Hello From Camp!

At Galil we have many special days from Yom Yisrael (Israel Day) to Revolution (when the counselors-in-training run the programming for a day), but one hits the closest to home: Alumni Day.  Galil was proud to welcome back over 75 former campers and their family members for our 2nd Annual Alumni Day! 

Our day started off as usual.  We raised the Israeli and American flags, ate waffles for breakfast, had avodah (work) and peulat shicvah (activity by age group).  After that our campers joined our alumni for a special shira (singing) session including a song in which campers enthusiastically announce that "we were here in 2011," moving backwards in time to Galil's first year in 1946.  Between our campers and alumni, we covered every year in Galil's history! 

For lunch everyone enjoyed a barbecue in Hyde Park featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, veggie burgers, corn, and several types of salads.  It was wonderful to see our different generations of Galilniks interacting!  Our guests today included parents and grandparents of current campers and counselors who were happy to spend an afternoon together at a place they all love. 

Our fantastic alumni may have left Galil, but the fun isn't over yet...it's kupa trip today!  We are enjoying bowling and laser tag at Brunswick Zone this evening.  Check Bunk1 tomorrow for pictures of our campers in action! 

Also, pictures of our Alumni Day will be posted soon on our Alumni page.  Come see if you recognize anyone... 

We hope you all had a restful Shabbat and a lovely weekend! 

Ilana 

This morning we started to get ready for another Shabbat at Galil, our first of 2nd Session! As always after a delicious muffin breakfast -- a fan favorite -- we cleaned our little machaneh (camp) during an extra long avodah (work time). There's no better way to enjoy a peaceful Shabbat than when machaneh is nice and clean.   

Later we held Shabbat shira (Friday afternoon singing). We have shira every afternoon, usually before dinner, but on Fridays we have an extra long session before lunch.  Campers have to sing as loud and with as much ruach (spirit) as possible so their bunk will be called up first to pizza lunch. Some campers even dress up to impress the judges. Today we learned a few songs that we sing every weekend during shabbat including Bashana Haba'ah and the Havdallah prayers.  While the Tzofim (campers going into 8th grade) went to lunch first, eventually everyone was sent to Hyde Park for delicious pizza. 

During this time every week, some of the Madatzim volunteer to make challah for the whole machaneh for Shabbat dinner. It's a Galil tradition that we've had for years that the Madatz look forward to. The best part for them is getting to choose fun toppings for the challah like sprinkles, chocolate chips, and cinnamon sugar. It's also rewarding to know that the challah they make themselves every week is enjoyed by the whole machaneh.  

Shabbat Shalom!  We hope you have a relaxing weekend and look forward to seeing our alumni at Galil on Sunday morning for the 2nd Annual Alumni Day! 

Fondly,  

Jordan  

Last night during tochnit erev (evening program), campers were given the special task of stepping into the shoes of famous fashion designers and creating memorable looks for the Summer 2011 season. Their models: the madrichim (counselors).  Their objective: to make them look as ridiculous as possible. As you can tell by the pictures, our campers were very successful!  No one could keep a straight face during this hilarious fashion show, but it was a great time for all, and gave campers a chance to get to know madrichim they don't necessarily work with every day.  

Then, early this morning, Galil met another new madrich, Oded Marck, who hails from Tel Aviv, Israel and will replace Ronit Cohen as our shaliach (Israel emissary). Our shlichim come from Israel to work at camp and in the ken (year long activities) for two years at a time. They're here to help us stay connected to Israel and to bring new ideas and resources to teach Israel education effectively -- plus they're pretty amazing people!  Check out the picture of Ronit and Oded below.  While we will be sad to say goodbye to Ronit this fall we are so excited to work with Oded for the next two years!  

Speaking of new faces, we are proud to introduce our new tzvatim k'tanim (bunk staffs)! 

Amelim (going into 4th and 5th grades): Ari, Igal, Julie, and Hannah. 

Chotrim (going into 6th grade): Yuval, Lee, Jonah, and Dan. 

Sayarim (going into 7th grade): David "H-Pot," Louis, Nuri, and Hillary.  

Tzofim (going into 8th grade): Allie, Carla, Danielle, Pauline, Hodari, and Roee. 

Bonim (going into 9th grade): Mikey, Shaun, Darren, Shuli, and Lior. 

Bogrim (going into 10th grade): Sara, Lior, Shula, Pele, Ethan, and Eli. 

We are all excited to see what our madrichim have in store for us this session! 

Fondly, 

Jordan 

Today we kicked off our second session with a brand new schedule. After breakfast we had avodah (work) as usual.  The pictures show our gan v'chayot (garden and animals) work group in which campers help in the garden, feed our chickens and lambs, and collect eggs each day. After avodah, our campers participate in peulat schichva (activities by age group) followed by the big switch: chugim (interest groups).  Chugim was in the late afternoon 1st session but we think campers will be excited to get to take part in their electives earlier in the day!  Now sports is in the afternoon and leads straight into schiya chofshit (free swim) so our campers can relax, cool down, and have plenty of time to shower afterwards. 

Lunch was particularly exciting today.  We enjoyed a salad bar featuring freshly harvested items from the gan and pudding for dessert.  Nothing tastes better than our freshly grown produce! 

Today also marked the return of a special time of day in which the campers learn about Habonim Dror North America, the youth movement Galil is affiliated with. Counselors use silly skits and songs to teach kids about our six sister machanot (camps) in the United States and Canada. Our chanichim (campers) are always interested in what other machanot are like (for example, at Moshava in Maryland all of the older campers sleep in tents and Miriam is on an island off the coast of British Columbia). This time helps us remember that Galil is part of a worldwide movement of campers that will one day change the world! 

We are very excited about these changes because we love making Galil the best it can be -- and helping our campers have the best summer year after year!  When we leave in just three short weeks, we will all have new memories to take home. 

Fondly, 

Jordan 

Today we said goodbye to a relaxing intersession and welcomed the second session-ers to our Galil family! We met new friends and got to see old friends as well. After settling into new tzrifim (cabins) everyone met their counselors and bunkmates and played some ice-breaker games to get to know each other.  

Everyone who stayed through intersession was thrilled to welcome the new campers. The Madatzim (counselors-in-training), who traditionally serve this first meal, led campers and counselors in the most spirited session of cheers and songs after dinner that we've seen all summer!    

Tonight we will settle the final details needed to kick off the session tomorrow, including choosing new chugim (interest groups). As always our counselors have prepared what are sure to be some hilarious skits to present their chugim. Some of the more creative choices this session include:  

• one where kids will create and decorate their clothes with the help of our melechet yad (arts and crafts center);   
• a current events chug where campers will read the news, watch popular news segments (including "The Daily Show"), and write their own newspaper;  
• a competitive machaneh (camp) soccer league; and   
• a chug based on the popular tv show "The West Wing."  

We are looking forward to an exciting session and one that will be packed with special days and activities for all campers, so stay tuned some memorable stories in the next three weeks.  More photos will be uploaded to Bunk1 tomorrow!  

Fondly,  

Jordan      

While we were so sorry to say goodbye to our wonderful 1st Session campers yesterday, Galil must go on!  As we prepare to welcome new campers again tomorrow, our full summer campers are enjoying a low-key day at camp.  

On Sunday we beat the heat again by spending the afternoon in the pool and watching movies in our cool, new MoAdina.  The Madatz (counselors-in-training) gave our campers options for fun chugim (elective activities) from nail painting to music appreciation to drawing.  After such a busy 1st Session of Maccabia, planting urban gardens, tubing down the Delaware River, journeying through the galaxy, and more, it's wonderful to have time to relax.  We finished Sunday with a board game night and early bed time! 

Today we will move bunks and prepare for our new friends to arrive Tuesday afternoon...followed by a very magical trip...to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2! Our campers are excited for the popcorn, air-conditioning, and final film! 

To all of our 2nd Session families, we can't wait to see you tomorrow.  We have so many more activities, adventures, special days, and trips in store for you in the next three weeks! 

Translation of the title: Hot day? Water Day! 

 We know that all of you out there are concerned about us here at Galil due to the record high temps. I just want to take this time to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to keep as cool as possible and as hydrated as possible. In order to do this most effectively, there are a few fashion trends that have become increasingly popular over the past few days. The first rising trend is the gallon-sized water bottle causing nothing short of a hydration sensation! No one is seen without a water bottle in-hand, it's the cool thing to do.  

The next hot spot on tap is the coolest place to be in this part of Ottsville. Yes, folks, you probably guessed correctly: our very own brecha (pool)! The pool is so cool that we moved our z'man shira (singing time block) so that our shira leaders brought their song posters down the hill so we could learn the hippest in shabbat shira (shabbat songs) while standing in the pool.   

And lastly, as you've all learned we love our games and our creativity around here. And we have fortunately outdone ourselves again. Our mischak hashavuah (game of the week) was brought to a whole new level. We brought out our slip-and-slide next to the basketball court and set up the sprinklers next to one of our tzrifim (cabins). And as this post is currently being written, all of our chanichim (campers) and madrichim (counselors) are participating in a camp-wide water fight with a combination of hoses, sponges, and water-squirting devices.  

Shabbat will bring a more relaxed atmosphere, and help prepare for end-of-the-session festivities! On Sunday we will be very disappointed to see our four-weekers leave but excited for all that second session has in store.   

(pause for a second to finish the water in my water bottle) 

Hope you're keeping as cool as we are! 

Todah and Shabbat Shalom, 

MRW 

Galil's tochniot (programs) often encourage our chanichim (campers) to use their creativity and imagination. We work very hard to blend our chinuch (education) and kef (fun) programming. How do we do this?  Today we merged the educational value of Captain Planet with a game of Capture the Flag! Captain Planet is an environmentalist superhero cartoon series that aired in the early 1990's.  He told his followers that "looting and polluting is not the way" and "the power is yours!"  At Galil we support Captain Planet's passion to environmental concerns and youth empowerment. 

We told the chanichim that Captain Planet fell apart and it was our responsibility to put him back together by learning about different environmental issues that we encounter today. All of the chanichim were split up into teams based on Captain Planet's elements: Earth (green) , Wind (white) , Fire (red) , Water (blue), and Heart (purple). Each group learned about modern environmental issues.  For example, the Earth team learned about Hydraulic Fracturing (aka Fracking) on the east coast of the United States and the concerns and benefits associated with it.   

Different parts of Captain Planet will be distributed to all of the teams to be the flag that they must safeguard from one another in our Capture the Flag game. However, here is the Galil twist: the only way to get Captain Planet fixed is to have all of the teams work together to collect and mend the pieces. By the end of the night, Galil will have once again saved the day! Look forward to pictures later tonight!  

-MRW  

A heatwave in Ottsville is no match for the all-star chanichim (campers) at Galil! We spent a lot of time in the pool and sprinklers or hiking in Tinicum Creek, which borders Galil.  Little gets in the way of us making magic. Despite the heat, today was an especially great day for our little machaneh (camp). Here is why:   

This morning we were greeted early by Israeli Darbuka Drummer, Bishara Nadaf, who returned to Galil for a third summer to run a series of drumming workshops for all of our schavot (age groups) throughout the day. Thanks to his skills and energy, all of our chanichim (campers) are feeling a little bit more rhythmically inclined, and not just ready to make magic but also to make music.    

The Bogrim (post 9th graders) welcomed a special visitor today: Naomi Skop from the Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN). JTFN in collaboration with the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) reached out to Camp Galil in the Spring about taking part in a pilot program where a group of chanichim are given a significant sum of money that then they are required to give away to tzedakah. Galil is one of ten camps in the United States participating in this pilot program.  The coolest part is that the mazkiruit (directors) and madrichim (counselors) don't decide where this money goes at all; the Bogrim do. Throughout the summer, the Bogrim are participating in a series of day-long seminars to discuss a well-rounded approach to not just financial giving, but also to tikkun olam (healing the world) and how to make an impact as individuals and as a group.    

Over the next few weeks, the Bogrim will narrow down a list of Philadelphia-based non-profits where they can donate this grant money as well as participate in a full-day tikkun olam project. The criteria for the selected organization is based off of the following mission statement that the Bogrim established as a group together today:    

"We the Bogrim group of 2011, strive to, by our values of leading by example, equality and social justice, help to educate the Philadelphia community as well as improve the physical and mental health of others."     

We are constantly in awe of our campers' maturity and will be sure to keep all of you in the blog-o-sphere updated with their process.   

Excitedly,    

MRW    

"If you give a man a fish he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish he will eat for a lifetime" -Chinese Proverb 

We have referred to ourselves at Galil as "The Spirit of Kibbutz Close to Home" in reference to Galil's historical affiliation with the kibbutz movement in Israel. Over the past few summers, Galil has been kicking up our connection to the agricultural aspects of old kibbutz life in our re-establishment of our very own gan (Garden)! In the summer of 2006, our then Madatzim (counselors-in-training) built a four-bed garden for a small amount of herbs and vegetables to serve an eco-style spin on our informal education model. Since then, our gan has significantly expanded and has the ability to supplement our meals with the vegetables and herbs we grow. So today during sadnaot (workshops) the Chotrim (post 5th graders) got their first lesson in the effort it takes to not just grow, but harvest the vegetables we produce. 

It's not so bad getting your hands dirty when it means picking the first round of carrots from the soil or pruning the pea plants! Arguably though, the best places to work is in the front corner of the gan where the basil and tomatoes grow just one bed apart. It's a snack too tasty to pass up as our basil is in bloom and our number of ripe tomatoes is about to boom! Our Chotrim came into the gan today with some understanding of what it takes to grow food, but now that they got a chance to harvest our produce, they may be just a little bit more interested to eat their vegetables when the show up at meals. 

As our gan continues to expand, so does our desire to model the values of conservation and sustainability that we speak of so often at Galil. The informal agricultural education we receive by having a garden is fantastic (and tasty!)  And who knows, one day our mitbach (kitchen) may not need to purchase any produce, because we can grow it all ourselves! 

B'tayavon (good eating), 

MRW 

PS. Happy birthday, Mom!
  

Today the Madatz (counselors-in-training), with the help of the Bogrim (post 9th grade campers), ran machaneh (camp) for a day! This day, known as Revolution or "Revo" for short, is a long-standing Galil tradition where the Madatz run a fully planned, organized, themed, and most of all, FUN day for the campers. The day is an educational experience for the Madatz, who are actively involved in leadership training to become counselors, as well as a way for them to gain experience working with kids and planning special events.  

Not to worry, parents, the madrichim (counselors) are still at Galil and watching the kids.  But we Madatz get to run the programming for the day! 

The campers journeyed through space today! In the morning, they went through astronaut training where they climbed through a dark maze and obstacle course plus a "laser field" strung through Hyde Park. Before lunch, they played in a relaxing carnival that included sand art, face painting, and more.  After a space-diner themed lunch, the kids had a pool party and played a camp-wide game of capture the flag.

 

Revo is a great experience for both the campers and Madatz. Everyone enjoyed their "Journey Through the Galaxy"! 

Eliana 

Guest Blogger & Madatz 2011 Member 

One of the things that makes Camp Galil very special is the way that we structure our peulot (activities). Our madrichim (counselors) and madatzim (counselors in training) are as much educators as they are caretakers for all of our wonderful chanichim (campers). Everyday, our madrichim are responsible for planning and executing not one, but two of what we call Peulat Shicvah (activities with your age group). Each of our peulot ranges in theme and style to facilitate a process for our chanichim where they are learning at the same time they are having fun. In real-world terms, this style is referred to is "Informal Education." We start with a short game, apply a method which serves as the bulk of the program, then come together to talk about the themes applied in the method. Friday's peulat shicvah is run by our madatzim, so its contents tend to be a little extra special in preparation for shabbat.
 

For example, during Peulat Shicvah today, the Sayarim (Post 6th Grade) were told to bring books to the peulah, were given time to read and then came back together to reflect on the relaxed atmosphere we try to achieve observing of Shabbat. In a time where technology surrounds us, even at machaneh (camp), using books as a medium of "unplugging" serves as a very applicable example of thoughtfulness and introspection. Across the kikar (central field-type-space at Galil), the Bogrim (Post 9th Grade) opened up a time capsule they created in the summer of 2006. The time capsule contained a series of letters they wrote from their ten-year-old selves to their fifteen-year-old selves. After they shared their letters and a series of good laughs, our Bogrim got an opportunity to reflect upon the summers the have spent at Galil and how they have grown and changed.

After a full and exciting week, we're taking our shabbat a little more "unplugged" than usual, as we are going to try and observe shabbat without the use of any electricity. Sounds like a fun challenge!

We're looking forward to seeing many of you on Sunday for Yom Horim (Visitors Day)! Remember to leave your peanuts and treenuts at home, and best of luck to our GalGalil Riders!

SHABBAT SHALOM,

Molly Wernick
 

My oh my, friends of Galil, we have been having an exciting time here in Ottsville, PA! Last night, we had Aliyah Bet. Aliyah Bet is an activity in which all of the chanichim (campers) are woken up in the middle of the night to go through a number of stations designed to recreate the secret aliyah of Jews into Palestine during British rule. We take our campers through the trails of machaneh (camp) until they finally reach Palestine (usually known as the Galil parking lot). One of the things that makes this such a special activity is that it is almost entirely planned and run by the Bonim (post 8th graders). It is their first real experience running programming and taking on an active leadership role at camp. Despite the serious nature of the programming, it is also very very fun. Chanichim snuck past British solders, met with famous Zionists, and yes, once they made it to “Palestine” there were hot chocolate and brownies. 

The next morning, machaneh awoke to Israeli music and strings of blue and white flags cascading from trees and buildings. It was Yom Yisrael (Israel Day)! The chanichim spent the morning and most of the afternoon running around playing games that reflected the cultural growth of Israel, eating falafel, and there was even an Israel carnival. Now, I don’t often like to interject with my opinion too heavily on these internet communication devices, but here I must. The falafel that we had for lunch wasn’t just camp falafel. Oh no. You see, this summer, we have not one but TWO Israeli chefs! They made Israeli salad. They made chareef (spicy sauce). Home made hummus. Zatar as far as the eye could see. I have not been to Israel since my year fighting the good fight on Workshop 56, but when I bit into this falafel, it was as if I was walking the streets of Old Akko, through the hustle and bustle of Hummus Sayiid, old men bartering over sacks of spices, and tourists spending too much money on tapestries and incense.  It was a very good falafel. 

Hoora, 

Shiah 

 Hello friends of Camp Galil,  

 Today was an exciting day for machaneh (camp). Aside from the consistent balagan (craziness) we like to partake in, some of our young warriors for justice went out into society today in the hopes of helping to build a better world. Every year we take our campers out to do tikkun olam (healing the world).  In the past we have partnered with the Jewish Relief Agency, the Abramson Center, and other local community organizations.  Tikkun olam is an incredibly important tenet of Judaism and we feel it is vital to incorporate it into Galil's Jewish programming.    

 At ten in the morning our Amelim (post 3rd and 4th graders) and Sayarim (post 6th graders) took a ride to an urban farm in Philadelphia run by an organization called Urban Tree Connection. Urban Tree Connection takes vacant lots and helps the community turn them into gardens. Members of the community joined our chanichim (campers) in weeding, mulching, and planting in the garden. After a good bout of hard work, we sat back, reapplied sunscreen, ate some soynut butter and jelly sandwiches, and bathed in the natural beauty, this oasis of an organic garden hidden away in the concrete jungle of Philadelphia. It was good.  

 Not to worry if your camper did not do tikkun olam today! In order to make sure there would be enough meaningful work for each camper, we are going in three shifts throughout the summer.  After getting such a great review from the Amelim and Sayarim, all of the other chanichim (campers) are excited to go, too!  

 Back at machaneh (camp), the world continued to turn. The Bogrim (post 9th graders) had a special day which included but was not limited to: some deep ideological discussion of tikkun olam and their responsibility as a shicvah (age group) to the world around them, a sleep in, and an ice cream Sunday fight.  

 We were happy to be reintroducing a little diddy that we like to call Habonim Dror Olami (Worldwide Habonim Dror) to our day with a brief exploration into what Habonim Dror is like Uruguay.    

 Finally, tonight is movie night!  The whole camp will come together to watch the classic "Remember The Titans."
Hoora!  

 Shiah  

In the summertime Ottsville can reach high temperatures so it is our responsibility to make sure Galil's wonderful chanichim (campers) are as hydrated as they are happy. Not all of us are as lucky as the Amelim (post 3rd and 4th graders) and the Chotrim (post 5th graders) who are tubing down the Delaware River today for tiyul (our outdoors trip), but we manage to mix things up enough to keep everyone cool. Sunscreen, water bottles, bathing suits and some creativity do the trick.   

Take Z'man Sport (sports time) for example: many of us head down to the brecha (pool) for the cannonball splash contests, games of catch, and the occasional whirl pool.  Today our yoga group practiced Bikram or Hot Yoga in the MoAdina. When z'man sport is over, we take a rest pose, shower off, put on some dry clothes and get ready for the rest of the day.  

During Sadnaot (workshops) our teva (nature) specialists took campers on a hike through Tinicum Creek which lines Galil's property.  We even set up sprinklers today for our campers to play in during chofesh (free time).  Keeping cool has never been so fun!    

After the heat breaks tonight and the Amelim and Chotrim return from tiyul, we're headed to a very special tochnit erev (evening program) where we transform our humble machaneh (camp) into A Night at the Oscars.  

Live from where the fun never stops,  

MRW      

Mealtime at Galil provides not just our nourishment, but also the passing on of our 65-year machaneh (camp) heritage. Every meal is like an exuberant family dinner where we share about the peulot (activities) we participated in that day.  We have meal-based traditions like pizza on Fridays and bagels on Sunday, but my favorite tradition is shira (singing).  Every day at lunch and dinner we sing, we eat, and then we sing a little more!

Every shicvah (age group) has three to five songs that they sing about themselves to the rest of machaneh. The kids stand up on benches and sing as loud as they can to prove their shicvah has the most ruach (spirit). For example, this is one of the songs that the Tzofim (Post 7^th Grade) sang today to the tune of “It’s a Small World”:     

 There’s a new shicvah here at Camp Galil / We’re the loudest singers at every meal / There’s so much that we share / And it’s time you’re aware  / We’re the cool, cool, cool Tzofim.    

We’re the greatest, we’re supreme / We’re the coolest chanichim / Working together as a team / We’re the cool, cool, cool Tzofim.  

Additionally, there are songs that don’t necessarily apply to a certain shicvah.  We sing songs in Hebrew and English; we sing songs from the Civil Rights Movement; we sing songs recounting various events in Galil’s history from 40-year-old-songs about Maccabia to silly songs we made up about a colorful moth dubbed “A Dragon Leaf” in the summer of 2009.  The ruach of Galil camp culture perpetuates the richness of our history.   

 When your Galilnik comes home have them teach you a song or two. Let us know how it goes!    

 Gleefully,   

 MRW   

Some of us love basketball and we play with every spare second we get; some do the same in the Melechet Yad (arts & crafts Room); some would do Rikkudei Am (Israeli Folk Dancing) until the sun comes up. What about the chanichim (campers) who have a skill or an interest that has not yet surfaced? How do we get each of our chanichim to try something new? One of our answers: Sadnaot!   

Sadnaot, or workshops in Ivrit (Hebrew), is the time in the afternoon where each shicvah (age group) participates in one of the following Sadnaot:  

- Gan/Chayot (Garden and Animals) 

- Melechet Yad (Arts and Crafts) 

- Teva (Nature) 

- Rikkudei Am  (Israeli Folk Dancing) 

- Yisrael (Israel) 

- Sports  

Today the Tzofim (post 7th graders) played a rigorous game of kickball while the Bonim (post 8th graders) learned new Israeli dances (as pictured to the left). The Chotrim (post 5th graders) practiced their Ivrit with our shlichim (Israeli counselors) and the Sayarim (post 6th graders) hiked around our creek. 

Lastly, the Amelim (post 3rd and 4th graders) and the Bogrim (post 9th graders) combined the Gan/Chayot Sadna and the Melechet Yad Sadna by working together to create decorations that further enhance the beauty of our Gan.  Why would we put our oldest and youngest campers together?  We partner each camper in Amelim with one in Bogrim to encourage every one in camp to interact and help each other feel at home at Galil.  Plus they are always adorable working together! 

You never know what you can do until you try! Tomorrow each shicvah will go to a different sadna to try out something new and we can't wait to see what new passions and interests we will help our chanichim discover. If your super-athletic child/a comes home knowing how to knit, we might have had something to do with it!  

Lehitraot!    

MRW  

The littlest Galilnik this summer isn't in Amelim; in fact, she's still seven years away from being old enough to be in Amelim.  She's Ruthie Becker, the one-year-old daughter of Danya Shapiro and her husband Matt, a long-time Galil alum.  Ruthie is spending her summer with Danya in Galil's infirmary.  

Danya has major Habonim Dror street cred: as a camper at Tavor (our sister camp in the Midwest), a member of Workshop 47, a counselor, a summer director, the Habonim Dror North America treasurer, and counselor for Workshop 55 in Israel.  Now, Danya, Matt, and Ruthie live in Doylestown, where Danya is a fabric artist.  She hand-makes chuppot (wedding canopies), challah covers, tzedakah boxes, and wall-hangings for individuals, families, and synagogues. 

Danya uses mostly patchwork and applique techniques.  She enjoys working with nature themes, especially trees because of the resonances that it has within Jewish culture.  As you can see from the picture, just like at the infirmary, Ruthie likes to help out! 

Check out My Perfect Chuppah now!  Danya will give a 20% discount to anyone who mentions Camp Galil when they place their order. 

 Most of the responses fall under three categories:   

 1. "I loved this meal!  We should have it more!"  

 2. Reminders to each other to clean up after themselves.  

 3. Feedback on special days or events, especially campers' favorite part of the day.  

  This part of the day is called "asefa clalit" because it is modeled after the meetings that the community has on a kibbutz. It's important for everyone to get together and to share their thoughts so that we can better everything we do.  In addition, it emphasizes the role that each and every one of us have at Galil, and that we can all define how camp runs.  

Every session here at Camp Galil, our staff members plan a special day for everyone here at camp.  This day is designed to be a fun change of pace for all of camp, and usually has a theme or story line.  

This session's Yom Meyuchad (special day) started last night.  All of the chanichim (campers) traveled through time to a 1920s style casino where they played cards, had some treats, and danced to jazz music.  Then the "police" showed up and shut down the party, dragging away the organizers to "jail." 

We woke up this morning in prison!  All of the campers put on whatever orange clothes they had, and did some activities that are prison related -- including orange tie-dye, fake tattoos, and arm wrestling.  After a lunch of Sloppy Joe's (which were delicious!), everyone participated in sports and active games such as capture the flag and a slip and slide water game. 

 This afternoon the camp broke free of our chains and move to freedom, with a celebratory dance party in our new MoAdina (the first dance party, by the way) and thus the day ends. It feels good to be free! 

Happy 18th birthday to Jake Schur who works in our kitchen! 

Lailah Tov, 

Molly Bernstein 

 Everyday before lunch, the entire machaneh (camp) straps on their sneaks, throws on some gym shorts, grabs their water bottle, and heads to sports.  

 Sports is one of my favorite times of the day, as I grew up playing high school basketball, so I've always enjoyed this time the most.  Here at camp, we play a variety of sports so that those who are specifically passionate or skilled in one sport can play that, while others can spend the time learning how to play a new sport.  

  Our sports program is focused on building teamwork through good sportsmanship and interactions between campers of different ages.  This way, everyone is including other members of our community, and older campers are expected to be positive role models during each sport.  

 Our sports options include floor hockey, basketball, yoga, kickball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, rikkud (Israeli dancing), baseball, volleyball, swimming, and aerobics.   

 Even though we allocate a certain time for sports every morning, in reality we play sports all throughout the day.  During free time, you'll catch Chotrim and Amelim playing soccer, Bonim and Bogrim playing basketball, and some kids have a baseball catch.  Plus there's also free swim every afternoon!   

 Check out more pictures on our Bunk1 site of campers playing sports, plus some great ones of the Amelim playing in the creek today!  

 Happy belated birthdays to Sam Silber and Arielle Schwartz -- and happy birthday today to Danny Weinman! 

 Lailah Tov!  

 Molly Bernstein  

Today was a very special day in Camp Galil history.  Back when my dad was in Habonim Dror (our youth movement) every year our sister camp in Maryland would meet up with us for a fun sports day.  This was called Maccabia, and included singing, dancing, and making new friends.  

This year, we brought this tradition back.  Today all of Camp Moshava drove up to Galil on buses and joined us for a day of fun.  We started off the day with an opening ceremony led by our oldest campers, the Bogrim, who planned most of the day together.  After the opening ceremony, we all went to have a picnic lunch, where the camps were split into teams so that each of the 8 teams had campers from both Moshava and Galil.   

  Following lunch, we started the competition.  We played everything! From knockout, to frisbee, to relay races, to dodgeball, everyone participated and everyone had fun. At the end of the competition we went to free swim, and then spent time with our separate kvutzot (age groups) playing games and getting to know each other.  

We had pizza for dinner, took some pictures for history's sake, and our friends from Moshava got on their buses and headed back to Maryland.  Everyone had a great day, and we cannot wait for next year's Maccabia. 

 Lailah Tov! 

Molly Bernstein 

 Last night, the whole machaneh (camp) gathered into the chadar ochel (dining hall) for a special tochnit erev (evening activity): a food making competition, created in the style of the reality TV show "Top Chef".  

  All of the campers were divided into teams, and were given certain ingredients with which to impress our judges.  The madrichim (counselors) gave each team the same ingredients, which usually do not go together. For example, one of the rounds featured crackers, soy nut butter, cheddar cheese, and sprinkles.  

 The challenge was for the campers to create something both edible and aesthetically-pleasing with what they were given.  

 These kinds of activities are a tradition of camp -- we love to provide an education for our campers, but we value having fun together as a community just as much.  Through these activities, campers of different ages  meet each other, work together, and create life-long friendships.  This is what we strive to create in our community.    

 Our lovely judges can be seen in the photo above -- a mix of counselors, summer directors, and counselors-in-training.  They were lucky enough to get to taste the amazing concoctions our campers made!  

 Happy 19th Birthday to our lifeguard Shira Scott!!  

 Lailah Tov,  

 Molly Bernstein  

Hello readers!! 

Once the Bogrim Chugim are over, each separate tzrif or cabin gets together to spend some time on their own and check in about their week.  This rolls right into lunch, which is usually acombination of different salads and sandwiches that we have picnic style. 

After lunch, all the counselors run elective activities for the campers called "Chugim Retzinim" where campers have the opportunity to do a educational activity of their choosing.  For example, many of the activities include reading articles from newspapers, going on nature hikes, reading short stories, or discussing music lyrics. 

As night begins to fall and the end of Shabbat is near, we do one of my favorite traditions at camp.  After dinner, the whole camp gets together to listen to Musicale, an opportunity for anyone to perform their musical talents for the whole camp (singing songs, playing instruments, reading poems, etc.).  Last night we had an impressive amount of acts, including many of our Amelim (the youngest age group), and lots of the younger boys at camp sharing with everyone.  At the end of musicale we all hold hands and spiral into a circle, where we lay down on the grass and do Havdala, the end of Shabbat prayers.  Havdala ends with a round of the song "Everybody Loves Saturday Night" which we do in over 10 languages!!! 

After Havdala, the whole camp walks down to medurah (our bonfire), which one of the work groups prepares throughout the week.  In front of the fire, we sing songs, people present acts, and the whole camp spends time laughing together. 

The final, and perhaps best part of Saturday (depends who you ask) comes after medurah-- everyone gets an ice cream sundae!  

Shavua Tov! Have a great week! 

Molly Bernstein 

P.S. Happy 14th Birthday to Harry Fernandez! 

Hello Parents- 

Today is Friday! And that means that the whole machaneh (camp) is getting ready for Shabbat.  As a culturally Jewish camp, we observe Shabbat by having it be a day that is different from the rest of the week.  Our activities are more relaxed and the day gives our campers a nice break from our busy schedule.  

We start off Friday morning with an extra long block of avodah so that the camp is the cleanest it can be, and then we match that with a longer nikayon tzrif (cabin cleaning). 

We have a special activity Friday morning with the Madatz (counselors-in-training), then we learn some songs, leading into a pizza picnic lunch.  After lunch things really switch gears as people shower and change as Shabbat rolls into camp.  On Friday night, after kabbalat shabbat (welcoming the shabbat) we have a fancy dinner followed by rikkud or Israeli Folk Dancing.  Some campers stay at rikud for three whole hours! 

Saturday morning we have a sleep in and a roll-in breakfast.  We have various activities throughout the day, mostly chugim (special interest groups) that campers can choose.  Saturday night is many campers' favorite part of the week!  We start off with with musicale, a time where people can perform musical acts, followed by Havdallah under the stars, then our large medurah (bonfire) where we sing songs and have funny acts.  Finally, campers get to enjoy an ice cream sundae bar before getting ready for bed. 

Shabbat at camp is a magical and relaxing time where we are able to appreciate the community that we work so hard to build during the week.  After this first week at machaneh (camp), we are lucky to take the time and think about the amazing things that have happened together, and getting excited for what is to come. 

I'd also like to wish a few people a happy birthday.  Firstly, Hillary Kurland and Golan Gil-More celebrated their birthdays yesterday at Dutch Springs.  Today is Ella Shatzky's birthday.  Happy Birthday to you all!! 

One more quick reminder-- before you send your camper a package, please check every item for peanuts and tree nuts! Even products that are produced within the same factory cannot be at camp, and we have to confiscate them and remove them from camp property!  You can read more about peanut-free foods in this blog post. 

Shabbat Shalom!! 

Molly Bernstein 

When Galil reached out to its alumni last month asking for help completing the new Amy Adina Schulman Center at Galil, many answered the call.  However, not all alumni -- especially the younger ones -- could afford to give $1 per day for the next three years.  As a result, they are banding together by kvutzah (age group) to show their support for Galil and this project.

Kvutzat Workshop 55 (as pictured below, when they were in Chotrim 1998) led the way!  Most graduated college in the past year or two and are still settling into the working world.  They decided that as a kvutzah they would raise $5,500.  Today they are proud to announce that they have already exceeded their goal with $5,798 -- and more still coming in. 

"The Galil experience is never-ending," says alumna Talia Stein.  "I stopped attending machaneh (camp) seven years ago, but the values I was instilled with continue to inform my every day life.  Perhaps most importantly, Galil taught me that tikkun olam is not a trip we take every session, but a guiding principle for every day life.  I give, together with my kvutzah, the people who changed my life, so that more people can have the unforgettable and incomparable Galil experience.

Thank you, Kvutzat Workshop 55 for your help!  We are closer to our goal as a result of your generosity! 

Do you want to do something similar with your age group, family, friends, etc.?  Contact Ilana for assistance. 

Want to contribute to the campaign?  Please click here or send a check with this pledge sheet to:

Campaign for Galil

PO Box 1245

Newtown, PA 18940