Information for Parents - הורים

A Brief Overview of the Summer of 2009

There are many exciting things that are planned for the summer of 2009 as summer quickly approaches! Our staff is the engine of our camp and we are working on all hybrid cylinders! We have 26 past campers/CIT’s and Na’aleh participants staffing the junior counselor positions. The remainder of the staff is mostly returning counselors plus a very strong and enthusiastic group of madrichim (counselors) from Israel. This means we can hit the ground running with ruach (spirit), masoret (tradition) and great supervision. So…bruchim habaim…welcome to Machanei Yavneh, a division of Hebrew College and an ACA (American Camping Association) accredited camp!

For the fifth summer, Yavneh will be the sponsor of our intercamp basketball tournament to take place second session on our 2 basketball courts. Our two beautiful basketball courts are definitely up to the challenge. The climbing tower is open and ready for use along with the 300 foot zip line. This year we have various animals at camp that are being loaned to us through the Northwood School, like pythons and iguanas in our exotic animal room and of course our goats, chickens and rabbits will be returning in our animal pen. Both months, some of our campers will compete against Camp Young Judaea of NH in a soccer, archery or ultimate frisbee tournament at Yavneh. And of course we will have our weekly sporting matches of softball, volleyball and Newcomb against other Jewish camps in NH. The tennis tournaments and swimming team tournaments will happen each month as well.

Our talented teaching staff will be organizing and running educational activities that will revolve around our theme called Herut v’achrayoot - Freedom and Responsibility. As always we will celebrate Israel through a variety of activities. Our 4th of July celebration, a camp favorite, will be quite the show! In past years we have rented a monmouth screen to show brief videos and also show other goodies but this year we have made our own screen for now and future use. After the showings we will do our own 20 minutes of fireworks, which is quite a sight to behold. Traditionally other 4th favorites will include the famous 4th of July parade, which culminates in singing and our traditional outrageously large flag cakes that feeds 400!

Our Yomei Tiyul- trip days, will find Maalot in Acadia National park in Maine, during first session, for 3 days—camping, hiking, ocean kayaking and biking. Kerem will be going on a 3 day white water rafting trip in Maine. Leviim will be doing trail repair in The White Mountains and staying in the beautiful Highland Center in Crawford Notch, NH for 2 nights. Second session will find Yavneh younger aydot at Water Country. There will of course be hiking/overnights and other surprises. On one of the Sundays, we will be hosting Gateways a group of cognitively and physically challenged Jewish kids and their families. As part of Kerem’s chesed projects this summer they will be walking in support of Breast Cancer Survivors and raising money for that cause. The camp will be supporting A Safe Place, a shelter for battered women and their children, with houses in 3 local towns. We have asked all families to send along shampoo, toothpaste etc. so that we may share these items with this shelter. Yavneh will also be sponsoring a Red Cross Blood Drive which will take place at our camp. We hope to be able to contribute over 70 pints of blood. We are bringing Carnival Day back to Yavneh first session with inflatable’s, cotton candy, and our newly acquired foam machine. All will have a blast. The day will culminate with jugglers coming to entertain. The extra nice part about the lead juggler is that he is a Yavneh alum. Yoni Avital and his band Shuk will be running workshops and playing for camp.

Overnights first month include the following groups: Gurim, Leviim, Maalot and Kerem. The Kerem play this summer will be Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Of course the highlight of first session is Zimriyah on Sunday July 19th. Check out the website for details. Mini Maccabaiah, run by Maalot, will finish out the session on Friday the 24th. For the local parents we hope you will join us in Newton for an evening Wed. August 5th as our performing group exclusively from Arayot, called Ketsev, will be performing in the morning for Camp Grossman, in the afternoon at the Hebrew Rehab and in the evening for our parents. Details will follow. Also second month for our campers that play string instruments, we will be taking them to a local artisan who makes violins and Cellos where they will tour his workshop. There will be many other special activities, interactions, and Shabbatot, in addition to the electives your child will have chosen as part of their month long schedule. Every Shabbat we invite special guests to camp to discuss interesting topics with our older campers. The nine days begin during first session, which we will observe by limiting our music and dance activities and in other ways. On Tisha B’Av second session, we will be having a special day of remembrances and a special guest speaker. Other special highlights this summer will include Julie Leshem, a well known potter, as our guest artist from Israel. With the help of our Israeli staff we will have pita making every Wed. afternoon, Yom Yisrael celebrations and the encouragement of Hebrew usage at every turn.

Arayot and all aydat Kfirim will be going on their overnights second session. Second session, Maalot will be spending a sleepless night at Hampshire Hills, a health club with a pool, climbing wall and much more! Rikkudiyah and Kerem Idol events are also scheduled during second session. Maalot and Gurim will be “buddying up” to do some activities together. We will be having our all camp BBQ on the coast of Maine. Na’aleh our summer in Israel program will join us back at camp on in August to talk about their incredible 6 week experience in Eretz Yisrael. Maccabiah will happen somewhere in the middle of all that and will last for 5 days filled with sports, Hebrew speaking, dancing, singing and drama. And let’s not forget Yavneh For a Day where we invite perspective families to come to see Yavneh in action. If you know of anyone that might be interested in this event it will be held August 2nd. For details contact the Yavneh office.

You will be able to follow all this on the web through our website at www.campyavneh.org and your child’s Roshei Aydah will be posting weekly updates as to what your child’s aydah is doing. Having said all, the most important part that makes every child’s Yavneh summer camp experience is the fellow campers and staff that they interact with. Rest assured, we have the best in both categories! I look forward to greeting everyone at camp. Just follow the signs! I know it will be an awesome summer! Thanks for coming to Machanei Yavneh, we love having you as part of the mishpacha!