Camp Blog

Thurs Aug 7

DATE: August 8, 2025

We all had an extra half hour of sleep since the two nights before had been outside on the ground – or in a hammock 🙂

We woke up at 8:00 and felt well-rested! Shiur today tackled the concept of unity. Think about Israeli society and what Previous President Reuven Rivlin called The Four Tribes: an Arab Israeli,  a religious Zionist, a secular israeli and a Charedi Israeli. All these groups are living together. What do they have in common? Any shared values? Which ones? How can we achieve unity? What does a unified society with such different elements look like? These were the questions everyone tried to answer today, looking back at the Biblical sources about the tribes’ discord and relationship – both as individuals (sons of Yaakov) and as tribes.

The schedule was “normal” with beautiful weather, b”h. All activities were “up and running” with full use of the Agam and the pool, now that Tisha B’av is behind us.  We were served dinner early, because everyone had a bus to catch – night tochnit was out in the real world tonight!! Eidot Aleph, Bet and Gimmel went bowling and Vav and Daled went roller-blading. Tomorrow will be hikes! The days are long but the weeks fly by!

Machal went to a shul in Harrisburg for Shacharit and then had a great day at Hershey Park! Tonight they pulled in late and slept here at home 🙂

We are so honored to be hosting a week of camp for over 30 children who come from bereaved families in  Israel  – these children have all lost a parent or sibling in war or in an act of terror. They arrived at 5:00 am this morning with staff of their own, and we have a staff of experienced counselors who are taking care of their schedule and activities here in Machane. The goal is to give them lots of fun, relaxation, bonding and an enjoyable chavaya (experience) as a means of extending support and love! The FIDF and Camp Stone are partnering for the second summer to make this a success and a memorable summer for these brave, resilient, passionate kids. Our campers gave them a warm welcome at Mincha today. They will be on their own with their tzevet during their time here for the most part, enjoying camp facilities and peulot, but they will be with everyone for a few times. For example, we are looking forward to bringing them into all the dancing and singing on Shabbat!

Returning camper applications will open on 10/3, new campers will open on 11/3

Registration for summer 2025 opens 10/1/24 for returning families, 11/1/24 for new families.

Please contact Randi Mashmoor with any questions at:

randi@campstone.org

or 440-465-5486. Thank You!

Staff applications will open late November.

New camper application opens on 11/3. Returning campers can register now.

Returning Camper Registration

Registration for summer 2023 is now closed. There are a few select spots remaining.
Please contact Randi Mashmoor at:

randi@campstone.org

or 440-465-5486. Thank You!

About the Chanukah Raffle

Dear Camp Stone Community,

It is an incredible feeling to reconnect with everyone once again at the beginning of our 2021 camp season.

We are writing to you today, first and foremost, to express tremendous gratitude.

Hakarat HaTov, literally “recognizing the good”, is an important and fundamental principle in our community. We, at Camp Stone, want to express our Hakarat HaTov to everyone receiving this email for your unwavering support, especially this past summer. Whether you provided financial assistance through your donated tuition dollars, participated in Indoor World, or connected with the Camp Stone community in other ways, together we had an incredibly successful, albeit different, summer experience.

There is no substitute for being in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, and this summer, B’ezrat Hashem, we will be back at Camp Stone, in person, in full force.

To achieve that goal, we must continue to ensure the financial success of our home away from home that we all know and love so deeply. The logo on top, featuring the slogan “Stone. Forever.” also features a Ner Tamid, an “eternal flame.” The year 1969, etched into the logo, is the year camp was founded. Symbolically, the overall image represents the idea that Camp Stone began many years ago and must endure forever, always burning brightly, and always an integral part of our collective conscience.

On that note, we are excited to announce that our annual Chanukah Campaign will be a raffle taking place over all 8 nights of Chanukah with prizes for both campers and parents/alumni!!

Please go back to the web page  to purchase raffle tickets and help us achieve 100% participation from our entire camp community!

Looking forward to being in touch with all of you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Yakov & Estee, Co-Directors