Pictures?

Shalom!

Any good links to pictures or videos from the summer?

Post them as comments here and share them with the Gilboa community!

End of summer

The end of camp has been emotional.

After Havdallah last night, we had our final medura (campfire) of the summer.  Chanichim performed acts, sang, and danced.  Following medura, everyone went to the chadar ochel for Final Mesiba (party), which featured such activities as face painting, a moonbounce with a slide, postman, cotton candy, and—of course—dancing.

We woke up early to do hitkansut, eat breakfast, and prepare to depart.  The first bus picked up the chanichim (campers) going to the Ontario Airport, Irvine, and San Diego.  After a flood of hugs and tears, the chanichim on the first bus drove away as the Los Angeles kids waved goodbye.

Not long after, the second bus arrived to take the chanichim from Los Angeles home.  There was hugging and crying as madrichim (counselors) and chanichim said their goodbyes.  The tzevet (staff) sang a heartfelt rendition of “Splendor Bridge” as the Los Angeles bus pulled away.

Thanks all for a great summer!  We miss you!  See you at machaneh choref (winter camp)!

Almost at the end of the summer :(

It’s Friday evening and we are currently in the middle of some energetic rikudei am (Israeli folk dance).  We just saw an oneg performed by the Amelim and the Chotrim after a chicken and matzo ball soup dinner.

Yesterday was our last Yom Ragil (regular day).  In addition to our normal activities, we did a peula (activity) for Tisha B’Av.  The chanichim walked through a museum of tableaux representing various tragedies in the history of the Jewish people.  Then each shichva had a sicha (discussion) related to Tisha B’Av and prepared a speech to give at the machaneh-wide tekes (ceremony) that followed.  The mood was somber and commemorative as the tekes unfolded.

Emotion is at a high right now as we enter our last Shabbat of the summer.  Already we have seen the tears of several chanichim who are going to miss being at Gilboa.  We are going to make the best of the last two days of the summer!

Zap, Tiyul, Yom Teva!

Shalom!

Second session has been packed!  Take a look:

The day after Revo—Yom Sheni (Monday)—was a yom ragil (regular day).  The tochnit erev (evening activity) was a variant of “Zap,” a Gilboa tradition.  During Zap, the chanichim (campers) wear dark clothing in order to sneak across the machaneh (camp) with getting “zapped”—a madrich/a (counselor) shining a flashlight on a chanich/a and saying “Zap!  Go back!”  This year, the chanichim sneaked from the medura pit to the migrash sport in order to escape the oppressive political regime of their home country.

Yom Shlishi (Tuesday) was tiyul.  However, instead of going on a hike, the machaneh took a day trip to a local apple farm.  The Bonim and the Bogrim left for the farm first.  Upon arrival, they were greeted with a delicious caramel apple snack.  On the farm, they learned about apple farming, rode a tractor, shot BB guns at soda cans, tasted preserves and apple butter, used a cider press, brushed a pig named blossom and petted a horse named Duke, and visited an apiary to learn about bees.  Meanwhile, the Amelim, Chotrim, and Shomrim participated in a peula (activity) about food justice back at machaneh.

The Amelim, Chotrim, and Shomrim joined the Bonim and Bogrim at the farm for lunch.  We took a short hike over a creek to a beautiful grassy area shaded by oak trees in order to eat our packed lunches and drink our fresh-pressed apple cider.  Following lunch, the Amelim, Chotrim, and Shomrim toured the farm and ate caramel apples, while the Bonim and Bogrim returned to machaneh to learn about food justice.

If it seems that the day couldn’t get better, you are mistaken.  The tochnit erev on Yom Shlishi was Wish Night.   At the beginning of the session, each chanich/a submits three wishes.  On Wish Night, the tzevet helps make one wish a reality for each chanich/a!

Yom Revi’i (Wednesday) is almost a yom ragil; it has a Yom Teva (Nature Day) twist.  All of today’s activities have an environmental connection.  The machaneh is threatened by Smashy Hands—a flower-crushing monster with a Siamese twin (twice the smash per hour!).  The chanichim will need to defeat Smashy Hands before the day is out.  Furthermore, the peula for each shichva (age group) revolves around the connection between Judaism and environmental responsibility.

The evening will end with a medura (campfire), kumsitz (sing-alongs), banana boats, and stargazing.  Keep an eye out for that meteor shower tonight!

Revolution!

Shalom!

The weekend saw another beautiful Shabbat with rest, relaxation, and a little bit of rain to settle the dust.  If you haven’t been following the blog all summer, the post from Tuesday, July 7, 2009 can give you a better idea of what makes a Gilboa Shabbat so special.

Yom Rishon was Revolution, when the madatzim (counselors-in-training) kick the madrichim (counselors) out of camp and assert their hadracha (leadership)!  This year, Revolution was circus themed.  The chanichim (campers were divided into different circus members—acrobats, fire-breathers, jugglers, etc.  Throughout the morning, they did fun activities to fine-tune their circus skills.

Later in the day, the kids discovered that the circus had been purchased by a couple of wealthy entrepreneurs.  Although this did not seem initially problematic, it became increasingly clear that the new owners were attempting to eradicate the individuality of circus members.

Unwilling to put up with the oppression, the chanichim revolted against the new owners and reclaimed their uniqueness.

The evening finished with cotton-candy filled mesiba (party) to celebrate the victory!

Vive la révolution!

Beginning of Second Session

Shalom!

Second session is off to a great start!

After the arrival of new chanichim (campers) on Yom Shlishi (Tuesday), the kids spent the day getting acquainted with the site and their new kvutsot (groups).  That evening, the schavot (age groups) became a group from the “Lord of the Kvutsot” (Amelim - Hobbits, Chotrim - Dwarves, Shomrim - Elves, Bonim – Men of Rohan, Bogrim – Men of Gondor).  In these groups, they worked to destroy the all-powerful ring of apathy.

The first Yom Ragil (regular day) of the session was filled with tons of ruach (energy/spirit) and collective cheering.  In the evening, the chanichim celebrated Habonim Dror North America’s 75^th birthday party by bringing presents and toasts from various other Habonim Dror countries around the world—including Uruguay, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Mexico, Turkey, and New Zealand.

Yom Chamishi (Thursday) was Yom Israel!  The day began with a shakshouka breakfast, followed by a co-existence round robin.  The chanichim examined similarities between Hebrew and Arabic, as well as the biblical ancestral ties to Abraham.  They did chetz v’keshet (archery) to break waterballoon dams at the sources of the Tigris and the Euphrates in order to reroute water to the whole of the Middle East.  They heard stories of the universality of sunflower seeds, as well as tales of the Golden Age between Arabs and Jews.

The coexistence round robin was followed by a soccer tournament among the groups of chanichim, who represented various Israeli cities: Haifa, Tel Aviv, Eilat, Akko, Jerusalem, and Tiberias.  The chanichim painted their faces with a team color and cheered on their teammates.  The tournament ended in a heated game between the chanichim and a madatz-tzevet team—the chanichim won.

The chanichim then filed into lunch, which was set-up as a shuk with hummus, falafel, Israeli salad, tahina, fries, and pita.  After lunch, the chanichim spent an hour relaxing at the Kinneret.  The schavot then divided, splitting into schavot to do a peula (activity) about stereotypes, generalizations, and the process of imagining peace.

The evening included a snack of choco b’sakit (chocolate milk in a bag—an Israeli drink) and avatiach (watermelon), a shnitzel dinner, and a viewing of the film Promises.

Tomorrow, we will prepare for Shabbat with tzrif cleaning, showers, and dressing up!

We are also saying goodbye to our Nitsanim tomorrow!  We’ll miss their sweetness and ruach, but we can’t wait to see them in Amelim next year!

Beginning of Second Session!!!

We are sooo happy to let you know that the campers arrived safe and sound with bright smiles and couldn't wait to get rolling. Below are a list of counselors broken down by age group:

Nitsanim (Entering 3rd and 4th Grade): Zak, Alysse, and Miya

Amelim (Entering 4th and 5th grade): Zev and Noey

Chotrim (entering 6th and 7th grade): Emily and Hasaki

Shorim (Entering 8th Grade): Emma and George

Bonim (Entering 9th grade): Niki and David

Bogrim (Entering 10th Grade): Noah and Sarah