FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions);

Myth #1: The Outings Group is only for singles. False. People of every marital status and age attend activities sponsored by the Outings Group. The Outings Group was never designed nor was it ever meant to cater to just the needs of singles. While most activities attract a high percentage of singles, non-singles should feel just as comfortable at our activities. That having been said, the large majority of our participants are single.

Myth #2: It seems that I need to be an accomplished tri-athlete to participate in some of the Outings Group activities. False. While some of our hikes may be rated strenuous or difficult or require some experience or specialized equipment, most activities don’t have this requirement. Activities that require no experience, specialized equipment or extra-ordinary abilities include whitewater rafting and canoeing, tubing, bowling, hiking (ones not rated strenuous or difficult), square dancing, swing dancing, board games and many other activities. Call if you have any doubts about coming to an activity.

Myth #3: Children are not welcome at Outings Group activities. False. Some activities have minimum age requirements for obvious safety reasons and/or vendor restrictions (i.e. rafting, canoeing, tubing). Other activities may not allow trip leaders the opportunity to constantly watch over the safety of unattended children (i.e. bicycling). Others have restrictions tied to ability; if a child can not keep up with the group on a long hike then it is not fair to burden the entire group who can otherwise keep up a certain pace (splitting a group can be a safety problem since the slower hikers may be the worst at following a trail map and can easily get very very lost). On the other hand, children have been welcome at events such as our square dance, board games night, trips to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, The Bronx Zoo, Great Adventure, the beach, the Lower East Side, ice skating, our various dances and bowling. Children are also welcome at activities where they can "keep up" with the adults such as hiking. Children below a certain age will require the presence of an adult.

Myth #4: The Outings Group never does my favorite activities. True and False. The Outings Group may not have done your favorite activity in the past but that is no reason why it shouldn’t do it in the future. Various activities have been suggested by Outings Group participants who then organized and led the activities. Call if you have a suggestion.

Myth #5: I can’t get to most of the activities because I don’t own a car. False. Car pooling from the Upper West Side is usually arranged for trips requiring a car.

Myth #6: The Outings Group was started so that its founders could improve their social lives.  False and True. The Outings Group started in the summer of 1985 when Michael Brochstein and Sam Saal decided to organize a one day canoeing trip on the Delaware River.  They invited their friends, organized carpools and everyone had a great time. They continued to organize events (i.e. ice-skating at SkyRink) and enjoyed doing it.  Michael informally named the group the "Jewish Outings Group" ("JOG" for short) and over time took more of the lead in organizing activities. Eventually the group morphed into the Ansche Chesed Outings Group in the late 1980's when Michael was a member of the Ansche Chesed Membership Committee and decided that Ansche Chesed needed more fun activities to call its own.

In 1991, Michael created the Memorial Day Weekend at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. In order to organize the weekend properly, he developed a database system for tracking participants.  This system became the database which now has over 3600 names for Ansche Chesed Outings Group mailings. As time went on, the Outings Group grew to have at least one activity (on average) per month and instituted "innings" for the colder weather months when it was too cold for "outings".

Now as for the rumor that the real cause for the creation of the Outings Group was to improve the founder's social lives. When Sam and Michael organized their first canoe trip they had no clue that the group would eventually become what it is today.  They just thought the activities they organized would be fun for everyone involved including themselves. On the other hand, quite a few very happy couples have met through because of the Outings Group. As for Sam and Michael; Sam is happily married to someone whom he did not meet at an Outings Group event and Michael is still looking,...