Dear CW Families & Friends,
Four weeks is just too short – we can’t believe that in just a few days we are returning your campers home to you. While your campers may come home a little bit dirty and a lot bit tired, I know that the campers we send home on Sunday morning are coming home with lots of amazing stories to share. Here’s what some campers had to say in their end-of-session-questionnaire:
“Everything was amazing and thank you for helping make this summer special”
“Camp is fun and it’s my second home and happy place. All of my friends are here”
“It’s been more amazing than I could’ve imagined”
Every day this week has been filled with energy and excitement! As soon as Shabbat ended, we started our Independence Day celebrations with fireworks down at the Noar courts and the activities continued all day on Sunday. We had a full day of swimming at the pool and the lake, cheered on our counselors in the staff soccer game, chilled out at our winter themed carnival, and ended the day applauding our camp talent in our full camp talent show.
These next few days will be filled with opportunities to celebrate with more special moments. Special cabin events are happening all across the villages. From late night pool parties and star gazing to mission impossible and spa nights, every cabin is doing something special as they soak up their last days at the Home of Happiness.
This week’s final Shabbat is brought to us by our oldest and youngest campers as our Solel and Chalutzim buddies planned and worked together to facilitate a meaningful program. We read in this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Matot/Masei, that in their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites made forty-two stops along the way. The Sfat Emet, a 19th century Hasidic master, taught that each of these forty-two places offers a unique challenge to the Jewish people. In each of these places the Israelites were to accomplish a specific tikkun, a specific spiritual repair.
We too journey as a community, constantly striving to grow and improve. Additionally, each of us is also on our own journey with many stops along the way. Sometimes we are physically moving from one place to another, and other times it is more of a spiritual passage. Either way, the Sefat Emet teaches us that each stop on our journey holds a unique purpose and challenge, and the hope is that each one leads to a tikkun, a growth opportunity for us.
When we pause on our journeys to notice these opportunities, we find many sacred, holy moments large and small. We are taught by the rabbis that “entrances to holiness are everywhere and all the time,” we just have to be open to them. When Rabbi Shana met with Solel and Chalutzim for Shabbat, they talked about how all the kind acts we do daily throughout our lives lead to these holy moments, and it is another aspect of tikkun olam. As a part of this week’s Shabbat, Solel campers will be reflecting on their journeys as Camp Wise campers. This will be shared with our entire camp community through their Solel speeches as they close out their time as campers at the Home of Happiness.
Thank you for sharing your campers with Camp Wise this summer.
Shabbat shalom,
Rachel
What happened around camp this week
(photos to be posted at a later date as the JCC server that houses our photos is down)
 C1
C1 had so much fun this past week! We enjoyed singing songs as song session, free swim, and jet skiing! C1 is so excited to celebrate CW Night on Saturday.
C4
This past week, C4 watched a fireworks show, enjoyed a delicious cookout and had a fun time in the pool. They also met the camp horses and learned how to take care of them. The cabin spent their final week at camp swimming in the pool and making final memories as session 1 ends.
 C7
This week C7 got the opportunity to participate in many activities including a pool party, horseback riding, and boating! C7 has been busy preparing for Shabbat since they get to help lead it! We’re super excited to spend the next few days at camp doing all the activities we love!
O1
This week O1 bonded over our plaque cabin activity, when we worked together to created our alphabet soup plaque. It’s been hot, but our cabin has been able to stay cool from swimming in the pool and our water fight we had in the village the other day.
O2
O2 has really had an exciting final week of camp. We have really gotten closer together through late night bonding sessions and deep talks throughout camp. It’s sad that we are going to have to say goodbye in only a couple of days, but we have had plenty of exciting moments in the past week. We went jet skiing down at the lake and had a phenomenal time, competed in name that tune, had a ping pong tournament and even camped out in tents for an overnight. We have fought through several severe storms together but taken advantage of them and will never forget our experiences in the future! We really do love the O2 Pad Thai connection!!
O3
0-3 had an amazing time this week. We had a movie lunch where we watched Mitchel and the Machines, we laughed and cried. We have really taken the cabin theme of Fettuccini to heart with our relentless chanting in the chadar. Also we survived a flood by using some materials from the fort they all created, I couldn’t be more proud.
O5
O5 really enjoyed going to the lake to Jet Ski. They had been looking forward to it all session and they had a lot of fun. O5 also had a deep talk under the stars where they grew closer as a cabin.
O7
07 has had so much fun this week getting to go mountain biking and having a chance to dance at cabin activities. The highlight of our week was getting to spend the day together on the Fourth of July celebrating and watching the amazing fireworks. We are so sad to see them go but we know that they had an amazing summer. Can’t wait for the last few days together!
O8
08 had an amazing week! We had a delicious chipwich party, bonded over our love for bread, and climbed the vertical playground.
O9
This week 0-9 celebrated the Fourth of July and had an amazing time at the pool, lake, and carnival. We also pulled an amazing prank on the boys from 0-2, and celebrated with donuts! All our campers are having an amazing time and making the most of these last few days of camp.
O10
O10 had a relaxing day of meditation at their yoga cabin activity! They also had a few campers join the one match club at Teva! They’re closing out the session on a sweet note with a no-bake cookie making activity tonight to celebrate a great four weeks.
N1
This past week we had a Noar boys movie night that was so much fun! We watched Napoleon Dynamite and it was a total blast! We as a cabin during a free period took a long walk on the trails of camp wise and did a bit of exploring! It was a great cabin bonding period! As the session wraps up, Yaya and I (Sam) have been so happy to have your campers, and we’re getting sad everyday about their soon departure.
N2
This week we enjoyed mountain biking as a cabin as well as learning more lanyard designs to make in the art shack. A special moment we had as a cabin this week was our overnight, which didn’t go as normally planned and it ended up being most of N1 and all of N2 in N2 for a sleepover night. Lots of fun stories were shared and somehow everyone fell asleep before midnight. The cabin has bonded very very well and all play card games and hang out every chance we have free time.
N3
Our cabin has been waiting for a movie night with snacks we asked for from one of the Shabbats and we finally were able to watch a movie with the rest of the Noar boys and had a great time. Everyone is in disbelief the session is almost over and is sad to be leaving so soon but cannot wait for next summer!
N4
After weeks of bargaining, debate, and speculation, N4 finally had their movie night, watching the hit 90s flick Men in Black! They liked the movie, but they also liked the snacks.N4 was able to put together their cabin plaque, during which we had a period of reminiscing about the great memories we’ve had all summer before deciding on a final design that we love. Though camp may be ending soon, every camper in N4 is making the best of each day, rain, or more rain, or even more rain, or shine!
N5
Our campers had arts and crafts, dance, and high ropes this week. Everybody tried the zip line for the first time. N5 built a special fort in the woods to share with N6. We also had a fun slumber party overnight this week. N5 has been working on their plaque and planning fun events for themselves with their cabin mates and counselors.
N6
We made our cabin plaque this week; the girls collaborated to create a design featuring Ben 10’s Omnitrix watch as well as the names of all of our cabin mates! The cabin also did a canteen raid Sunday night. Dressed in all black with mission impossible blasting through the speaker we snuck around camp and collected our well-deserved Hershey bars. Although the session is almost over we are still getting closer as a cabin and are continuing to make amazing memories.
N7
This week we did a lot of special things as a cabin! We had a water balloon fight and a stargazing spa night. At the spa night, we talked about our favorite parts of camp this summer. All of the girls shared that their favorite part of the session so far was spending time with the cabin. We’re making the most of our days left and spending as much time together as we can.
N8
This week we all went down to the lake and went out in canoes and paddle boards. There was a talent show where the girls all danced while their friend played the guitar. This week was Brooklyn’s birthday; we went stargazing and ate lots of candy. All the girls loved getting to stay out late and run around on the courts. The girls have all become very close over the course of the session and will be very sad to leave each other soon.
Solel
Solel has been enjoying their last week as campers and can’t believe they only have a few days left. This week was filled with a pizza party, movie night, and an evening program where they got to share their special experiences they’ve had at camp and in Solel. S3 has been having so much fun enjoying music. We have a lot of musicians in the cabin, playing guitar, ukulele and even other instruments! We also enjoy just listening to music, whether is it a live performance from some friends or just listening to our favorite songs while chilling on the deck, walking somewhere or stargazing. S4 went all out on Fourth of July! Everyone was sharing their USA gear and sang party in the USA at every meal! We finished the day with fireworks and as a cabin we had a chance to reflect on the past year and continue to learn more about each other. We are enjoying the hot weather and spending every minute we can at the pool! S2 had an amazing time celebrating Kyryls birthday! Started off in style with a pool party after lunch with some delicious ice cream. Then we had an awesome time at the foam party jamming out to our favorite songs and dancing the night away. S1 had a great time celebrating Seth’s birthday with a special late night stargazing and also celebrating our staff member Noah’s birthday some kool-aid (his favorite)! We’re taking in every moment and planning Solel Shabbat, and everyone is excited to receive their Solel sweatshirts to wear to Havdalah on CW night! We are so thankful for the amazing session and look forward to hearing memories as the year continues.
Tosafot
Tosafot had an eventful week! We traveled all the way to the Camp Wise Bahamas- aka the pool- for our Danimals Sweepstake cruise and had a blast! We painted a lovely landscape during our paint n sip with smoothies and can’t wait to share the final product with our families. We also took an awesome hike at Penitentiary Glen this week and finished the night with a classic “Dress down” evening program with Solel, laughing the entire time. On Thursday night, Tosafot cheered on Max and Mira as they killed it in the performing arts showcase and we are so so proud of them! We are so sad that camp is ending soon but it has truly been an unforgettable summer!
