Shabbat Chazon + Tisha B’AV

Friday was a typical day filled with a hiking adventure for each Eidah and intensive cleaning and preparing for shabbat. After shiur and nikayon, each Eidah left for an adventurous nature hike: Eidah Aleph – berry picking, Eidah Vav – to the ice cream store for a delicious treat, Eidah Bet – to the forest and on a water hike, Eidah Gimmel – to a sports field, & Eidah Daled – to a Dollar Store.

Shabbat was filled with incredible ruach, friendship, Torah learning, & tefila. The campers enjoyed singing, dancing, halacha & parsha skits, chavrutot, shiur, Eidah “chill” time, & Eidah onegs. Additionally, every meal is full of dancing, singing, shtick, gymnastics (you need to see it to believe it), and incredible ruach. Shabbat at Camp Stone is truly uplifting and magical! (If you haven’t signed up for a shabbat to visit, do so now for 2020 as the slots get filled fast 🙂 ). During Seudah Shlisheet, the campers enjoyed the typical spread followed by delicious ice-cream, Camp Stone Trivia, and upbeat singing. Then the tone on shabbat started to shift during Slow Shira to soulful singing. The campers were treated to an uplifting & powerful story by Rabbi Yehuda Sarna about the value of showing up in the face of tragedy and how it isn’t necessary to know the “right” thing to say but to be there & show that you care. (Disclaimer: we are related 🙂 )

Tisha B’Av is a meaningful and inspiring tochnit – learning experience – at Camp Stone. Last night, the campers davened Maariv and then marched in darkness led by torches to the Indoor Bet Knesset where they listened to Eichah. Then they rotated between different stations of interactive performances that dramatized different tragedies that befell the Jewish people throughout history. Last night’s performances were presented by Machal. This morning, the campers davened, hear Eichah, and read kinnot. The Tzevet performed different skits related to tragic episodes in Jewish history, including: Yoshiyahu’s funeral, Yirmiyahu’s request from the avot to pray for the Jewish people, Titus’s breaking into the Bet HaMikdash and taking children into slavery, the Kinah contrasting the joy of leaving Mitzrayim with the tragedy of leaving Jerusalem in exile, and other skits.

In the late afternoon, the campers are doing peulot in the planetarium, melechet yad, and in the Village. The older campers who are fasting are resting and watching movie fitting with the tone of the day. Tonight, we will have slow shira to usher out the fast and transition from mourning to nechama . . . Hope you are all having meaningful fasts.

Michelle Sarna