Hammer AZA
From Wikibbyo
Armand Hammer AZA #2414, also known simply as Hammer is an Aleph Zadik Aleph chapter located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, where it serves the northern suburbs of Chicago. It is one of six active AZA chapters in the Great Midwest Region #61, and along with Bonim AZA, one of two AZA chapters currently serving the Buffalo Grove area.
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Leadership
Board and Elections
Hammer AZA hold elections for each of the board positions each semester. Once a board is elected, it cannot serve until officially installed. Board installations occur a few weeks after elections. Hammer's current board members are as of our most recent elections 12/6/09:
~Aleph Godol: JJ Solomon ~Aleph S'gan: Benny Nahrstadt ~Aleph Moreh: Joshy .Mpeg Nahrstadt (who some consider to be the best Aleph Moreh in the history of Hammer) ~Aleph Shaliach: Ron Taxer ~Aleph Mazkir: Randy Brown ~Aleph Gizbor: Matthew Wang Wengerhoff ~Aleph Sopher: Bigmall "Andrew Ira" Strauss ~Aleph Kohane Godol: Andy Rodheim ~Sexy aleph with big weener- Blake Johnson
Advisors
Hammer has currently has three volunteer advisors, Matthew (Daniel) Goldberg, Dannny Glassman, and Dan Wolff. Goldberg is a lawyer in the Chicago area and Glassman works at JCYS Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside, Illinois (Another suburb of Chicago). Dan Wolff is currently a working student attending Columbia College in Chicago and lives in Deerfield, another suburb of Chicago. They are volunteers who give of their time to interpret BBYO policy and work with elected leadership to guide the chapter. They attend chapter events and are available as resources and mentors to chapter members.
Inside Information
Meetings
Hammer, like other chapters, has weekly meetings. As a chapter tradition, however, the Alephs of the chapter often perfer sitting in a circle on the ground, or around a table, rather than the more formal setting of the traditional meeting room.
Namesake
Hammer AZA is named for Dr. Armand Hammer. Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was a prominent American communist, industrialist, and art collector. Hammer was CEO of the Occidental Petroleum Company, an oil and natural gas exploration and development company. He was a philanthropist, supporting causes related to education, medicine, and the arts. Among his legacies is the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (now generally called the UWC-USA, part of the United World Colleges). He embraced a kind of Victorian view of world affairs, in which personal relationships could overcome geopolitical tensions. Hammer bragged that he was the only man to have known both Vladimir Lenin and Ronald Reagan. Armand Hammer was also offered a position on the board of directors of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda Company While the offer was tempting, he ultimately turned it down because he felt he would be ridiculed for having the same name as the company.
Symbols
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been the chapter's mascots for several years.
More recently, Alephs of the chapter named Chuck Norris its second mascot. This is due, most likely, to the popularity of the websites promoting "Chuck Norris Facts." These websites attested to Chuck Norris's extreme manliness. Whereas the opening cermonies of AZA business meetings clearly state that an Aleph devotes his youth to becoming a "Manly Man," Norris seemed a fitting choice for chapter mascot.
Hammer's chapter colors are green, silver, and black.
Sister Chapter
Hammer AZA's sister chapter is Ahavah BBG. Both Hammer and Ahavah share charter number 2414. As a tradition, Hammer's elected sweetheart usually comes from Ahavah's B'nai B'rith Girls, though this is not always the case.
Past Chapter Aleph Godolim
- 2008-2009: David Liss
- 2007-2008: Chad Cogan
- 2006-2007: Michael Wigodner
- 2005-2006: Jeremy Cogan
- 2004-2005: Jason Stec
- 2003-2004: Evan Epstein
- 2002-2003: Brandon Stec
