Wednesday June 21
And…we’re back 🙂 blogging here daily about your sons’ and daughters’ fun and meaningful days and nights at Camp Stone – this year the noseh is Yerushalayim! In honor of the 50th year since the reunification of Yerushalayim, we will celebrate the three thousand year relationship we have had with this holy city…in just one month 🙂 Ready…go!
As the chanichim (campers) got off the buses yesterday, they were greeted with an inspiring and educational (is it ever any other way here??) opening tochnit (program) with an experiential tour of some of the Jerusalem gates and well-known places around town, such as the Shuk.
Campers enjoyed the big welcome and, following Mincha, dinner and Maariv settled into their bunks – getting to know new bunkmates, reuniting with old friends and meeting their hadracha (counselors). This summer, the bunk names are all names of people related to Yerushalayim in one way or another…some easy ones are David HaMelech (king of), Nir Barkat (Mayor of) and Naomi Shemer (poet for) but some are a little harder. Try to figure it out!
Today was beautiful weather and a fun day of activities, unpacking and the Chugim (electives) fair. Three times a week, the campers will have a chance to enjoy their favorite activity at camp as an elective, with friends and siblings of all ages. Today they met the staff who will be running each chug and heard a little about them. Each camper filled out their first, second and third choice and will be assigned her/his thrice-weekly chug.
In Kaytana, the campers look like a bunch of old pros. They are adjusting well and receiving tons of attention and TLC from their very caring, attentive and responsible staff! For their two weeks here, they will be learning about the themes, events and major personalities of Chumash. Today was all about Avraham and his tent that welcomed guests. They, too, made food (brownies) and served it to people waking by (the rest of camp) in an effort to internalize this Jewish value of sharing and caring for those who pass by us. They also had a scavenger hunt, where they found hints to people who lived in Eretz Canaan who were welcoming them as they entered Eretz Canaan…experiencing, in some small small way, the adventure Avraham had of arriving in a new land.
Machal began their month of adventures with a hike in the Buckaloons, an area in the Allegheny National forest. They also learned from the beginning of Sefer Yehoshua and will continue through Sefer Shoftim over the course of the month.
Looking forward to reporting each day!
