Summer 2025, Week 4

Our fourth week in camp was truly a chalom! At Park Mada, campers learned about ultraviolet (UV) rays and light. To bring that lesson to their every day at camp, they made bracelets using beads that change color when exposed to UV rays to make sure they know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen! This was a perfect way to demonstrate the science of UV light and the power of the sun!In omanut (art), we learned about Israeli artist Ilana Goor, famous for her bronze sculptures, especially her lovely bird ones! Campers used polymer clay to create their own bird sculptures.At bishul bachutz (outdoor cooking), Nevatim “ate the rainbow” by tasting delicious campfire- roasted veggies in a variety of colors! Got pickles? Campers had fun experimenting with pickling cucumbers at the bishul (cooking) tent. From slicing cucumbers to choosing the perfect mix of salt, vinegar, and spices, Nevatim had a lot of tasty fun! 

This week in sport, Nevatim had a great time practicing t-ball, making good contact with the ball and trying to hit a home run!

Yom Adom-Red Day (our t-shirt color) was the highlight of our week!! On Friday, camp was covered in red, from huge banners and streamers to chalk and kochavim (stars) everywhere, Ramah Nyack was transformed into a red wonderland! After tefilah, our chanichim rolled up their sleeves, dipped their hands in red paint (of course!) and stamped on ceiling tiles that we’ll use to decorate Beit Kochavim! We had a blast at our Yom Adom Carnival, where every activity had a red theme! We made red crowns and flags, beaded with red beads and even the snack was adom: graham crackers decorated with frosting and red sprinkles, of course! We ended the day with an incredible parade. We danced from Beit Kochavim to the Migrash, just in time for “Shishi al haMigrash,” showing off our edah cheers and ruach (spirit). The whole camp was cheering for us! We had a full week. On Monday, we had our first Yom Geshem (Rainy Day)! We stayed busy with calming, small bunk activities, making art projects, paper airplanes, and beading. Later, the whole edah came together for reading time. We read “Leo the Lightning Bug” and had a thoughtful discussion about how we feel when we face hard challenges, just like the characters in the story. We ended the day by turning off the lights and dancing to the song “Fireflies.” We had such a fun rainy day! At Park Mada, campers learned about ultraviolet (UV) rays and light. To bring that lesson to their every day at camp, they made bracelets using beads that change color when exposed to UV rays to make sure they know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen! This was a perfect way to demonstrate the science of UV light and the power of the sun! In omanut (art), we learned about Israeli artist Ilana Goor, famous for her bronze sculptures, especially her lovely bird ones! Campers used polymer clay to create their own bird sculptures. At bishul bachutz (outdoor cooking), Kochavim “ate the rainbow” by tasting delicious campfire- roasted veggies in a variety of colors! Got pickles? Campers had fun experimenting with pickling cucumbers at the bishul (cooking) tent. From slicing cucumbers to choosing the perfect mix of salt, vinegar, and spices, Kochavim had a lot of tasty fun!

On Monday we had our first Yom Geshem (rainy day)! We kept our ruach (spirit) high with some energetic rikkud (dancing) and even practiced martial arts moves with Krav Maga! In omanut (art), we were inspired by the art of Nahum Gutman, known for his beautiful landscape scenes. Campers created cityscape prints using stamping techniques with everyday objects like straws and cups. At Park Mada, campers learned about ultraviolet (UV) rays and light. To bring that lesson to their every day at camp, they made bracelets using beads that change color when exposed to UV rays to make sure they know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen! This was a perfect way to demonstrate the science of UV light and the power of the sun! Got pickles? Campers had fun experimenting with pickling cucumbers at the bishul (cooking) tent. From slicing cucumbers to choosing the perfect mix of salt, vinegar, and spices, Shorashim had a lot of tasty fun!

On Monday we had our first Yom Geshem (rainy day)! We kept busy with Nitzanim’s famous Bean Skit! Campers performed all kinds of hilarious noises, including animal noises, country accents, and even British accents. Everyone had a blast! At Park Mada, campers learned about ultraviolet (UV) rays and light. To bring that lesson to their every day at camp, they made bracelets using beads that change color when exposed to UV rays to make sure they know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen! This was a perfect way to demonstrate the science of UV light and the power of the sun! In omanut (art), we explored the artwork of Israeli artist Nachum Gutman, known for his unique style and beautiful landscape scenes. Inspired by Gutman’s work, campers used watercolor to create soft colorful backgrounds. Then, using a foam etching, they added inked prints of silhouettes of the Jerusalem skyline, just like Gutman’s iconic landscape pieces. At etz (woodworking), our chanichim were able to finish their dreidel projects, and they are ready to bring them home! At bishul bachutz (outdoor cooking), Nitzanim “ate the rainbow” by tasting delicious campfire roasted veggies in a variety of colors! They also made yummy popcorn s’mores and enjoyed refreshing lemonade! Got pickles? Campers had fun experimenting with pickling cucumbers at the bishul (cooking) tent. From slicing cucumbers to choosing the perfect mix of salt, vinegar, and spices, Nitzanim had a lot of tasty fun!

In omanut (art), we explored the artwork of Israeli artist Nachum Gutman, known for his unique style and beautiful landscape scenes. Inspired by Gutman’s work, campers used watercolor to create soft colorful backgrounds. Then, using a foam etching, they added inked prints of silhouettes of the Jerusalem skyline, just like Gutman’s iconic landscape pieces. At Park Mada, campers explored the basics of coding using a Sphero robot to play shuffleboard. They programmed the robot’s speed and distance, then tested their code to try and land it in the scoring zone. It was a fun, hands-on introduction to robotics and programming through play! Got pickles? Campers had fun experimenting with pickling cucumbers at the bishul tent, from cutting the cucumbers, to picking the amount of salt, vinegar and all the different spices! We’re so excited to see more and more campers participating and truly enjoying tefilah! Their energy and engagement bring such a special ruach (spirit) each morning! This week, we started Toda Rabah Thursdays as part of tefilah: every Thursday, each bunk shares something they’re thankful for. This is a meaningful way to help us start the day with gratitude. This week, we’re using the campers’ ideas to create decorations for Shabbat Solelim, a special Shabbat for the staff staying in camp. We can’t wait to see how their words of thanks will help make Shabbat even more beautiful! After introducing Ziz, our beloved camp mascot, last week, the excitement has really taken off! Now, bunks are “competing” to earn a visit from Ziz by showing their best middot (character)! That means participating in tefilah, engaging in activities with enthusiasm, being kind and inclusive to all their friends, keeping their tables clean, showing respect to our servers, and listening to their counselors.The chanichim are showing a lot of enthusiasm and teamwork in the hope of a special visit from Ziz!!

Our fourth week in camp was truly a chalom! The highlight was our overnight at camp, which made the entire week feel extra special. From start to finish, the evening was packed with fun activities! Campers enjoyed extra swim time, challenged themselves on the migdal, played games of capture the flag, and relaxed at maayan while doing creative beading. The madrichim (counselors) ran awesome activities, including bookmark making, gaga, and the annual shaving cream extravaganza that everyone loved! We wrapped up the night around the bonfire with delicious s’mores, and we even managed to get some sleep! This week also marked the final session of bechirot (electives), and campers put the finishing touches on their amazing projects in ceramics, robotics, etz (woodworking), and omanut (art). On the field, we practiced our soccer skills and played an exciting game that had everyone cheering! At Park Mada, campers explored the basics of coding using a Sphero robot to play shuffleboard. They programmed the robot’s speed and distance, then tested their code to try and land it in the scoring zone. It was a fun, hands-on introduction to robotics and programming through play! On Monday, after tefilah, some of our campers organized and performed a creative play based on Parashat Balak (last week’s Torah Portion). It was so much fun watching the story of Balaam, his donkey, and the angel come to life in front of the entire Edah!

Our fourth week in camp was truly a chalom! The highlight was our overnight at camp, which made the entire week feel extra special. From start to finish, the evening was packed with fun activities! Campers enjoyed extra swim time, challenged themselves on the Migdal, played games of capture the flag, and relaxed at the maayan while doing creative beading. The madrichim (counselors) ran awesome activities, including bookmarks making, gaga, and the annual shaving cream fight that everyone loved! We wrapped up the night around the bonfire with delicious s’mores, and we even managed to get some sleep! On Monday we had our first Yom Geshem (rainy day)! We kept busy playing a trivia game against Tzeirim! Everyone had a blast!! At Park Mada, we used thinkercad to create and design 3d design models of their favorite lunch at camp! It was a great way to combine STEM learning with a fun, food inspired twist. Migdal and swimming continue to be favorite activities among all the chanichim! These peulot (activities) are always a highlight of the day! In ceramics, the campers are decorating “Bruchim haBaim” (welcome) signs, adding their own creative touches. This week, Nevonim also worked on building their focus and aim during archery. With each round, they improved their skills and concentration! In omanut (art), we explored the work of Israeli artist Nahum Gutman, known for pioneering a unique Israeli art style. His pieces often include beautiful landscapes. Inspired by Gutman’s work, campers used watercolor to create soft colorful backgrounds. Then, using a foam etching, they added inked prints of silhouettes of the Jerusalem skyline, just like Gutman’s iconic landscape pieces.

We had a chalom fourth week, especially on our trip to New Jersey! The campers truly made the most of every moment together. We started the trip with a visit to Elijah’s Promise, where we had the chance to give back through meaningful chesed (kindness). Campers split into groups to pack socks, wrap utensils, write kind notes, and portion rice to help the chefs with meal prep. Next, we visited the Woodbridge Aquarium, where everyone loved all the cool hands-on activities like touching fish, dissecting a squid, and even feeding the shark! We ended the first day with a blast at Monster Mini Golf, where we enjoyed glow in the dark mini golf and also played fun arcade games. One of the biggest highlights of the trip was our visit to Six Flags! Campers had an amazing time riding roller coasters, playing games, and enjoying the excitement of the park all day long. Before heading back to camp, we made one last sweet stop at Hillview Farm, where we picked delicious, ripe berries!!

Sha’ar

We had a chalom week in Sha’ar! On Wednesday, we celebrated our annual Sha’aria, a Yom Meyuchad (Special Day) filled with exciting and fun activities for all campers in Sha’ar. This year the theme of the day was HaShuk shel Sha’ar (Sha’ar’s Shuk), and we have a lot to show you from the day! Each bunk was assigned a song related to a different food, so camp was full of bananot (bananas), tootim (strawberries), artikim (popsicles), agala (shopping carts), and even mochrei falafel (falafel sellers). The day kicked off with the entire camp decorated with life-sized versions of popular Israeli products, including a jumbo Tnuva milk jug, a giant Bamba and an oversized sabich! In Migdal, campers had to climb to reach their ochel (food), with counselors cheering them on in Hebrew—“Kach et ha pita!” (“Take the pita!”) as they reached the top. In maayan (beading), campers crafted creative fruit-themed necklaces featuring avocado, ananas (pineapple), and more. Over in bishul (cooking), the chanichim made their own chamutzim (pickles)! From slicing the melafefonim (cucumbers) to adding melach (salt), chometz (vinegar) and the different tavlinim (spices), this was mamash keif (very fun)! It was a day filled with fun and creativity!