny and creative. Simple as that. Kids didn’t get scared. What’s to get scared about anyways. And chillul hashem to who if nobody else knows but the camp after all it was made up. And regarding midvar sheker tirchak any color breakout is probably an instance of midvar sheker tirchak! And sir anonymous who doesn’t like being scared with fake bad news of a gate breaking u would rather a more “simple” and “less traumatic” breakout of a staff member being shot?!!?!!?! That’s ridiculous! Comment whatever u want on my opinions but everyone here is hating to a new level. It’s just a color war breakout! No big deal. No scare. Just fun.

  14. Just because this type of ‘brilliant idea” color war breakout has been traditionally used in the past does not mean that it can’t be criticized by temimosdige erliche yidden who know of no “cochmas” and “shtick” etc.
    I say live and let live – but they have a valid taynah – and are not to be put down as “party poopers” they are just not into – all party all the time – anything for a thrill – EVEN in camp.
    I personally don’t mind this type of childish meshugas in camp and it is FUN – but I respect the valid criticism

    • So, in that case, begin a whole new letter to the Matzav Shmooze discussing colorwar breakouts in general. Don’t come and rain on this parade and seek to criticize this camp. (Particularly if this was a brilliant idea that did not scare the campers of any serious consequences.) Be temimusdig and Ehrlich in how you approach this subject. There’s a time and place for everything.

  15. how about when a camp staged one staff member as sick, and his brother cried through the whole sefer tehillim for two days…

  16. The truth is that all the people complaining above were the ones who totally fell for the breakout and thought it was real!:)
    So after finding out they were taken for a ride (no pun intended) they come out all negative instead of taking it like men.
    Perhaps these grownups should learn from the children how to laugh and enjoy a good breakout!
    #enjoylife

  17. Being that some camp leaders make really bad decisions about how to break out Color War trying to push the envelope to outdo other camps and/or previous years with their gaonus , as some of the above examples clearly show this unfortunately to be the case, I think their ideas should be run by an independent expert in Chinuch (Rabbi Bender would be a good example of a level headed super mechanech) to verify that it does not leave a bad example and lesson to the impressionable campers regarding sheker – geneivas daas – causing anguish – fakery & shtick – Chillul Hashem etc. all for generating excitement for the heilige Color War – maybe just maybe it’s “yotzo schoroh behefseidah” – There are plenty of kosher ways to generate excitement – with the appropriate creativity.

  18. After years of boring break outs it’s about time someone makes color war great again!!
    Great job

  19. by the way I as a staff member in camp yedidim I must tell you that the kids loved it and had a blast and all those who are spewing about lying think of it as more of a story witch tricks kids for a couple of minutes so they can have a good laugh and something to talk about forever and btw GO BLUE GO!!!!!! because blue ended up winning color war and remember HASHEM LOVES YOU so LOVE HIM BACK!!!!!!!

  20. btw to just give you a scope of what goes down in camp yedidim. HASHEM IS THE KING SO DONT WORY ABOUT A THING. WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE HASHEM IS THE ONE. Y-E-D-I-D-I-M WE ARE THE CAMP THAT LOVES HASHEM. DONT TELL HASHEM HOW BIG YOUR PROBLOMS ARE TELL YOUR PROBLOMS HOW BIG HASHEM IS. And with MISHNATHON camp yedidim did over ONE HUNDRED THOUSEND Mishnes in the past 15 years now thats WASSUP!!!!

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