The Camp Gilboa Blog

This weekend was our final Shabbat of Gilboa 2010. Things got rolling on Friday with our usual Shabbat celebration: a procession to the migrash sport, a song from the shomrim, a story from Kara and finally "Hachama Merosh" – a song welcoming the Sabbath queen – as we faced the setting sun. Saturday each kvutza got together for their final meeting of the summer. In the evening we had what may be Gilboa's longest ever Medura – our time for skits, songs, and other performances in front of the campfire. Groups of campers stepped forward, one after the other, singing and acting until it was time to go to our final mesiba – the party at the end of the summer. The chadar ochel became a packed dance hall, with moon bounces, fortune telling, and ice cream sundaes offering diversions. Sunday morning the chanichim jumped on their buses and headed home amid hugs, songs, and some tears. Thankfully there is always the ken – our year-round activities – to reunite us with each other.

On Tuesday, we celebrated the overthrow of tyranny and the democratization of Rome. However, the evening of Rome Meyuchad left the chanichim with the question of how Rome’s expansionist policies ultimately affected the world around them as well as Rome itself. The following day was a yom ragil with a twist! In the afternoon, we were at Boombamella — an Israeli festival on the beaches of the Mediterranean! Chanichim were lead through guided meditations and decorated with body paint designs. To cool down, the chanichim could soak in a mud bath or take a dip in the pool. The vibe of Boombamella was fun, relaxed, and very new age! The highlight of Thursday was Wish Night — the night when the wishes of chanichim come true! Wishes ranged anywhere from a Gilboa style deck of cards to flying to becoming pink. As each chanich received their wish, the other chanichim cheered them on. When the delivery of the wish was complete, the whole machaneh proclaimed, “Your wish has been granted!”

On Sunday, Bogrim, our oldest chanichim, finally got a chance to run the program they had been planning all session. It was an almost full day activity based on the works of Doctor Seuss. The Evil Grinch brainwashed other Doctor Seuss characters to work for him and prevent all the chanichim from getting any candy, and it was the chanichim's duty to un-brainwash them. They had to work together to overthrow The Grinch's corrupt leadership. Along the way the chanichim got to meet famous Doctor Seuss characters like the Lorax, the Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle, Thing One and Thing Two, The Snitches, and many more. Stations included firing arrows at water balloons, piecing together limericks, and a massive water balloon fight. The day ended with a machaneh-wide dance party, bonfire, and of course, lots of candy. You'd think machaneh couldn't get any crazier, but today the chanichim woke up to ancient Rome - built in a day - out of cardboard and art supplies. Not only

Chug Wacky Maz Sport Chug Benjamin Button Chug Jammin' Chug Be The Change Chug Time Travel

Bogrim getting ready to start Bocoup Reciting poems to defeat the evil grinch The red team The yellow team