The Camp Gilboa Blog

If you are having as much fun as we are here, you’re in great shape! Madrichim (counselors) and madatzim (counselors-in-training) waited enthusiastically as the buses lumbered up to machaneh (camp) on Yom Revi’i (Wednesday) with chanichim (campers) arriving from locations as disparate as Los Angeles, Irvine, the Bay Area, San Diego, and Las Vegas.   Upon arrival, the kids moved into their tzrifim (cabins) and then returned to the chadar ochel (dining hall) to enjoy a pizza and salad lunch. Following lunch, the chanichim travelled in schavot (age groups) around the Machaneh in order to take a swim test, hear the rules, learn machaneh songs, and receive a lice check.   Then everyone gathered together to choose their anafim (morning work groups) and chugim (interest groups) for the session. The tochnit erev (evening program) obliged the chanichim to pull out their metaphorical magnifying glasses in order to solve the mystery of the missing rosh (camp director).   After interviewin...

Last Weekend chanichim and madrichm from all over Southern California came together in Los Angeles for a rockin' weekend of fun! It was a great chance for people to see their friends from around the eizor, celebrating Shabbat together with rikkud, singing, and a lovely musicale. For those who couldn't make it, we hope to see you at ken peulot during the spring, and this summer at Machaneh! Havdalah

Chanukiot made on Yom Chanukah Rikkud on "Shabbat" Rikkud! Lighting the Chanukah Candles We love Gilboa!

Shomrim Sayarim Chotrim Bonim Bogrim Amelim

Making snowmen! 4 feet of snow!

Hi Everyone!  Thanks for checking in with the blog!  Sorry for the lack of photos, we've been taking them, but are having some technical difficulties with getting them on the blog.  Hopefully soon we'll be able to show you what we've been doing here! Yesterday was a great, special, Chanukah themed day.  We made Chanukiot, ate latkes, told the story of Chanukah with our kvutsot, and had a huge Maccabee vs. Greco-Syrian snowball fight! We're expecting more snow tonight, and have many fun things planned for the next day and a half before we say goodbye to our Gilboa friends and head home.  More details (and hopefully photos) to follow soon!

We have arrived safe and sound at Mountain Chai, our winter site for Gilboa this year.  After a nice hot lunch of pizza we settled into our warm cabins and everyone got a chance to know the people in their kvutsa.  With 4 feet of snow on the ground it looks beautiful and there will be plenty of opportunities to play outside!  We're very excited to celebrate the first night of Chanukah together this evening, and have are looking forward to the rest of the week. Pictures to follow soon!

Havdalla with the Shomrim-Bogrim! We met up at the Institute and hung out for a bit. Then the mean King Tom came out and started barking orders at us. But all of the sudden 3 alternative governmental styles emerged to give us options! We learned about the different kinds and decided that democracy rules and then had a discussion about the election last week and our power as well-informed youth in our democracy. Then we voted to eat pizza and we did. Some silent football, and havdalla a little later and that was that. Super fun!

Nitzanim-Chotrim ken at the La Brea Tar Pits! Not even fire stopped the nitzanim-chotrim from coming to this special ken! Meeting at the LA Brea Tar Pits we played some games and had some fun. Then we entered the museum and looked at all the cool stuff inside. Bones, gardens, movies, a life size moving mammoth! It was neat. Back outside we walked around the grounds and saw the boiling tar and the statues of ancient Ice Age animals, and rolled down the grassy hills. It sure was fun.