Hi Loyal Readers!
We just finished an amazing weekend, which I will tell you about right now. Friday was an important day on the Jewish calendar: Tu B’Av (the 15th of Av). It is considered to be the Israeli Valentine’s day. On Friday night, we learned what it was all about. Jewish girls would go dance in the fields and wear white clothing so that the boys could not tell who was rich or poor. Therefore, they were only able to see and experience the girls’ personalities, which is what really matters. On Friday morning, the entire camp wore white in honor of the holiday. Also, at the minyan shivyoni (egalitarian minyan), there was a special davening led by Kerem’s very own Merav S. and Gabi C.
The Beit Midrash (house of learning) was decorated with signs that had to do with love, also made by members of Kerem. In addition, we played the game “zap.” From here on out, it was a normal morning for us: chug (elective), kitah (class) and a chofesh (free). During our free time, some of us went to a farm up the road called the Fairy Farm, where we helped the woman who runs it move wood and sticks. There were many animals there that we played with, as well.
In the afternoon, we had a leadership peula (activity) run by our madrich (counselor), Cooper Eisenhard. For the leadership activity, we had to pitch a tent in groups, but one person in the group played the role of someone living with either a mental or physical disability. We were all eventually able to succeed in building our tents! It was an eye-opening experience for all of us to feel what it was like to be living with a disability and how to work through it by using teamwork and communication.
Later on, the girls made bracelets with staff member Shani Winton, while the boys had rikudiyah (dance festival) practice. At lunch, we were each assigned a person to give a Shabbat-O-Gram to later on before Shabbat started. When we got to mifkad (flag raising and lowering and the beginning and end of the day), it was great seeing everyone giving and receiving Shabbat-O-Grams. We had an amazing Shabbat where we sang our hearts out. We truly realized that we are more than just an ayda (unit), we are a mishpacha (family).
After a restful Shabbat, we had yom (day) bunk buddy! We all went down to mifkad dressed and acting like our bunk buddies. We participated in activities that followed the theme of the day such as bunk buddy assassin and relay races in the agam (lake). We even fed our bunk buddies, too! We had so much fun and I don’t think I’ve ever heard my ayda laugh so hard before! It was a great day and we all had a lot of fun and funny, memorable moments. Shout out and a huge todah rabah (thank you) to our madrichim for planning it all!
-Hannah H., Kerem Chanicha