Back To Ragil

Our yom meyuchad was wild, and so it was great to get back to normal. The Amelim left this morning to go on tiyul. They started off hiking a trail a short drive from Galil, and spent the remainder of the day gently rafting down the Delaware River.

Plenty of chanichim took advantage of a new sport introduced into the daily lineup, synchronized swimming. They all went down to the pool and did their best routines set to music for lookers-on to watch. No word on whether they are going to Beijing later this summer.

The evening ended with a machaneh-wide karaoke and airband performance. Dozens of groups sang, lip-synced, danced and improvised to their favorite songs. We even had a live instrument folk song performance including violin, guitar and cello.

B'shalom,

Josh

ragil - normal

yom meyuchad - special day

tiyul - trip

chanichim - campers

machaneh - camp

Lost in Galil!

This morning at hitkansut boker the Galil community boarded Flight 815 from Australia to Los Angeles, for today was yom meyuchad. After enjoying a breakfast of chocolate chip and banana pancakes, our flight crashed onto an island, introducing the day's theme of Lost.  

The kids played the part of the pieces in a life-sized game of backgammon, after which they went on a "wild boar chase," running after madrichim dressed as boars.

After lunch great fun ensued as the chanichim searched for their friends in a scavenger hunt. Following a relaxing dip in the natural springs (the brecha), the kids enjoyed a fun carnival filled with all sorts of stations, including constructing shelters, fire building, and of course fishing for candy!

Dinner was a delicious pasta meal, and to celebrate the positive community that we created together on the island, we hosted a grand mesibah with ice cream, cake, and dance music. A fitting end to a great day, and it's back to normal tomorrow for our first yom ragil of the second week.

Goodnight,

Alon

hitkansut boker - flag raising

sheshbesh - backgammon

chanichim - campers

brecha - swimming pool

mesibah - party

yom ragil - regular day

Galil Is Fired Up

Fire has been a large part of the last 24 hours at Galil. As you know, Friday night was our first Shabbat here this summer. We started Shabbat by lighting candles after our pre-meal shira. Last night we ended Shabbat with a meaningful havdalah service complete with our own spice of music and singing (as well as the more traditional spice of cinnamon).

Following havdalah, we had our first medurah this year. The chanichim crafted skits, jokes and a whole lot more to perform for the machaneh. After medurah we went into kumzitz around the fire, complete with guitars, mandolins, African drums and some of the more well known songs kids know from outside machaneh. No medurah would be complete without the traditional bowl of gelidah we all indulge in after the fire. 

Now that machaneh is in the full swing of things, this week brings about the beginning of the loads of surprises the tzevet has in store for first session. We look forward to letting you in on them as the week progresses.

B'shalom,

Josh

shira - singing

medurah - bonfire

chanichim - campers

machaneh - camp

kumzitz - sing-a-long

gelidah - ice cream

tzevet - staff

Shabbat Shalom

The Galil community is looking forward to the first Shabbat of the summer. The rest will be much needed, especially for the Bogrim who just returned from their overnight tiyul the past two days. They went to the Delaware Water Gap, where they hiked and camped as they made s'mores and had a kumzitz around the fire. Even the morning rain couldn't get them down.

Today the Chotrim took an exciting bus-plane tour and learned about the different Habonim Dror machanot around North America and the world. In sadna'ot the Tzofim learned about sustainable communities and even designed their own.

The Madatz are hard at work planning the first Friday night oneg. The oneg is the play written and performed by a different shichvah each week. Our Friday nights are also filled with plenty of Israeli rikud on the basketball court under the twilight, a long-awaited tradition that many chanichim and madrichim alike enjoy for hours on end.

Wishing a Shabbat Shalom to all,

Alon

tiyul - trip

shichvah - age group

machanot - camps

sadna'ot - workshops

rikud - dancing

chanichim - campers

madrichim - counselors/guides

Fending Off The UFO's

Yesterday, the two poles of machaneh were combined. It's AmBo buddy time! AmBo buddies is short for Amelim - Bogrim buddies, where everyone in Amelim, the youngest age group, is grouped with a buddy in Bogrim, the oldest age group. For their peulah they baked delicious chocolate cookies. They have been inseparable ever since.

Richard Simmons aerobics made its debut during sports. We provided the headbands. The kids provided the exuberance. Curly hair optional.

Last night was our first tochnit erev chinuch. The chanichim were split up into groups. Each had to perform an act in our make shift three-ring circus. The acts ranged from mime to dance to contortion to Jewish juggling. The acts were performed to amuse the alien visitors who came in on their UFO's. After the chanichim banded together to entertain our new guests, the aliens decided to leave in peace.

B'shalom, 

Josh

machaneh - camp

peulah - activity

tochnit erev - evening activity

chinuch - education

chanichim - campers

Avodah, Chugim, Sportim, Oh My!

Machaneh is well underway and so far everything is Kef Kef Kef!

Yesterday was the first day the chanichim participated in the chugim they chose the night prior. The chugim this session are quite diverse. They range from making rods and fishing in our creek, to filing down soapstone into crafty artistic shapes, to learning life skills such as how to make eggs.

Sportim are also in full effect as the chanichim selected from their choice of ultimate frisbee, basketball, pilates, swimming, soccer and (extreme!) stretching run by yours truly and Molly Wernick.

All this aforementioned Kef Kef Kef was well earned. We began our day with the first shift of avodah. The kids signed up for various tafkidim to help the camp run smoothly such as cleaning up after breakfast, recycling paper and plastic, helping tend to our gan and helping prepare the day's vegetables for lunchtime salad.

The first tochnit erev of the summer was a blast. The chanichim got a chance to dress up the madrichim in whatever flashy and wild garb they could find. There were makeovers, manicures and oddball hairdos a plenty. 

We're looking forward to more great Kef soon.

B'shalom,

Josh

machaneh - camp

kef - fun

chanichim - campers

chugim - interest groups

sportim - sports

avodah - labor

tafkidim - jobs

gan - garden

tochnit erev - evening activity

madrichim - counselors

First Day of Machaneh

Shalom l'kulam! (Hello everyone!)

We had a wonderful day here at Machaneh Galil. It was filled with wonder, excitement and, of course, parents! We were happy to see so many new faces today with so many new smiles to fill the atmosphere. After the kids all arrived they went with their various schavot (age groups) to play fun-filled games introducing them to their peers and pumping them up for the excitement to come.

Before dinner we gathered at the toren (flagpole) for shira (singing), where we learned some of the great songs of our age: "Banks of Marble" by Pete Seeger and "Techezakna," a Hebrew youth movement song, both of which we sing every evening at hitkansut erev (flag lowering). Dinner was full of song and ruach (spirit), and afterwards the kids watched the tzevet (staff) perform skits introducing the chugim (interest groups) offered this session--from "Life Skills" to "Around the World in 20 Days."

Our long day drew to a close as the madrichim (counselors) put their kids to bed, telling them wonderful stories about the days to come.

Laila tov, readers!
Alon and Brian

Tzevet 2008

We are excited to introduce to you the tzevet (staff) for 2008!

Julia Baum

Leila Rosen

Jonny Quinn

Alon Hafri

Zac Lindenbaum-Grosbard

Tali Slutzky

Stacey Goodman

Sophia Bernstein

Shira Borochov

Shiah Irgang-Laden

Sarah Adams

Sam Datlof

Ruthie Tane

Roie Drory

Or Caspi

Ohad Cadji

Nora Goldfield

Molly Wernick

Nora Chong

Levi Natkins

Lonny Moses

Lev Horowitz

Karmi Oxman

Josh Waimberg

Joanna Zeiger-Guerra

Jillyan Magerman

Jenna Zeigen

Jake Fram

Ilana Goldfus

Ido Gordon

David Rosenberg

Greg Smith

Eve Lifson

Gilad Kaplan

Emily Upton-Davis

Elie Shane

Elan Lindenbaum

Dustin Hellinger

Dara Silbermann

Daniel Cohen

Dillon Hellinger

Anna Yankalev

Adam Itkoff

Adina Teibloom

NOT PICTURED: Roey Nissan, Kali Silverman, Naomi Rosen, Toni Hellman, Asia Laden, Diane Litwin, Brian Cohen, Noah Beresin

Mazkirut 2008

Jacki Silbermann

Rosh Machaneh (Camp Director)

Ben Profeta

Merakez Chinuch (Educational Director)

Josh Jacobs 

Merakez Techni (Technical Director) 

Adi Inbar

Shlicha (Israeli Emissary)

Welcome to Galil 2008!

Shalom Galil Mishpacha,

Welcome to the Galil Blog for the summer of 2008! The entire tzevet has been working hard to prepare machaneh and ourselves for a fantastic summer. My name is Josh Jacobs and I'm the technical director (techni).  In addition to my other responsibilities here, I am looking forward to being one of the people who will be relaying parts of your children's summer here to you all at home.

As you know, one of the facets of Galil which we hold dear is teaching the chanichim the Hebrew language. In this blog, we will be using some of the Hebrew words we incorporate on a daily basis, so if you read something unfamiliar, try scrolling to the bottom of the posting for a handy dictionary.

Our tzevet has planned a fun-filled summer full of all the great Galil traditions in addition to plenty of new surprises that await the kids. The excitement begins tomorrow as our Madatzim arrive to begin planning their own fun for the kids this summer.

We all can't wait to meet you on Sunday!

B'shalom,

Josh

shalom - hello (...but you knew that)

mishpacha - family

tzevet - staff

machaneh - camp

chanichim - campers

tzrifim - bunks

madatzim - counselors in training

b'shalom - in peace