This summer, in a summer that was unlike any other, there was so much for us to be proud of. Perhaps our greatest achievement is our homegrown ראשי עדה Roshei Ayda (unit heads). During a typical summer, our Roshes show incredible creativity and innovation. The highlight of every camper’s day, is the night time, when the whole ayda gets together for some kind of themed activity. During THIS summer, the ingenuity of our Roshes and מדריכים madrichim (counselors) was off the charts.
After dinner, the חניכים chanichim (campers) have 15 or 20 minutes to hang out with their friends while mincha/maariv (optional evening prayers) are happening in Sukkah Levana (the white sukkah). The sky is turning a bluish-pinkish-purplish color. As 8pm approaches, the chanichim begin to scatter towards their assigned peulat erev locations. And then the fun
begins.
Some examples of Yavneh’s fabulous peulot erev with their own unique
spin are:
Erev Mario Kart – a series of scooter activities connected to Mario Kart, combined with ice breakers and cooperative games
Erev Scavenger Hunt – fun tasks to complete for which they receive pretend money and then they got to auction their money for silly camp prizes.
Yavneh’s Top Model – based on the TV show
Knight Peulat Erev – a contest where chanichim compete in chivalrous events using water noodles as swords and kickboards as shields.
The Newly-Bunked Game – a way to learn more about each other in a 1970’s style The Newlywed (in this case the Newly-Bunked) game.
“On an On” is a phrase you hear often at Yavneh. It describes the passing of masoret (tradition) from generation to generation. EVEN peulot erev have masoret. Not just in content but also in execution. Kerem, our CIT’s are trained in how to run peulot erev. They start by creating activities for small groups (one tzrif -bunk- at a time) and work their way up to
innovating peulot erev for an ayda and ultimately for the whole camp when they run Maccabiah (color war) at the end of the summer.
Some peulot erev are educational (although the chanichim would never know it). A highlight of the summer for chanichim in Kfirim is Maapalim, a night that they re-enact immigrating into Israel, in 1948. They “journey” from the back field, to the public beach and across the lake back (by boat, wearing life jackets of course) to our camp in order to understand what it
was like to have to sneak into Israel before it was a state. Bonfires and s’mores are the perfect way to end this night. Well isn’t that true for every night?
