View From the Heights

Amitzim goes Israeli!

Amitzim has had a wonderful week! Last week was marked by the camp-wide Six Flags trip. We had a blast on the different rides and especially hanging out in the water park! On Tisha B’Av we learned about Lashon Harah (how we speak about other people) and the history of Jerusalem. On Shabbat many of our friends from Nivonim came to spend time with us.

On Monday we participated in Yom Sport (Color War) with the rest of camp. We played sports like volleyball and kickball, cheered on our teammates, and took a break from the festivities to walk to Rondeau’s for delicious ice cream!

Last night Tikvah was proudly represented in the camp-wide peulat erev “Ramah’s Got Talent!” Though neither act took home the grand prize, we cheered on Leah from Voc Ed who tap danced and Sam from Amitzim who rocked out to a Greenday song. We were very proud of them!

Today we are in the middle of Yom Yisrael! So far we have gone through Tzahal (Israeli army) training with an obstacle course, and played a spirited Israeli soccer game. Later on we will make a 3-D map out of nature materials, do an art project, and cook our own authentic Israeli dinner. We are having a great time!

Tomorrow we are looking forward to spending more time with our CITs and having a “normal” day.

Kol Tuv!

Ariella

Amitzim Loves Etgar!

Amitzim has had an incredible last week! After a wonderful visitor’s day (which included performances from the Amitzim play and our Shabbat dance) we set out for our two day Etgar (literally “challenge,” but in this case referring to our camping trip). With Voc Ed we went to the Farm School and saw many animals, including chickens, cows, and pigs. We set up camp at Tully Lake and went canoeing/swimming, cooked and ate dinner, and roasted marshmallows while telling stories and singing songs at a campfire.

We woke up the next morning to a little rain but it did not dampen our spirits! We prayed outside and ate a yummy breakfast before heading out on a hike to a beautiful waterfall. After packing up the campsite we headed to the Ecotarium in Worcester where we learned about the environment, animals (including a polar bear!), and weather. We were happy to get back to camp to shower and relax but we had a great time!

We happily jumped back into our regular schedule (highlighted by a concert with the band "The Shuk" featuring former Rosh Amitzim Ami Yares!) but enjoyed a relaxing Shabbat with many visitors (including family members of staff and former counselors). This week we are looking forward to going to Six Flags and have been preparing for Tisha B’Av, the fast day which commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Never a dull moment in Tikvah!

B'Shalom,

Ariella

Amitzim goes Blue!

So much has happened in Amitzim since I last wrote! We wowed camp with our phenomenal play, we celebrated the Jewish holidays on Yom Chagim, and had another wonderful Shabbat! 

This week involved even more exciting events and programs! We welcomed Rachel Braun (an old friend) back to camp for the week to teach us about Tefillah (prayer) to help kick off our take-home project on daily Tefillah. On Monday night we had our Peulat Erev (evening activity) with Shoafim during which we played many games and made many new friends. We also jammed with the Bible Raps crew who are here to work with some of the older edot. We learned about many different Jewish stories from them, including the story of Rabbi Akiva, the Ten Plagues, and David and Goliath. Many campers participated by rapping along. It was very cool! 

Yesterday we went on a trip! We went to Nourse Farms where we picked 2 coolers full (!) of blueberries, had a picnic lunch, and then went to Look Park. At the park we went on a train ride, walked through the zoo, and then most of us went to the sprinkler park while others rode in pedal boats on the lake. We came back in time for a cookout dinner and our evening activity called Storytime with Howard Blas. It was a great day!

Tonight we are looking forward to the first session carnival and final banquet and will celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of a sister of an Amitzim camper. We also can't wait for Shabbat, our Etgar (camping trip) next week, and of course Visitor's Day on Sunday!

Kol Tuv,

Ariella

Amitzim: Reunite the World!

What a busy week it is for Amitzim! We just celebrated Shabbat Tikvah together with our friends in the Voc Ed program in which we sang and danced in front of the entire camp. This afternoon we will cheer our friends on staff on as they play in the Shapell Classic softball game. This game is played each year to honor the memory of Jake Shapell, a former Tikvah camper who passed away almost 5 years ago. 

Tomorrow night is the Amitzim play!(The title of this post also happens to be the title of the play.) In it we will teach the camp about Jews who live in different parts of the world who have traditions different from our own. Of course, the lesson we have learned is that we all actually have a lot in common. We have been working very hard to learn our lines and practice the songs we are singing and can't wait to perform! 

If you are wondering why so many special events have been happening for us at once, it is because we are celebrating this summer the 40th anniversary of the Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah! Our Tikvah reunion has been postponed, but for now we are enjoying sharing all of these wonderful things with our Ramah New England family!

Stay tuned for reports on the game and the play!

B'Shalom,

Ariella Rosen

Rosh Amitzim

Work and Play in Amitzim

Amitzim has had a wonderful past few days. After a restful and fun Shabbat spent singing, hanging out with friends, and learning, we entered the new week refreshed and excited. Over the past few days we have planted lima beans, had a Purim party, and begun practicing for the Amitzim play (happening next week!) as well as Shabbat Tikvah this week. We certainly are staying busy! 

We have also begun spending time with our Bogrim Buddies, who come to see us and help us during Sport. Machon Helpers and CITS will be also be starting in the near future. We have also been working hard at Avodah (our jobs period) where we have been busy making snack for the rest of the edah, gardening, setting tables, sorting and organizing books, and other important jobs around camp.  

We have a very exciting week ahead of us with Yom Decades tomorrow (learning about things that happened in the '60s, '70s, and '80s including Civil Rights, the opening of Disneyworld, and Israeli music throughout the years) and our Shabbat this week. Amitzim loves camp!

Amitzim Take Home Project

In my email I inadvertantly left out Amitzim's great take home project.  Here it is:

One of the hallmarks of the Amitzim Jewish experience is our spirited daily tefillot. Not only do other members of the camp community seek out a chance to pray with Amitzim but tefillot are a true highlight of the day for the Amitzim campers as well. For many Amitzimers, a daily routine is more than just a source of stability and comfort, and is actually a necessity. Shacharit becomes an integral part of their daily schedule at camp.  Unfortunately, many members of the Tikvah community do not have access to a vibrant Jewish community or a strong connection to Jewish practices at home so we are seeking a way to bring the tefillah experience home.

 

We hope to facilitate this by making a recording of Amitzim tefillot to make into CD’s to send home as well as an accompanying guide.

 

Amitzim! Amitzim! Amitzim!

What a wonderful couple of days it has been in Amitzim! As you may be able to tell from the title of this post, we have been showing our edah pride from the start by chanting our name whenever possible. We started off our first day by learning about our daily schedule by trying out a few activities and making our own schedules as part of a game show. Yesterday was our first full day which gave us the chance to try out all of the different parts of our day including very spirited tefillot (prayers), bunk activities, avodah (vocational training), and chug (choices such as art, boating, archery, ropes course, and cooking). The rainy weather couldn't even stop us from having a great time playing sports and swimming in the lake! Amitzim truly lives up to its namesake: the Brave Ones in Hebrew. Today was even better because we've had warm weather and sun. 

Last night was very special because we got to celebrate Sheva Brachot for Emily and Dave, two longtime former staff members in Amitzim and Voc Ed who just got married (see another post about that). Sheva Brachot are traditionally recited at meals in the week following a wedding and are an extra chance to celebrate with the new couple. Many friends from Tikvah came back to visit us for the evening and celebrate. We presented Emily and Dave with a book of our own blessings for them and had a wild, Amitzim-style dance party. It was very fun! 

We can't wait for tomorrow when we get ready to celebrate our first Shabbat together at camp!

B'Shalom,

Ariella Rosen, Rosh Amitzim

Judith Simons, Sganit Rosh Amitzim