Billy, Callum’s more fun and slightly outrageous alter ego, made his debut at Herzl Camp in the summer of 2022. That year, Callum attended “Taste of Herzl,” a one-week overnight camp sampler, and came home as Billy.
At the camp’s opening bonfire, a few campers volunteered to introduce themselves. For reasons still unknown, Callum stood up and declared, “I’m Billy, and I love pickles.” The line landed so well that by the end of the week, campers, including those who had known him since preschool, were talking about their new friend Billy, and the name stuck.
The name followed him home to Minneapolis, showing up wherever he crossed paths with camp friends, like at synagogue and Ultimate Frisbee. It quickly took on a life of its own, inspiring nicknames such as Kosher Bill the Big Dill, The Billionaire, and William. Callum even introduced himself to his rabbis and Hebrew School teachers as Billy, which led us to officially add “Billy” in Hebrew as part of is Hebrew name.