History of Palmach AZA

From Wikibbyo

The first elections of Palmach took place at Adam Taylor’s house. Members who attended the elections had already agreed to volunteer to join and help begin this new Atlanta chapter. Jon Sadow (having already been elected 77th Atlanta Council Aleph Godol [2005-2006]) presided over the election alongside Kevin Mendel (2004-2005 Exodus Godol). Sammy ran unopposed for Godol. The S’gan election consisted of sophomores (served as juniors) Stuart Miller, Adam Taylor, and Michael Craig, with Stuart as the victor. The Moreh election was between sophomore Ryan Trepte and freshman Jonathan Cohen. Trepte’s cousin Sam Gruber read his speech for him in his absence. Jonathan won. Adam Taylor slid to Mazkir and was victorious there, and Michael Craig slid to Shaliach where he also won. Jason Fleet beat out Josh Kirsh for the position of Gizbor. Ryan Trepte, though still absent, was elected as the original Aleph Sopher, yet later declined the position and it was handed to freshman David Gorvy. The first executive board of Palmach AZA was now finalized.

The chapter name was thought up not too long after by Jon Sadow at AC LTI 2005. Telling the guys that the Palmach was a special-ops unit of the Israeli army in the early days of the State, the new chapter adopted the name for the purpose of the weekend. During the weekend, Sammy ran the first ever Palmach Good and Welfare. It went as follows:

1st Palmach AZA #Pending Good and Welfare Leadership Training Institute 2005 Camp Ramah Darom April 15, 2005

Members present: Sammy Shapiro, Stuart Miller, Jonathan Cohen, Adam Taylor, Michael Craig

Purpose: Have members speak about what they would like to see happen or make happen during the course of the 2005-2006 programming year

I. Michael Craig (Aleph Shaliach) a. Talks of having a headache at the time b. Jokes about his seizures c. Did not have fun during the course of the 2004-2005 year d. Likes the new chapter board e. Says we need good freshmen

II. Adam Taylor (Aleph Mazkir) a. Wants to change the overall view of what the Mazkir position is, and wants to strive to be more than just what is expected of his position

III. Jonathan Cohen (Aleph Moreh) a. Wants to “retent the hell out of the freshmen” b. Wants a good relationship with the freshmen c. Since we can no longer have a pool party for recruitment, a luau might be a fun idea d. Wants 20+ active freshmen

IV. Stuart Miller (Aleph S’gan) a. Wants to wipe out Exodus b. Wants to become better than Exodus c. Says that other chapters may think we suck, so let’s not d. Hopes to have good programs

V. Sammy Shapiro (Aleph Godol) a. Says that the he likes the new board b. Says that we are unstoppable if we use TEAMWORK c. Says that everyone should know what’s going on in the chapter d. Tells of the plan to have chapter meetings on the first Sunday of every month e. Wants biweekly board meetings f. Important relationships include the Godol/ S’gan relationship and the S’gan/ Mazkir relationship g. Quotes Jon Sadow in saying you can never be doing too much. h. Claims that the chapter has a FIRE going and we can’t let it die down

However, the name was not finalized until the first official board meeting held at Jonathan Cohen’s house on May 5, 2005. The meeting went as follows:

1st Official Business Meeting of New Chapter AZA #Pending

Jonathan Cohen’s House May 5, 2005

I. Opening Rituals- Meeting officially started: 7:56 PM II. Roll Call- 8:04 a. Body: 3 present, 3 voting i. Jess Johanneson, Josh Kirsch, Joe Blum b. Executive Board: i. Aleph Godol Sammy Shapiro- 1 present, 1 voting 1. Interesting Fact: “I am getting braces at 16 years old” ii. Aleph S’gan Stuart Miller- 1 present, 1 voting 1. Interesting Fact: “I have nothing interesting to say” iii. Aleph Moreh Jonathan Cohen- 1 present, 1 voting 1. Interesting Fact: “I watch TV there” (points to his own television) iv. Aleph Mazkir Adam Taylor- 1 present, 1 voting 1. Interesting Fact: “I am Aleph Bitch” v. Aleph Shaliach Michael Craig- 1 present, 1 voting 1. Interesting Fact: “I don’t know my cell phone number” vi. Aleph Gizbor Jason Fleet- 1 present, 1 voting 1. Interesting Fact: “That tapestry is cool” (points to tapestry on the wall) vii. Aleph Sopher David Gorvy- 1 present, 1 voting 1. Interesting Fact: “I am Jewish”

Motion to move into reading of past minutes: Jonathan Cohen Second: Jason Fleet Call: Body Passes at 8:09 PM

III. Reading of Past Minutes a. Aleph Mazkir Adam Taylor talks of what was discussed at the 1st board meeting IV. Old Business: 8:11 PM a. Chapter Elections- we now have a board b. LTI 2005- Michael Craig talks about the convention

Motion to move into New Business: Jason Fleet Second: Michael Craig Call: Body Passes at 8:12 PM

V. New Business: 8:14 PM a. Extended Board- Adam Taylor reads off extended board positions available b. Program Recommendations i. Jess and Fleet laugh at my writing ii. Sweet Heart Court iii. Outdoor Laser Tag w/ another chapter iv. Tradition Shpeel v. Spoon Jousting- involves an eating utensil and a potato vi. Andretti vii. Braves Game viii. Six Flags ix. Long term community service- we go to the ghetto x. Bon fire xi. Choco-Shabbat xii. Overnight rafting trips (chapter convention) xiii. Rabbi Silverman xiv. Karaoke xv. Miss BBYO Pageant xvi. Chapter Video to show freshmen c. Discussion of Chapter Name i. Palmach- elite Jews with guns ii. Rabbi Harry Epstein iii. Golanim- Israeli tank force d. Discussion of colors i. Camouflage ii. Blue and maize iii. Green and white iv. UNC colors v. FSU colors vi. Adam’s shoes e. Discussion of Mascot i. Thirst ii. Kool-aid Man iii. Sour Patch Kid iv. Alfred E. Newman v. Hebrew Hammer f. Sweetheart court i. Jordan Brezel ii. Alison Hahn iii. Laura Galanti iv. Carly Migdall v. Arielle Kahn vi. Stacy Light (Call them and say congratulations)

Motion to move into Special Business: Stuart Miller Second: David Gorvy Call: Body Passes: 9:03

VI. Special Business a. Election of Chapter Name

Choices: Palmach, Golanim

Hand vote: Palmach: 6 votes Winner Golanim: 4 votes

b. Election of Chapter Mascot

Choices: Kool-aid Man, Hebrew Hammer

Hand vote: Kool-aid Man: 9 votes Winner Hebrew Hammer: 1 vote

c. Election of Chapter Colors

Choices: Michigan vs. Michigan State

Hand vote: Michigan: 3 votes Michigan State (green and white): 7 votes Winner

Motion to move into Closing Rituals: Stuart Miller Second: Adam Taylor Call: Body Passes: 9:18

VII. Closing Rituals

Meeting officially ended: 9:20 PM

With a name, mascot, and colors chosen, the guys were (almost) officially a chapter. Once summer had ended, it was time for recruitment. Palmach’s first ever Recruitment Party was held at East Cobb Park with Agadah BBG. 77th Atlanta Council Aleph Godol Jon Sadow and 77th Atlanta Council Aleph S’gan Josh Balser attended the party to help get the new chapter off the ground. More recruiting was done at the 2005 New Member Convention, where AJ Shapiro (Sammy’s younger brother) was named AIT (Aleph in Training) Representative (serving as an honorary liaison between the AITs and the Council Board). Recruitment was officially over soon afterward and the results came in: Palmach had taken in the most freshmen in East Cobb with nearly 20. On top of that, more older members joined, skyrocketing Palmach’s numbers to around 45.

Now Palmach was truly a chapter, and was ready to begin its first year. The first real program was Initiation, held at Adam Taylor’s house. The board met a few times beforehand to discuss this program, along with new advisors Jed Selkowitz and Brian Monk. (The two were both 31 at the time and had grown up in AZA together. They had much knowledge of the organization and it seemed that they were going to contribute.) The board knew that anything that they did at the first Initiation would set the precedent for all future Initiations, so they had to make this one count. By this time in Atlanta Council history, kidnapping had been disallowed for the first program of the year. This had gone in effect the year before, and had helped to cause Exodus’ suspension for hazing, but that’s a whole different story. So, the Palmach board took a different approach.

As the kids arrived at the Taylor’s house that night, they were welcomed by the older members and served pizza and snacks. An icebreaker was done in which the AIT’s were put into pairs and chained to one another, and there was only one way to get out. They were forced to work together to get free. (This idea was given to the board by Cathy Miller, Stuart’s mom, who contributed her fair share of ideas to the chapter as many a board meeting was held in her living room.) Next came the chapter meeting and the election of the AIT board, which (Sammy and Stuart had decided) would play a bigger role than previous AIT boards in other chapters. The meeting went as follows:

   Official Business Meeting of Palmach AZA #Pending

Adam Taylor’s House Palmach Initiation September 24, 2005

I. Opening Rituals- 8:35 a. Jason Fleet reads part of Shotare Kotone i. Red of Sammy’s hat ii. Blue of Michael Craig’s shirt iii. White of your shirt (?)

II. Roll Call- 8:42 a. Body: 20 members i. Old Members: Jason Rogers, Jess Johanneson, Sam Gruber, Josh Kirsch, Doug Halpert, Steven Rudel ii. AITs: Daniel Yaniv, Chase Fain, AJ Shapiro, Johnny Kleinman, Jeremy Sheftel, Jared King, Sam Wetstone, Justin Waxman, Matt Stein, Daniel Mendel, Josh Lansky, Shane Ward, Adam Engelhard, David Lurie b. Executive Board: 6 members i. Aleph Godol Sammy Shapiro, Aleph Moreh Jonathan Cohen, Aleph Mazkir Adam Taylor, Aleph Shaliach Michael Craig, Aleph Gizbor Jason Fleet, Aleph Sopher David Gorvy

Total Votes: 26 Simple Majority: 14 2/3 Majority: 17

III. Reading of Past Minutes- 8:51 a. Adam takes his sweet time reading off basically everything he’s ever written at a chapter meeting

Motion to move into Old Business: Shane Ward Second: Michael Craig Call: Body

IV. Old Business- 8:56 a. Board members i. Describe board positions b. Mascot/ Colors i. Told the freshmen that our mascot is the Kool-Aid Man and our colors are green and white c. What is Palmach? i. Told the AITs what Palmach means and who we represent d. Recruitment Party i. AIT Johnny Kleinman talks about the event held at East Cobb Park e. New Member Convention i. AIT Shane Ward speaks about the convention. It is announced that AIT AJ Shapiro was elected the AIT Representative at the convention f. Carly Migdall is officially presented to the chapter as our sweetheart g. Junior/ Senior flag football is cancelled

Motion to move into New Business: Jason Fleet Second: AIT Jared King Call: Body

V. New Business a. AITs- got most in East Cobb with 15 b. Upcoming Chapter Meeting on October 9th c. Upcoming Council Meeting also on October 9th d. Tailgating with Exodus on October 16th e. Program Recommendations from AITs i. Roller Disco (Chase Fain) ii. Chapter Convention iii. Madden Tourney iv. Ultimate Frisbee v. Dodgeball vi. Lock-in’s (with girls?) vii. Run a service at Etz Chaim f. AIT Board i. Sammy discusses what the different positions are that are available for AIT board. Also explains that AIT board will actually be participating in executive board affairs

Motion to move into Special Business: Jason Fleet Second: Adam Taylor Call: Body

VI. Special Business- 9:21 a. Election of the AIT Godol i. Declared Candidates: AIT’s Shane Ward, Adam Engelhard, AJ Shapiro, Justin Waxman

Motion to move into nominations (serious only): Adam Taylor Second: AIT Daniel Yaniv Call: Body

Nominations: Daniel Mendel (declines)

Sam Gruber, Steven Rudel, and Jason Fleet leave room with candidates. Total votes: 23 Simple Majority: 12 2/3 Majority: 15

Sammy leaves to count votes. Jed Selkowitz assists. We have been unsuccessful. The new choices are: Justin Waxman, AJ Shapiro

Sammy leaves again. We have been successful. The AIT Godol is: AJ Shapiro

Jared Cohen walks in late.

b. Election of the AIT S’gan i. Declared Candidates: Chase Fain, Shane Ward, Adam Engelhard ii. Nominated Candidates: Justin Waxman (accepts)

Gruber, Rudel, and Fleet leave again with candidates Total votes: 24 Simple Majority: 13 2/3 Majority: 16

Sammy, with new assistance from AIT counterpart (and little brother) AJ, leave to count votes. Jed assists. We have been unsuccessful. New candidates: Chase Fain, Justin Waxman

Sammy and AJ leave again. We have been successful. The AIT S’gan is: Chase Fain

c. Election of the AIT Moreh i. Declared Candidates: none ii. Nominated Candidates: all decline except Justin Waxman

The AIT Moreh is: Justin Waxman

d. Election of the AIT Mazkir i. Declared Candidates: none ii. Nominated Candidates: all decline except Daniel Mendel

The AIT Mazkir is: Daniel Mendel

Michael Craig leaves the room. Majorities down 1.

e. Election of the AIT Shaliach i. Declared Candidates: none ii. Nominated Candidates: all decline Sammy asks the AIT’s if anyone would like to volunteer. Brian Monk talks to the AIT’s about stepping up to be leaders among their peers and future leaders of the chapter.

AIT Daniel Yaniv volunteers to be AIT Shaliach.

Michael Craig reenters room. Majorities up 1.

f. Election of the AIT Gizbor i. Declared Candidates: Shane Ward, David Lurie ii. Nominated Candidates: all decline

Gruber, Rudel, and Jess leave with candidates. Total Votes: 24 Simple Majority: 13 2/3 Majority: 16

Sammy and AJ leave with Jed to count votes. We have been successful. The AIT Gizbor is: Shane Ward

VII. Closing Rituals- 10:25

Once the meeting had ended, the older members put in the movie The Last Castle for the AIT’s as they went upstairs to further discuss the events for the rest of the evening. At around midnight, when Stuart arrived, it was time to begin initiation. The older members stormed the basement, turned off the movie, and had all of the freshmen get up and walk out of the house. They were marched in silence to the neighborhood pool parking lot where a series of team-building tasks was laid before them. These included holding up buckets of water for extended periods of time, push-ups, throwing raisons at a team member who had peanut butter on his face, and a couple others as well. In the middle of it all, one of the neighbors had heard the commotion and came to investigate. However, Jed and Brian told him the situation, and he left us without a complaint. Upon completing the tasks, the AIT’s were silently marched back to the Taylor’s house where they finished to movie and went to bed.

Southern Region Convention was held in November that year, along with the annual Region runoffs. The competitions held were T-shirt design, Banner, Storytelling (the topic being What Passover Would Be Like If ________ Came To My Seder), Video making, and a formal speech. Adam Taylor took it upon himself to not only make a banner, but a plaque as well, covered in camouflage tape with the words Palmach AZA Est. 2005 on it. This plaque would come to be known as the Palmach Spirit Stick. Sammy and Adam wrote the storytelling, which Sammy read aloud at runoffs. Stuart would give the speech. The video was made on the Thursday before SRC by Sammy, AJ Shapiro, Josh Kirsch, Michael Craig, Adam Taylor, and Stuart Miller.

The results came in Sunday of the convention. Palmach won 2nd place in the banner, 2nd place in the video, 1st place in the storytelling (using the Pilsbury Dough Boy as the person we would invite to Seder), and 1st place overall, winning Southern Region Runoffs in its first year of existence. This was a huge confidence boost for the newly established chapter.

In December of that year, Palmach would hold its first ever chapter convention, caravanning to Stuart Miller’s lake house on Lake Lanier. Though the weather was near freezing and the house had no heating system, the boys managed to have the time of their lives as they held a Five Fold program. Community Service was done as the guys boxed up children’s books that Stuart had collected to be donated. Socializing was done as the guys talked and ate and enjoyed themselves. Athletics included wrestling (in the loft covered with mattresses) and bumper pool. Judaism was included with a Havdalleh service led by Shaliach Michael Craig (using his very own Palmach Havdallah Service booklet). Michael would also run an Education program as he brought up different worldly issues and discussed them with the chapter.