The Camp Gilboa Blog

First installment of Gilboa's second session Shabbat blogging. This time - the Chotrimot (incoming 7th graders). Enjoy a window into camp. Kupa Kupa is when campers bring their money together and decide on how to use it together. Sometimes it is shared to create a fun activity. This is just one example of the great community here at Gilboa. For kupa, everybody contributes the amount of money that they want to contribute and no matter if you bring zero dollars or 30 dollars, everybody gets their equal share. Kupa also helps people if they forgot something because we can buy what they need with our kupa money. Kupa is a great way for people to learn how to share, be equal no matter what, and to overall become a better person. Kupa is also a way to become more social, because if we use the money for an activity, it means that we hang out and make new friends, and it provides a fun activity just with your kvutzah. Kupa brings campers together and makes a great community.  -...

First day at Gilboa focuses on creating familiarity - with the space, with madrichimot (counselors), with the program, and with other chanichimot (campers). After lunch and a first encounter with their kvutzot (age groups), chanichimot went through a series of stations where they learned some camp songs, visited the mirpaa (health center), and met with the mazkirut (youth leadership) to discuss camp rules. Later, everyone gathered on the dining hall balcony and watched a series of skits that introduced the tzevet (staff), as well as the chuggim (electives) they could choose from for the session. After dinner, a traditional "meet the madrichimot" tochnit erev (evening program) took an old western movie twist, as chanichimot were asked to travel from Missouri to their desired destination; Gilboa! The road proved to be a challenging one, and as they encountered madrichimot in different stations, they had to assist them with various tasks. By the end of the evening, chanichi...

Every summer, our 16 year-olds participate in a Habonim Israel program called Machaneh Bonim Israel.  They spend 5.5 weeks in Israel with their peers from the six other North American Habonim camps, tour the country, and learn about its history, culture and politics. These past few days they toured the Negev, and took a Gilboa photo in S'deh Boker. In the photo - the Gilboa kvutza with our very own Zev Dever, who made Aliyah a few years ago and is now Rosh Chinuch (educational director) of the MBI program. 

Cotrimot/Sayarimot Shabbat Blogging Avodah Here at Gilboa we all do Avodah (work). A few of the Avodot are Briut, ToBo, and Bishul. Bishul is chopping vegetables, Briut is cleaning bathrooms, and ToBo (or Toranut Boker) is setting up breakfast and washing dishes after breakfast. I'm in ToBo and I like it because you get to work with people that you probably wouldn't meet otherwise. We also get to listen to music while washing dishes. At camp we think that labor is important and that we work on the land and for what we need. Instead of hiring people, we work and get a sense of ownership over our things, and it also makes us a tighter community.  - Liam Kupa Trip Our Kupa Trip was the highlight of camp. What we did was ride this dark green truck that has a six wheel drive. On the way, as we drove up the hill, it felt like we were flying at that moment. Two nights before the kupa trip we were trying to decide what to do. We argued about what to do, but we got to an ag...

The week that's about to end included two special days  - a "Tower of Babel" special day where chanichimot got to explore cultures and the differences between them, acquire respect for others, as well as  explore the concept of relativism. Yesterday, our Bogrimot (10th graders) took over the camp, and ran a lunch through bed-time program, based on the story line of "Inside Out". Chanichimot got to explore emotions, and find out how they complete the whole individual.  More on the two programs a bit later - for now - some photos from the week for your Shabbat pleasure.