Mood Mix with Rabbi Yoely Kar 

Now in his seventh summer as head counselor at Camp Tashbar in Liberty, New York, Rabbi YOELY KAR loves kids and fun. He headed Ohr Shraga day camp in Brooklyn from 2004-2017, he runs Chai Lifeline’s Kids for Chai program and had a stint as manager for Miami Boys Choir director Yerachmiel Begun. For seven years, his voice regaled listeners on JRoot Radio’s “Leil Shishi with Yoely,” and since the program went off-air, he’s been busy producing concerts, kumzitzes, and shows.

A CAMP SONG THAT FEELS TIMELESS

When I was a counselor in Camp Rayim, Yo Aisenstark’s beautiful “Tov Lehodos” had just come out. I was a general in the Camp Olympics, and we had to flip a coin, because both sides wanted to use it.” (I won the song but lost the Olympics.) It was a hit in camp for many years, and when I came to Camp Tashbar seven years ago and started to use it for Shabbos morning zemiros, the kids still knew it.

A SONG THAT REMINDS ME OF MY EARLY DAYS AS A CAMPER

MBD’s vintage “Ohavei Hashem,” from I’d Rather Pray & Sing (1977). It was the Hebrew song in color war in Camp Adas Yereim when I was a kid, and the high part — “Or zarua latzaddik” — filled the room with incredible energy.

OUR CAMP’S FAVORITE SHABBOS ZEMIROS

We still sing some classic zemiros, and the boys still jump on the benches when they sing “Yibaneh Hamikdash,” but we also do more recent pieces, like Ishay Ribo’s “Nafshi,” and “Far Dir, Far Dir” as part of Kah Ribbon. When I was a kid, they gave out freeze pops or extra soda to the bunk that sang best. Although we don’t do that, the kids still sing enthusiastically, as long as it’s the right song. Some songs take off, and some just flop. I’ve learned that the songs that work are very individual to that camp. A song can be knoking away somewhere else, but fall flat here, and vice versa.

OUR CAMP’S FAVORITE SHALOSH SEUDOS NIGGUN

Shalosh Seudos in camp isn’t easy. We want to keep everybody seated and that means no dance niggunim. Moshe Goldman’s “Higaleh Na” is a weekly staple.