I’m back and I’m covered in cheese!! Just imagine me being slowly covered by layers of thick cheese. Some of them are slices, some is cheez-whiz, and also just imagine block cheese just encasing me in some kind of dairy prison. I cannot escape and I’m finding it more difficult to see as my cheese dungeon darkens. For some reason I maintain the ability to blog essentially unhindered. Gloss over this inconsistency and join me as we debrief the weekend.
Friday morning we, after mifkad (camp-wide gathering to raise the flag, learned Hebrew vocabulary words and say morning prayers), and had iyun tefillah (discussions on matters related to prayer). They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, our chanichim (campers) are human and not old so it was easy for them to learn and appreciate our discussion. Aruchat boker (breakfast) led into nikayon (cleaning the tzrifim (bunks)) and morning Peulot (activities). Let’s play two truths and a lie: morning Peulot covered chugim (electives), included an Israel-themed kitah (class), and also created unthinkable monstrosities in Yavneh’s genetic engineering lab. I’ll tell you which one happened next blog so you can have some dinner table conversation. After a rocking aruchat tzohorayim (lunch) of quesadillas, we played some afternoon sports and began preparing for Shabbat.
I won’t lie to you parents. I’m no Dr. Seuss. I’m not a Wordsworth type, nor am I Yeatsesque. I have neither the verbiage nor, to my opprobrium, the gall to label myself Shakespearean. So trust this poor servant that Shabbat was rocking. We led our zemirot (fast-paced Shabbat songs) for the chanichim. We had our amazing tisch (meaningful slow singing and story telling). We spent the Shabbat as one aydah, singing and sharing in each other’s osher (joy). Swag! We then went to act as tzevet (staff) in the tzrifim while the tzevet had their meetings. More swag!
Sunday we had nikayon before our morning luz (schedule), and spent the morning learning rekah (content) for Maccabiah (Yavneh’s multi day color war run completely by your children)! Enlightened, we went after aruchat tzohorayim to go cover as madrichim (counselors) for the other aydot (age groups). They loved us so much it took us a bit to explain we were coming back next week, we would still see them, and please let go of my leg. In the afternoon we had some Slip N Slide and in the evening began preparing for KTV (the camp wide lip sync run by Kerem, complete with videos, a banner, MCs and more!). We ended the night with some star gazing and camaraderie.
This Monday so far has proceeded normally, complete with pizza for lunch, manhigut (leadership) activities where the chanichim have to write instructions on how to make peanut butter & jelly which are followed very literally by the tzevet to teach good communication, practice for Rikudiah (camp-wide dance performance put on by each aydah), and football.
Tonight begins Tisha B’Av, the commemoration of the destruction of the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago and the beginning of our people’s exile. The chanichim cleaned Yavneh’s memorial garden in honor of Tisha B’Av and are solemn yet prepared for what the holiday will bring. Tune in Thursday to hear more.
With love,
T & J
