By: Rabbi Shraga Freedman

BALTIMORE, MD – (AUGUST 6, 2026) – The boys of “Camp on the Go”, a Baltimore day camp led by Rabbi Yirmiyahu Lauer, were traveling through Virginia. As their van made its way down a busy road, dark storm clouds had already begun to leave their mark.

Suddenly, traffic came to a standstill.

Just a few cars ahead of them, a massive tree had crashed onto a vehicle. It appeared to have happened only moments earlier. Baruch Hashem, the occupants of the car were unharmed, but enormous branches now covered the roadway, making it completely impassable.

To make matters worse, a work van trying to maneuver around the fallen tree became stuck in the mud, blocking the road even further.

Within minutes, dozens of vehicles were trapped behind them, with no emergency crews yet in sight.

The seventh and eighth grade boys in Eli Lauer’s van looked at one another.

“We have to help.”

Without hesitation, they piled out of the van.

As it turned out, the stranded work van belonged to a contractor who had chainsaws in the back. While he began cutting through the heavy branches, the boys began dragging limb after limb off the roadway. They worked tirelessly, clearing the debris piece by piece until cars could finally begin moving again.

Drivers were incredibly appreciative, it could have been hours before crews came to clear the way.

Their actions even caught the attention of local television. A crew from WUSA 9 arrived and featured the story on their news report of the storm. During the interview, one of the eighth-grade boys was asked why they had jumped in to help.

His answer was simple.

“This is unity. This is achdus. We all just wanted to help.”

Rabbi Lauer shared with me another Kiddush Hashem story while the camp was visiting Fun Land in Virginia. Rabbi Lauer was approached by a non religious Jewish woman he had never met.

She introduced herself and told him that her 12-year-old son had been spending time around the Camp on the Go boys throughout the park. She had watched as they helped him out while waiting in line for the go-karts, and made sure he never felt left out.

“My son is having the best time with your boys,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Then she asked a question Rabbi Lauer never expected:

“Is there any way my son could come to your camp?”

Achdus is not just a slogan. It is something we live—through kindness, responsibility, and caring for others.

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Source: Rabbi Shraga Freedman of Living Kiddush Hashem