The Camp Gilboa Blog

Tisha B’Av is meant to be the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. It is a day when we commemorate the hardships that Jews have encountered throughout our history. At machaneh, this Sunday night, we observed Tisha B’Av at an evening program. The program started with short plays, put together by the madrichim, that displayed different times in hisotry where Jews have been persecuted or exiled. We created tableus of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Spanish Inquisition, the destruction of the 1 st temple, the Bar Kochba Rebellion, and the Toulouse shooting that happened in March this past year. After talking about this through the lens of destruction, we had a museum about the creation of the State of Israel and the agency that the Jews gained in the past hundred years. Chanichim walked through the museum and then we had a conversation about having been oppressed and what responsibility we carry becuase of it. Lastly, all the chanichim went to the pool where we had...

Today we said goodbye to our eight Nitsanim - our 3rd and 4th graders who came for a taste of Gilboa. Nitsanim participated in many camp-wide programs as well as in some special programming designed just for them. They  went on a nature hike where they learned dances in the woods, read the Lorax and talked about nature appreciation. The following day they went to the Big Bear zoo, swam in the pool and in the evening participated in camp-wide Olympics themed games. Yesterday they helped the polution monster change its ways, and talked about recycling and reusing. In the afternoon and evening they participated in musical and medura, Gilboa's music, poetry and comedy performances. Shabbat for everyone else started with a relaxed morning - board games and reading in the chadar (dining hall). Chuggim Retzinim (serious interest groups) followed - choices ranged from "Is the Pen Mightier than the Sword", "Where Does Our Food Come From", "Teen Culture", ...

Our first Shabbat at camp is a peaceful and relaxed one. We walked to the lake, hand in hand, singing. By the lake we heard a Rosh story and the Nitsanim perform a song, and greeted the Shabbat as the sun was setting. Shabbat dinner was super delicious and consisted of rice with fruit and vegetables, chicken, potatos, salad and home baked chalah. Some serious singing and dancing followed. Walking to the Lake Dressed and Ready for Shabbat Nitsanim! Our youngest kvutza Nitsanim Perform by the Lake Shabbat Hugs