Shalom!
Maalot has had a relaxing and exciting weekend! After our full, tiring trip to Acadia, we had an Erev Chill (Chill Night) on Thursday. We played board games, puzzles, a giant game of checkers and made arts and crafts. After an early night to sleep, we spent Friday playing sports, practicing for Zimriyah (our annual all camp song competition), and preparing for Shabbat. All of Maalot was ready for Shabbat to roll in, and you could feel the ruach and excitement as we went to to mifkad (flag lowering) on Friday night. After ReleSh (ruach lifnei Shabbat, or pre-Shabbat spirit), we made our way out to Gilboa, our amphitheater, for Kabbalat Shabbat. This was the first week that we were able to have our Kabbalat Shabbat service outside, due to rain the past two weeks, and the change in location made the davening even more powerful. We ate a delicious Shabbat dinner, sang zemirot, then came together with just Maalot for our weekly tisch. The next morning, we davened, and then had time for chanichim (campers) to rest and relax. In the afternoon, we had a very interesting and engaging learning session with Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, who spoke about his experience working in the UN, and specifically talked about Israeli and global politics. We finished Shabbat with a Havdallah service and then rekudei am (all camp dancing).
Sunday was Yom Yisrael (Israel Day) and we spent all day celebrating. Maalot had the big responsibility of running the shuk (marketplace). We set up all morning, and then, in the afternoon as the chanichim (campers) from other aydot filed through, Maalot got to sell fruit, vegetables, and candy, dance in the streets, and play and sing along to their favorite Israeli music. At night we had a full camp tekes (program) for Yom Yisrael, and Maalot read poetry and helped light torches.
This week, as Zimriyah draws nearer, we are working and practicing to be the best we can be for Thursday. Our shir Yisraeli is called Et Kol Ma Sheyesh by Shlomi Shabat, our shir chasidi uses the words of Ani Ma’amin to the tune of Flashlight from Pitch Perfect 2, and our shir aydah is to the tune of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston and covered by Ben Rector, mashed up with “Want to Want Me” by Jason Derulo. We can’t wait!
B’ahavah,
Josh and Helen
