(Courtesy of Pack 613) Cub Scout Pack 613 and Boy Scout Troop 226, both shomer Shabbos and chartered to the Teaneck Jewish Center, have had an active few weeks. On Sunday, October 18, the troop and pack collaborated on a joint fishing excursion to Verona Lake in Verona, New Jersey. Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, their parents and siblings, armed with rods, reels and bait, spread out along the shore of the lake, wearing masks and maintaining distance between participants. Many Cub Scouts got their first taste of angling, under the guidance of Reuven Sarett, organizer of the event, and some of the more experienced Boy Scouts. The most impressive catch was trout, which are regularly stocked in the lake by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
On Sunday, October 25, Pack 613 Scouts and their families hiked five-and-a-half miles in Saddle River County Park. The Cub Scouts saw and identified a number of species of birds, including a snowy egret, a blue heron, a red tailed hawk, a downy woodpecker, mallards and numerous flocks of Canada geese both in V-shaped formation overhead and resting and feeding in the pond as they migrate south for winter.
Sunday, November 8, saw Troop 226 Boy Scouts hiking a five-and-a-half-mile loop atop and below the cliffs in the New Jersey section of the Palisades Interstate Park. Trekking down and then back up the steep trails, Scouts learned about the important Revolutionary War history of the area and also about the persistent efforts to protect and preserve the unique topography and ecology of the cliffs.
On Sunday, November 22, the Boy Scout Troop, led by Michelle Cooper, Dr. Yitz Belsh and Shimon Oppenheim, rode their bicycles from the Teaneck Jewish Center to Van Saun County Park in Paramus and back. Covering over 12 miles, Scouts rode on city streets, observing the rules of the road and navigating the tricky descents and inclines along the way. The Scouts arrived at Historic New Bridge Landing just in time to watch reenactors dressed in period dress recreate General George Washington’s November 20, 1776, retreat across the Hackensack River and fire off muskets.
Cub Scout Pack 613, for boys in kindergarten to 5th grade, has been holding weekly den activities on Sundays. Scouts and their families wear masks and maintain social distancing in order to assure the continued good health of all participants.
Boy Scout Troop 226, for boys ages 11 to 18, holds socially distanced outdoor meetings on Wednesday evenings at the outdoor tent at the Teaneck Jewish Center. A Zoom link is available for Scouts who cannot attend in person.
For more information about participating in Troop 226 and Pack 613 activities, contact Scoutmaster Daniel Chazin at [email protected] or 201-835-5338, or Shimon Oppenheim at [email protected] or 330-310-7945.
