Thursday July 24

Boket Tov Sugar Grove – kima is at 7:30 am! Our ram-kol wakes everyone up with some music and encouraging words. Each eidah meets on their own, for a few minutes, before Tefilah – for some exercises and group bonding. For the “jump out of bed” type of campers, there is a tzevet member from our Beit Midrash waiting to learn mishnayot over a cup of hot cocoa before tefilah.

There are three separate minyanim each day  – Eidot alef and vav, Eidot bet and gimmel and then Eidah daled. Everyone times it perfectly (checking in over the motorola sometimes) to reach breakfast within a few minutes of each other, and then we are all let in at the same time. After breakfast the chanichim have shiur and nikayon (cleanup time in the bunk house). Each shiur has 7 or 8 chanichim and meets with a  member of the Beit Midrash or the other tzevet members who volunteered. These Morim receive their morim packet, from our Roshei Beit Midrash Ayala and Hille, the day before in a meeting after lunch… Today’s shiur was about INDEPENDENCE and the nature of freedom. How do we define freedom? Free from what and free to do what? What is the Jewish State’s Declaration of Independence celebrating? There were sources to learn and questions for discussion, each shiur teacher catering to the age of their chanichim.

We had a full day of peulot (activities) and beautiful weather for it! Chanichim enjoyed ceramics, music, basketball, Slip n’ Slide, Climbing Wall, and bunny time (at our refet, the farm area of camp with animals to hold, pet and feed) as well as others.

Everyone is getting unpacked, learning names of counselors and bunk mates and learning their way around camp. It was an enjoyable Day 1, and tonight each Eidah played a game to continue the initial bonding and fun: Human Bingo and Counselor Talent Show to name two 🙂  Tomorrow will be Hike Day, our traditional Friday activity.

Machal left camp for a 7-mile hike called Minister’s Creek, and they are sleeping at a campsite tonight. Their first (of many) BBQ dinners went well 🙂

Kaytana learned about Avraham and Sarah’s Chessed and Hachnassat Orchim. They gave out brownies from a tent in the middle of camp, to all who passed by! Tonight their pre-dinner night activity (so they can go to sleep a bit earler) was a scavenger hunt all around camp “looking for Lot, Avraham’s nephew. This search gave them a chance to learn their way around camp and meet some staff who had to sign their paper when they found them.

All in all, we are b”h doing well and happy to be back with friends and disconnected from phones, learning about and celebrating the miraculous autonomous Jewish State!