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jodi's weekly shabbat-o-gram

July 30, 2010

This morning I had my daily check-in call with the staff of our S.I.T. (Staff-in-Training) Israel Trip. They’re about halfway into their three week Israel experience, and yesterday they completed a three-night intense hike called, “Sea to Sea,” where they walk from one side of the country to the other. Abby, one of our S.I.T. supervisors, was telling me about the amazing conversation the group had over dinner. They were tired, chaffed, and dirty, but they were glowing and laughing; feeling more connected as a group than ever before. Her exact text to me prior to our call was, “Just finished hike after climbing to Tsfat…had a great discussion with kids…such a magical evening…it’s been an awesome day!” She shared with me how just a week earlier, when they first arrived, the staff were feeling pretty nervous about the group. Having just completed a whirlwind four weeks at camp as Staff-In-Training, they were going from having a significant amount of responsibility and accountability on their plate, to basically being campers again. Some were leaving the country for the first time in their lives, several were nervous about their own ability to be successful, and they were all on our inaugural Camp Wise S.I.T. Israel Trip – unchartered territory, not just for them, but for camp.

Now, Abby was bursting with excitement about what she’s been seeing from the S.I.T.s. New parts of their personalities have been emerging, as quieter teens become more vocal, risk-adverse teens take chances, and boundaries between groups of friends are crossed. Even the Israelis working with the group have commented on how impressed they are with our teens. They can’t believe how positive and supportive they are to each other, how friendly and helpful they are to all the people they’ve met so far, how little they complain in the face of adversity and challenge, and even how well they clean up after themselves! When asked what’s going on for them, they all responded with the same emphatic, “It’s because of camp!” They went on to talk about how different this trip would have been for them if they hadn’t been at camp for the first month, and how going straight from camp to Israel enabled them to enter this potentially scary experience feeling confident, flexible, and ready.

Each session when camp ends, we send home hundreds of campers who we’ve watched grow. Rarely, do we actually get to see what happens next. Our staff with the group in Israel are getting the rare gift of seeing what you all see at the end of each summer – the “what happens next” part. When put in a new or challenging situation, how do they use what they learned here to solve their own problems? Do they stand up for the underdog? Are they more inclusive and welcoming? Does their increased sense of confidence allow them to try things they otherwise would have shied away from? Are they more independent in the choices and decisions they make? Do they seem more comfortable in their own skin?

For the past week and half here at camp, we’ve been watching these things happen in every cabin, with every camper, in their own way. Every time a camper accomplishes a goal at an activity, we see them stand a little taller. When the Chalutzim guitar chug got on stage this week and proudly played a song with the three chords they had learned so far, the whole camp gave them a standing ovation. Likewise, when the advanced Noar guitar chug strutted onto stage (with several campers who first picked up a guitar when they were Chalutzimers!) and rocked out to Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin’,’ it was like we had our very own Camp Wise rock band in front of us. Any time someone successfully stands on water skis, it’s talked about all day! When a camper successfully climbs a wall on the climbing tower and rings the bell at the top, the whole cabin erupts into cheering. Whether it’s on the basketball courts, mountain biking trails, or at pottery, campers are growing each day.

It’s not just at activities where we see this happening. Walk into any cabin, and you’ll see what I mean. For so many of our kids, they’re going from having their own room during the year, to living with fourteen other kids in one space. Navigating that huge difference and living as part of a community takes a lot of patience, flexibility, and open-mindedness, and you would be blown away (as I am) by the maturity and compassion coming from even the youngest of Chalutzimers! Take the conversation I had with an Ohalim boys cabin the other day, for example. The boys were finding themselves getting into little arguments and picking on each other, and we were having a talk about how they could be a part of making things better. Each boy not only was able to express something they were personally doing to cause the problems, but they also each verbalized what role they could play in changing the group dynamics. Since then, they’ve been amazing, and in their nightly cabin talks, the boys all agree that camp couldn’t be going better.

The sense of accomplishment kids experience here at camp is magnified through our tripping program. This week, many cabins in camp had their overnights, and often, the overnight can be a source of anxiety for kids who feel uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping outside. I remember my own camping trips as a camper, which for me were 3-5 day canoe trips in Northern Ontario. We would come up with every excuse under the sun to not have to go, and we would complain for days leading up to each summer’s trip. Once we were out of camp, though, everything changed, and the trips became a source of countless new inside jokes, and the greatest sense of achievement you could ever imagine. A lot may have changed since 1986, but a teenage girl’s attitude toward a camping trip has remained the same. :-) Still, the Noar girls were unbelievable on their Mohican trip this week, and whether it was canoeing, hiking, or playing a crazy two-hour game of ultimate Frisbee, they had an incredible time as they bonded and laughed together. The Chalutzim girls were psyched for their overnight, and had so much fun canoeing and hiking across our lake to get to the Anisfield shelters where they cooked their food, played games, and sang around the campfire. The Ohalim cabins of 03, 04, 06, 07, and 09 all headed to our woods for their overnights this week as well, and each cabin came back with great stories from their experience.

It’s this comfort and openness amongst the campers and staff that allows each day and night to be filled with fun and craziness. If you’ve been looking at the photos online, you know what I mean! Saturday night started the week at an all-time high with the Israeli Scouts performance, where a ton of campers and staff had decked themselves out in face paint and “I love the Scouts” t-shirts. The Israeli performing troupe spends the summer traveling to camps across the country, and they said they’ve never seen anything like Camp Wise ruach (spirit) before! They also said they had definitely never seen an Assistant Director crowd-surf before (thank you Sean)! On Monday night Ohalim, Noar, and Solel were a part of our very own (pretend!) camp wedding between Noar boys supervisor Dave and Ohalim girls supervisor Ann. The campers participated in many of the traditional Jewish wedding components, including a tish, the breaking of the glass, the hora, and the reading of the Ketubah – done as a hilarious Mad Lib with kids providing the words, in true Camp Wise style!

At Fiesta Wrestling Night, the Chalutzimers dressed their counselors up as crazy wrestlers and taught them some moves before leading them to the ring to face off. A few nights later – at what many Chalutzimers are calling their favorite evening program of the session – they played games and made space ships at Monsters vs. Aliens Night. At Ohalim’s Israel Night, they learned about the different cultures represented in Israel. Two of the favorite stations were learning how to belly dance at the Moroccan station and doing their own science experiments with Mentos and soda as they learned about the amazing contributions to science made by many Russian Jews in Israel. Ohalim also had a blast at Battle of the Bands Night, where 010 stole the show lip-syncing to “Barbie Girl” with each camper dressed and acting like a different Barbie doll.

At Noar’s Game Show Night on Tuesday, campers picked which game shows they wanted to play, and Jeopardy, Family Feud, and the British game “Doggy Dog” were favorites. Super Cabin Sweep, a take-off of Supermarket Sweep, was also a huge hit, and it ended with a Double Dare-style super-messy physical challenge. The next night, Noar went crazy for Willy Wonka Night, where the entire chadar was converted into a giant candy factory.

Yesterday, everyone boarded the buses and headed out for their day trips! Chalutzim spent the day riding the slides at Pioneer, Ohalim played in the water at Geauga Lake, and Noar came back with some massive stuffed animals from Cedar Point. Leaving camp is always fun for a day, but everyone was excited to return home after.

You may be wondering, what about Solel? Where have they been? Just minutes ago, their bus rolled back into camp after three nights in West Virginia! In the words of one of the Israeli campers in the group, “I can’t believe how amazing it was! The white water rafting, the zip lines…WOW!” In the words of one of the American kids in the group, “It was SWEET!” At this point, there’s absolutely no distinction between the American and Israeli campers in the group, and watching as they just ran up to the pool to jump in all together, you would think they’ve all known each other for years.

Noar’s theme for Shabbat this week is “Do You Remember,” and we’re all excited to see what they’ve prepared. They’ve been hard at work in their Shabbat committees, and whether it’s been practicing songs, preparing creative writing, or making challah, the whole village has been involved in getting ready for Shabbat. With Solel just returning, services tonight will be the first time all week that the whole camp has been together, and the Chalutzimers can’t wait to catch up with their Solel buddies. Last week, we were rained out of the outdoor chapel for services, so this will be the first Friday night of the session that we’ll be enjoying services in the woods! Shabbat Walk will be starting shortly, and several Noar campers in the song leading chug will be joining us with their guitars for the walk.

It’s hard to believe that next week’s Shabbat-O-Gram will be the last one of the summer, but I look forward to sharing some more stories with you then!

Shabbat Shalom,

Jodi

previous weeks...

July 23, 2010

Earlier this week, we were paid a visit by Jeremy Fingerman, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. The head of the national organization (with a mission of increasing the number of kids having transformative experiences at Jewish summer camps), Jeremy has spent the summer visiting Jewish camps around the country. Being that it was Wednesday, the first full day of the session, we admittedly were a little nervous about his visit. Less than 24 hours into the session and this being his first-ever visit to Camp Wise, we wondered if he’d be able to get a sense of the uniqueness of our community and the magic of camp. As soon as we walked into the chadar ochel for lunch I knew we had no reason for concern. First, there were the cabins that had already jumped into the goofiness of camp and were at the meal in various costumes, like ninjas, nerds, and princesses. Then, there was the eruption of our camp welcome song as soon as we announced that we had a visitor. Welcoming newcomers is not just the right thing to do in my personal opinion, it’s also one of our core Jewish values at camp. I learned this summer that our emphasis on this is not common! It’s why new campers so quickly feel at ease here, and why guests feel like they’re part of the family after one meal.

After the tables were cleared was when Jeremy was truly blown away. One day into the session, and practically every single person in the chadar ochel was up on their benches singing their hearts out for the first song session of second session. This was not your typical, ‘sing a song or two and sit back down’ kind of song session either. This was an ‘everyone up, everyone smiling, everyone dancing’ kind of event. Even the new Hebrew song our song leader Sam had taught a few cabins the night before was belted out in full volume. Jeremy was in awe. He said never before had he seen that level of ruach with that much participation, much less on the first day of camp!

It’s been that intense spirit and sense of community that has defined this past week for us. Every day there are amazing examples of this, and walking into any cabin in camp from the youngest Chalutzimers to the oldest Solel campers, you can feel it. Yesterday, it was when N4 came to lunch dressed as ‘greasers’ and got on stage to perform an impromptu dance on stage to Grease Lightening with the whole camp jumping up and joining in. Today, it was the entire village of Ohalim coming to lunch dressed as a box of crayons, with each cabin dressed head to toe in a different color.

You can definitely feel it in Noar and Solel, where we have fifteen campers from Israel integrated into the groups. Walking onto the Solel deck the other day, I would have never guessed that there were two groups of kids from two different countries. Israeli and American campers were all mixed up, and without any counselors needing to facilitate, they were sharing stories about their lives and finding common ground. 

It’s as if our Chalutzimers have been here forever, the way they jumped right into camp this week! They may be the littlest people in camp, but their cheering is definitely the loudest. Their evening programs have been a blast, and Wednesday’s Amazing Cakes was one of my favorites so far. To learn their way around camp better, each cabin travelled around from station to station, where they were faced with team building activities they had to tackle as a group. Once each activity was completed, they earned an ingredient for the final station – cake-making! They also had a really fun night on Thursday with Not So Ordinary Olympic Night, where they competed in crazy games and races that had the entire village laughing. At Chaluztim morning assembly, in addition to the regular songs and cheers, this session, the village has been treated to the ongoing saga of “The Young and the Restless,” a special Chalutzim staff soap opera that’s currently addressing the gut-wrenching drama of cookie falling in love with milk. The kids are jumping out of bed in the morning just to see what happens next. The special super secret EVIF Society (for 5th graders) had their first official meeting, but I can’t tell you what happened. :-)

Ohalim started strong, and between preparing this week’s Shabbat and starting their chuggim (activities), they’ve been as busy as ever. Horseback riding, outdoor cooking, soccer, and basketball are particularly popular this year, as are the new chugs like newspaper, yoga, baseball, and ultimate Frisbee. Their Photo Scavenger Hunt Night on Wednesday was a huge hit, as they ran around camp taking pictures of silly situations. At last night’s Wilderness Adventure Night, the whole village became wilderness explorers as they competed against other cabins in activities like fire-building and tent-pitching.  

Walking down to the village of Noar, you can’t help but want to join in on the fun. Whether it’s their nightly Noar campfires or just hanging out at their new gaga pit, Noar campers are loving life. Last night, I spent the evening with Noar down at the lake where they had a special beach party BBQ, and even though I was thrown into the lake, it was so much fun! Complete with tikki torches, a bonfire, boating, and playing on the aquajump, the Noar campers were all hanging out together, making new friends and enjoying their time together. The specialists have all commented on how impressed they are with the Noar kids this session – eager to be involved, try new things, and play hard. Mountain biking, ultimate Frisbee, and arts and crafts are a few favorites this session, and a new special cooking chug offered by one of our counselors in culinary school has been a special Noar-only treat.  

Solel will return today from their first trip of the session, and we can’t wait for them to come home!. They travelled to Niagara Falls, and then spent the night at Camp Seneca Lake, the JCC overnight camp of Rochester, NY. Not only was it really cool for them to see another camp in action, they also had an opportunity to learn how to sail! They’ll be back today just in time for Shabbat, and after Spirit Circle tonight they’ll meet their Chaluztim buddies. One of my favorite programs of camp, Chalutzim buddies pairs our oldest and youngest campers together for some activities and programs, and is always a favorite of both groups of campers.

In just a few hours, Ohalim will lead us through our first Shabbat of the session. They chose the theme, “It’s a Mitzvah!” to remind us all of the importance of doing good for others. At camp we call that “living wise,” and we even have “Live Wise” bracelets that the campers receive for living this very important value each day at camp. I’m looking forward to hearing the Ohalimers’ creative writings, and seeing what all the Shabbat committees put together over the past week. It will be so fun to spend tomorrow relaxing and catching up with friends and siblings from other villages during Shabbat afternoon free time!  

I hope you all have a wonderful Shabbat, and I look forward to updating you all again next week about what’s been happening at camp! 

Shabbat Shalom,

Jodi

P.S. If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, “No Fair! Why do they get to have all the fun?!” Come join us for Mom’s Camp (click here for more info) or a Family Camp Weekend (click here for more info)! Both are great ways for parents to experience the excitement of Camp Wise. Know someone thinking about Camp Wise for next summer? Family Camp is a great way for new families to get a taste of Camp Wise before a camper begins!  

P.P.S. Have you noticed the super cute new grey crew neck sweatshirts, brown hoodies, and green baseball caps some of the kids are sporting in the photos on the website? You are invited to go online to our camp store here and order any camp gear, to be delivered to your camper at camp that very day!

July 16, 2010

Earlier this week, Solel, our 10th grade village, started working on their Shabbat. Every village has “their” Shabbat – the one that they plan and lead, but Solel Shabbat is much more than that. Here at Wise, the concluding Shabbat of the session is Solel’s Shabbat, and for them, it’s a rite of passage, a long-standing tradition, and their ‘final bow’ to life as a camper. The theme they’ve picked this year is ‘reflection.’ Fitting, as much of these past few days hanging out on the Solel deck has been spent reminiscing. Reflecting not only on the amazing memories of the past four weeks, but on their years at camp overall. As reality sets in that these are their final days as campers, you can see their lens start to change, and their view of all things camp start to broaden. Take one boy, for example, who came to find me in front of the chadar tonight after Shabbat dinner. “Jodi,” he said, “I just wanted to say thank you for this summer, which has been awesome, and for the last five summers as a camper. I’m a different person because of being here, and while I may have made some dumb choices over the years, I fully appreciate every minute of the last five years here.” During services tonight, several Solel campers shared creative writings, and as they spoke, you could hear in the seriousness of their tone and the passion in their voice that they were speaking from the heart about the friendships they’ve made here and the people they’ve each become. They spoke about how they had come into the summer in smaller groups and cliques, but are leaving as one united group, with friendships crossing lines they never would have thought could cross. An amazing leap from where these campers were when they arrived just a month ago.

Their change in perspective has also given them a glimpse of what could lie ahead. With their Chalutzim buddies, they have begun to understand the true meaning of the phrase, “l’dor v’dor,” from generation to generation. One Solel camper said to his counselor yesterday, “I realized today that I have to come back as an SIT next year because I want to eventually be on staff so I can show campers how much camp means to me.” While life may feel like a utopian wonderland as a camper, by Solel they’re able to look around and see what an amazing, fun, and tight-knit group of staff we have, and start to think, “Wow, I want to be a part of THAT.” They see counselors who plan spontaneous pool parties, who are constantly cracking up and doing goofy and crazy things to make the campers crack up. They see counselors who will cheer at the top of their lungs for every risk taken and goal achieved by one of their campers, and they see counselors who are having as much fun with their cabin of 9-year-olds as they would with a roomful of their own peers. They see the amount of dedication, patience, and love our staff show to our campers, and they wonder if they could one day do it as well.

Take Thursday night, for example, when I was hanging out in my cabin with the girls of C6. The cabin has a tradition of doing “happies” every night before bed, and we were doing it together over a special bedtime snack. “Happies” are when you each share a moment or story from your day that made you feel particularly good and warm inside. As the girls went around the circle (sharing not one, but two happies at their request – one of the day, and one of the whole session), I was struck by how many of the girls’ ‘happies’ were directly related to their staff and being with the cabin as a whole. As each girl shared her story, the rest of the group would collapse into giggles – counselors included. They’d recap the situation, barely able to get words out through their laughter, and whether it was at a jet-skiing cabin activity or in the bunk during rest hour, every moment with this group seemed to be full of love. The staff in the cabin, sitting amongst the girls, were getting bombarded with hugs and silly inside jokey nicknames, and they were effortlessly attending to the needs of the group as if they were the big sisters who had known these girls their whole life.

Walking through cabin 010 gives another glimpse into the creativity and dedication of our staff. As you walk through the cabin, you’ll notice a fireplace in the back corner, complete with a chimney. Unusual for a cabin, especially one without real walls, like the Ohalim cabins! But with a closer look, you’ll notice that this fireplace is made out of cardboard boxes, and has been created by the staff so that the cabin would feel ‘homey’ and comfortable. The girls have been having fireside chats at night, sometimes holding sticks with fake marshmallows, gently roasting them to make fake s’mores.

On a different level, one of the most amazing showings of staff dedication and spirit came this week with Disney Movie Maccabiah! Maccabiah is planned by a group of five staff, selected for their amazing work and talent. They spend the first part of camp secretly devising the plans for Maccabiah, without anyone knowing who they are, when it will come, or what the theme will be. On Sunday night, as head staff started to creep into the chadar from every direction dressed as characters from Pocahontas, the campers knew something amazing was about to happen. The judges, all dressed as Mickey Mouse, bounced onto stage to introduce the story of five movies competing to be the next movie released from the Disney vault. Each team has two designated staff captains, but as Maccabiah unfolded over the next 24 hours, it was difficult to discern the captains from all the rest of the staff, because everyone was so fully committed to the campers on their team having an incredible time. Whether it was the 9th grade boys’ counselor patiently helping a group of 8-year-olds girls learn their team song, or the counselors who ran alongside the campers for the entirety of the Great Race just so the kids would feel supported for every second, it was amazing to watch. While Maccabiah was filled with touching stories and moments, the most profound one came at the end of the Great Race. The Great Race is a lengthy apache relay with stations spread out all across camp. It ends with a suspenseful station where the two team captains have to build a fire and burn a rope stretched across two chairs. As they do this, the entire team is standing cheering them on, and after nearly 20 hours of leading their teams behind them, this is a crucial moment for the captains. The red team captains were not the first to arrive to the fire station, but they had a comfortable lead over a few of the other teams, and as they started to build their fire they seemed confident and excited. As can happen when building a fire, things were not going their way. The wind was blowing away from the rope, and the kindling they were using just didn’t want to light. As the pairs around them successfully built their fires and burned their ropes, the red team, led not only by the other staff but also by the older campers, cheered louder and louder. At this point, all the other teams had burned their ropes and run across the rec field to the flag pole. Just the red team was left, standing alongside their captains, clearly struggling to get their fire started. I stood next to the captains, and whispered, “Do you want me to call it, or do you want to keep trying?” I could remember back to my days as a captain, and the intense pressure of this moment, feeling like the happiness of all 75 kids on the team was dependent on my ability burn this darn rope, but both captains wouldn’t even consider giving up. “As long as the team keeps cheering like this, we’ll keep trying,” they both agreed. Ten minutes later, in the greatest showing of perseverance and leadership, the rope sizzled and split in two over the fire, and the team – now hoarse but elated, burst into a scream and sprinted up to the flagpole to join the rest of camp. As they ran up, the other four teams were all waiting for them, screaming and cheering their support to their friends. Hours later, when the winners of Maccabiah were announced, the red team beamed as they took first place.

Maccabiah set the stage for the rest of this week, and in the days that have followed, you could feel the electricity flowing through the chadar as everyone has begun to realize their time at camp is coming to an end. At chugs, finishing touches were put on projects, from glazing bowls at pottery or to final edits on videos. Tournaments wrapped up at sports, and the mountain biking chugs tested their skills as they rode into Burton circle for ice cream. Evening programs were off the charts, and whether it was Chalutzim’s Judaism in July Night, Ohalim’s Time Machine Night, Noar’s Counselor Roast, or Solel’s Israel Night, the week’s programs were fun and crazy.

Thursday night, we all came together for the much-anticipated camp play, The Lion King.  There had been rumors floating around that this play was going to blow us all away, and the kids who were involved – whether as stage crew, set design, costumes, make up, or acting – all seemed to be loving every second of the process. As the curtains drew for the opening scene, everyone gasped at the elaborate costumes, intricately-detailed face paint and brilliant singing and acting. For the next hour, we were all wowed by their incredible performances, and I have to say, I have never seen a camp play like it! Anna, our drama specialist and Sarah Mac, our Arts and Culture Supervisor, outdid themselves, and Ohalim camper Isabel, who headed up the make up and costume team, truly outdid herself.

Tomorrow will be the final Saturday of the session, and it looks like it will be another beautiful, sunny day here in Chardon. This afternoon, once packing is done and cabins are cleaned, kids will be visiting their favorite activities for a final dip in the pool, climb up the tower, or goal on the soccer field. Tonight is banquet, and the S.I.T.s have been hard at work, planning a banquet that will be an affair to remember. After banquet, we’ll have Solel Havdalah, and then the much-anticipated and loved CW Night. Here, we’ll watch slide shows of the session, sing some favorite songs, and watch the video chugs’ movies. We’ll also be introduced to this year’s cabin and village candle recipients, a camp tradition that honors the campers who live each day upholding the values we believe to be important here at camp, like being a mensch, helping others, being a good friend, being a team player, and having a positive attitude. Village Candle is the highest honor a camper can receive here at Wise, and after they’re announced tonight, they’ll each have a chance to give a speech in front of the entire camp. We’ll also be honoring those campers and staff who have been here for a while, with our 5, 7, 10 and 13-year gifts. I can’t wait to get my 7-year shirt tonight, and already some first year Chalutzimers have shared with me how excited they are for 2023 when they’ll receive their 13-year blankets! :-)

In a few weeks you’ll be receiving your registration packet for summer 2011. I know for all of us that seems years away, but as many of you know, by the end of September we already had waitlists for many villages. Registration will open at the beginning of September, first to campers staying in their current session, then to campers switching sessions, and then to new campers. We are pleased to once again offer a penalty-free registration to you, meaning you can sign up in September to save the spot and cancel any time until March should your plans change without losing your deposit. I encourage you all to take advantage of this, because many late deciders were not able to return this summer because of wait lists. For families of Solel campers, this year is a little different, in that to be selected as an S.I.T., campers will need to fill out an application, obtain reference letters, and have an interview. Our S.I.T. program will be as it is this summer, with 4 weeks at camp followed by 3 weeks in Israel. On Monday, 16 of this year’s S.I.T.s will be boarding the plane to Tel Aviv, and we can’t wait until the last day of second session when they return to camp to tell us all about it!

Sunday morning we’ll load the buses, and we’ll return your children to you for the year. They’ll have just had a late night full of laughter and tears, so they’ll probably be pretty tired! I’m sad to see them go, but I’m happy that nearly 30 of them will be sticking around for second session! You may be distracted by the dirty fingernails, tie-dyed t-shirts and muddy feet, but I encourage you to look past that and see what we’re most proud of that we often hear from parents. That their camper is weirdly nicer to their siblings. That they can do things now for themselves that they used to need to be told to do. That they’re able to solve problems and conflicts independently. That they hold their head just a little bit higher. That they stand up for something they believe in, or for someone who’s not being treated nicely. Socks and towels may be lost at camp, but so much more is found here. The campers understand this, and even our first-year campers can feel the difference inside of them. Perhaps that’s what Joshua and Matthew, two chalutzimers, were thinking about after services tonight when they came up to ask me a question. “Jodi,” they said, “Can we please, please stay 7 weeks?” I bent down and gently said to them what I’ve already told them a few times over the past week when they’ve asked. “I’m sorry guys, but there are no open beds in all of Chaluztim for second session.” “Please,” they begged, we don’t need a bed. We’ll just squeeze into a cubby. We just want to stay at camp!” Definitely a great way to leave…wanting more and already counting down the seconds until next year.

Thanks to all of you for an amazing session,

Jodi

 P.S. If your camper comes home talking about camp and you realize you want to be a part of the fun too, come join us for Mom’s Camp (click here for more info) or a Family Camp Weekend (click here for more info)! Both are great ways for parents to experience the excitement of Camp Wise. Know someone thinking about Camp Wise for next summer? Family Camp is a great way for new families to get a taste of Camp Wise before a camper begins!  

July 9, 2010

Yesterday, everyone boarded the buses and headed out of camp for Day Trip Day! It was a day filled with waterslides and roller coasters and excitement, but for me, a favorite moment came as Ohalim was pulling back into camp. The entire bus was singing our camp welcome song at the top of their lungs, as we sing anytime someone arrives here. When the bus came to a stop and the kids started unloading, a group of boys stepped onto the road, took a deep breath and said, “Ah…home.”

I remember having that feeling before, many years ago. I was living in Israel my junior year of college, and I had taken a trip to Turkey for a few weeks. Upon landing back in Israel, I had that same feeling of, “Ah…home.” For me, it meant that I was returning to a place where I felt comfortable and safe. A place where I was happy and I couldn’t wait to come back to. I remember at the time thinking how cool that was that after just a few months of living in a new country I could feel like I belonged somewhere enough to consider it home. It’s funny how just three short weeks into camp, this place can start to feel like home, but I guess there’s a reason why for centuries, kids have been calling Camp Wise, “The Home of Happiness.”

It’s that sense of belonging and comfort that makes this part of the session so fantastic. When you start to feel at home in a place, you’re able to let your guard down, take risks, and step outside of your comfort zone. Yesterday at the Chalutzim Day Trip at Pioneer Waterland there was a perfect example of this. A young second-year Chalutzimer was standing in one of the pools telling some others how last year she had really wanted to go on a particular slide, but had been too scared. She still didn’t think she could do it, but you could tell from her face that she wanted to. One of the counselors from the village started encouraging her, and you could literally see her confidence grow. With this counselor, she decided to give it a try. After an exhilarating run on the slide, she stood up at the bottom and through shivering teeth said, “I’m…so….proud…of…myself!!”

Another example came this week on the Solel West Virginia trip. The trip was full of amazing, memorable moments of whitewater rafting, mud obstacle courses, and zip lines. While many Solel campers experience butterflies in their stomachs before this trip, one camper in particular had a reason to be fearful. A long-time camper, he hates swimming and water, and has always been uncomfortable with it. On this trip, with the encouragement of his friends, he white-water rafted and even cliff jumped into the river! When a Solel trip returns to camp, it’s tradition that the group runs off the bus and jumps into the pool together. When this camper joined the group on Thursday as they ran into the pool, all 39 Solel campers were chanting his name.

At last Saturday night’s Girls and Guys campfires, campers shared their beliefs about what makes Camp Wise feel like home. At both campfires (one for all the girls in camp, the other for all the boys), the conversation was about the values that go into being a “Camp Wise Girl” or a “Camp Wise Guy.” A few staff spoke about what this means to them, and then we opened the floor to anyone who wanted to talk. Thinking it could take some prodding, we had planted a few speakers to go first. At both the girls’ and the guys’ programs, an amazing thing happened. Everyone wanted a chance to speak – and I mean everyone! At the girls’ program, an eight-year-old said that Camp Wise is, “where there don’t need to be any queen bees,” and a fourteen-year-old said, “it’s only at camp where I can really be myself.” Other girls reflected on the importance of “people not judging you for what you look like,” and “being free to be as goofy as you want.” At the guys’ fire, the sentiment was similar. One Chalutzimer talked about how being a good guy at camp means, “always having your friend’s back,” and “being a link in a chain link fence.” Some of the older boys talked about how Camp Wise guys know how to show girls respect and the importance of leading by example. We talked about how living in this way makes camp feel unique and special, but that they should think of how to bring these values back home with them beyond camp into their relationships with friends at school and even online.

Saturday’s campfires led us perfectly into this past week, which was full of excitement. On the 4th of July, our international staff beat the North American team in soccer, for our annual Staff Soccer Game. For the first time, there was a press box at the game for our press corps, and kids from the radio and newspaper chugs were given special passes that let them interview players and fans, perform commercials, and record stats. After dinner, the S.I.T.s wowed us with an out-of-this-world carnival, where cabins could win prizes like breakfast in bed, chipwiches in Jodi’s house, a pool party, and stargazing. The dunk tank was one of my personal favorite stations, although horseback riding specialist Juan was doing some pretty funny (and accurate) caricatures.

Also on Sunday we welcomed our new Rishon 2-weekers, and they were warmly welcomed into the village of Chalutzim. All the kids in the village were eager to meet them, and they were playing and laughing with the rest of the village in no time. They were so comfortable, in fact, that the next day at lunch the girls were all dressed as 80s chics and they got on stage in front of the whole camp to do a dance! The rest of the week was full of fun for Chalutzim, with the boys’ overnight on Monday and girls sports night, where they played kickball, and nukum, among other favorites. At Tuesday’s Night at the Races, the village was divided into color teams and then watched contests on video that had been recorded around camp. The teams had to guess who would win races including a gaga match between a counselor and a gorilla, and three staff climbing up the iceberg on the lake! The program ended with a real live horse race, in which our Assistant Director Sean was on the slowest horse in the world and barely made it out of the riding ring!

In Ohalim’s Game Show Night, cabins competed in favorites including Family Feud, Jeopardy, and double dare. O-7 swept in Family Feud when they were asked to name the top songs of the summer so far. On Wednesday, Israel Night taught everyone about the different groups of people in Israel.

The Noar Girls Gaga Night gave the girls a chance to discover their “inner gaga,” and they made up dances with their cabin. Later in the evening, to continue the gaga theme, they painted the new noar gaga pit. Wednesday night’s Beach Party was an evening program favorite so far of many campers. Instead of a cookout in the village, Noar brought their cookout to the beach, where they played in the lake, cooked out on the beach, and hung out for the evening.

Solel’s “Big Trip” to West Virginia had them out of camp for most of the week, but we were really excited to have them return last night. Most excited were their Chalutzim buddies – the youngest campers in camp who are each assigned older “buddies” for the session. The Chalutzimers must have asked a million times over the course of the week when Solel was getting back, because they were so eager to see their new, older friends. Luckily, tomorrow during our Saturday morning “mishpacha” (family) program, they’ll all have a chance to hang out with their buddies.

A little (long-awaited!) rain couldn’t keep Chaluztim from blowing us away during tonight’s Shabbat service. Their creative writings on the theme “Making Promises and Keeping Them,” shared their perspectives on the importance of being trustworthy, something both genders of campers and staff emphasized at the campfires earlier in the week. Over the rest of Shabbat, we’ll continue to explore this theme with the Chalutzimers, and think about ways we can keep our promises to each other and ourselves in the last week of camp.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jodi

P.S. As we talk about keeping promises, I want to emphasize how important our relationship is with you – our camp families. I’ve received a couple of calls from parents, concerned that we may not be keeping our promise to you of distributing email and mail. As we’ve discovered in each of these situations, all mail sent to the campers has been received, and the question seems to be more in regards to a camper’s perception of what “sending enough mail” means. :-) I can assure you that we print out over 300 emails each day and distribute these with the mail every afternoon except on Shabbat.

Friday, July 2, 2010

This week we were visited by Lebron James at camp! Well, ok, we weren’t…but you would have thought he was literally standing in the middle of the chadar ochel (dining hall) by the eruption of cheering that filled the room when chipwiches were brought out for dessert at lunch. To use the word cheering would be an understatement. Screaming, hooting, tears of joy…chanting, table banging…it was beyond anything I have ever seen or heard. It was fifteen-year-olds and seven-year-olds. And it was for a chipwich.

That’s one of the things I love most about camp. That something seemingly insignificant – like a chipwich – can become the greatest thing ever. Maybe it’s because out here we’re unplugged from the world. There’s no facebook, texting, or video games to preoccupy us or suck our time away by the hour. We’re totally present and engaged in anything we’re doing, which makes everything just a little bit better. At camp we’re able to slow down, and we take the time to appreciate all the little things that we might usually never even notice.

Take a few days ago at the pool, for example. The night before, there had been a huge wind and rain storm, and as a result, one of our pool chairs had fallen in and sunk to the bottom of the pool. Our pool director Beth was about to dive in to pull it out, when a group of Ohalim boys – up at the pool for instructional swim – asked if they could try swimming down to sit in it. For the next half hour, a group of fifty 6th and 7th grade boys patiently waited their turn (cracking up and practically jumping up and down with excitement) to try sitting in the underwater chair. Seems strange? Maybe. But it was the greatest thing in the world for that half hour.

This week has been full of “greatest thing ever” moments, and if you’ve been looking at the pictures online, you’ve probably seen many of them. One of personal favorites (besides the chipwich distribution) was the Chalutzim Girls’ Project Beautiful program. The girls did activities that centered around the importance of inner beauty, and then ended the program by making signs that they hung all around camp teaching the rest of the campers what it means to be a beautiful person on the inside. The new Chalutzim Glee Club performed “A Whole New World” on stage, and the whole village had a crazy pool party complete with a limbo in the shallow end and relay races. At Chalutzim’s Exodus Night, the campers started in ‘Egypt’ and made their way to ‘Israel,’ stopping along the way to do challenges that illustrated each of the 10 Commandments.

Ohalim’s Wiseopoly program turned the entire village into a giant Monopoly board, where the cabins had to accomplish different tasks to ‘buy’ properties. At their Rumors Night, they learned about lashon hora (evil tongue), or the prohibition in Jewish law against gossiping, and at their Hey, Wha(t) Happened? Night they tried to solve a mystery that took them all across camp. The 6th grade boys and 7th grade girls had their overnights in the woods, and the whole village has been busy getting ready for their turn to lead Shabbat this week.

The Noar girls headed out of camp on Monday for their overnight at Mohican State Park, and despite the cancellation of their canoeing because of rain, they had an incredible time hiking and mountain biking through the beautiful terrain. While the girls were gone, the boys had their own fun here in camp. The 9th graders did some Survivor-style team initiatives and built a firewood shelter for the Noar fire pit, while the 8th graders went on a hike to SIT Island – the really cool place where the SITs of the past two summers have built bridges to get across the lake. The girls also had their first night of Girl Talk, a favorite program of mine that was introduced last summer by village supervisor Jessie. All week, the girls can write questions or topics on note cards and leave them on Jessie’s door, and then the girls sit together in small groups for discussions. Cabin N-8 won a special night swim at the Noar Trivia Night, and every night the whole village has been enjoying their nightly Noar campfires.

Solel had an incredible and meaningful week, both in and out of camp. On Monday night, in preparation for Tuesday’s trip, the group had a disabilities awareness training program, where they learned about different kinds of disabilities. Tuesday morning the group headed to the Monarch School in Cleveland, where they spent the day working with children with Autism as part of our ‘Live Wise’ program. You may have noticed many Camp Wise campers wearing green ‘Live Wise’ bracelets. These represent our commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world) – one of our camp’s core Jewish values. While at the Monarch School, the Solel campers wowed the Monarch staff with their patience, openness, and compassion. After leaving Monarch, the Solel campers were so touched by the Monarch students that they asked if we can fit another program with them into their schedule! After spending the day at Monarch, the group boarded the bus and headed to Cincinnati, where they hit a Reds baseball game before heading to the Cincinnati JCC for the night. The next day, they headed to Kings Island, where they won a giant stuffed banana to become the new Solel mascot.

Shabbat is about to begin, and several Ohalim campers are up by the office ready to help lead Shabbat Walk. They’ve chosen the theme, “Don’t Stop Believin’” to represent the idea of standing up for what you believe in and doing the right thing, even when no one’s watching. There have been examples of this all over camp this week, but I’ll leave you with one particular moment that stands out in my mind. Earlier in the week, there were a group of Chalutzimers (as usual!) in the ga ga pit. It was a super intense game (also as usual!), and as the players got out one by one, they jumped out of the ga ga pit to sit on the side and watch. Finally, it was down to two players. One player was a 5th grader who’s one of the older campers in the village who’s known as what one might call a ga ga connoisseur. The other final player was a new camper, who’s one of the youngest and smallest in the village. Sitting around the ga ga pit, there was no question in anyone’s mind which way this game was going to end. But, as the ball slowly rolled toward the 5th grader’s leg, instead of dodging it, as she easily could have done, she let it hit her leg, thereby getting herself out. She made a big deal about the other camper winning, and then walked over to shake her hand. Once again, just like with the chipwiches, the crowd of Chalutzimers around the ga ga pit erupted in cheering, and it was just another regular day at camp.

Shabbat shalom,

Jodi

Friday, June 25, 2010

Yesterday afternoon I had a remarkable, crazy experience. I was in the Ohalim moadon (rec hall), home of our new yoga chug (activity), where I was participating in my first-ever yoga class with Noar campers. Walking into the chug, I thought to myself, “Oh no, Lucy (our yoga specialist) is in trouble! There’s no way these 8th and 9th graders will stay calm and quiet for an entire hour!” Looking around the room, I was surrounded by some of the kids who are the first to crack jokes, the first to do silly things to make others laugh, and the first to make a fart noise in a moment of quiet just to rile up the crowd. I gave Lucy a look to say, “I got your back,” and she took a deep breath and started to walk the group through their first “ommmmm.” The first few minutes went as expected, with snickering, falling over, and random odd noises. Then, the crazy part came. The room grew silent. As Lucy expertly led the group through a series of (difficult!) poses, with John Mayer tunes softly playing in the background, the group chilled out, focused, and breathed together. For the next 45 minutes, all you could hear were the trees blowing outside and the sounds of Ohalim free swim in the distance. Silence…a first for Noar campers.

Firsts are common here at camp, and this week, we’ve experiences a lot of them. For many kids, last Sunday was the first time they said goodbye to their parents for more than a night or two. For others, it was the first time sleeping on a bunk bed or in a tent cabin (YAY Ohalimers!), the first time eating a food other than peanut butter and jelly, or the first time getting on a horse. Firsts can make you nervous. Just ask Mara, a chalutzimer, who this week became the first camper ever in the history of Camp Wise to water ski at camp! But as Mara would tell you now, firsts are also rewarding, exciting, and exhilarating. That’s what this first week of the summer has been about for all of us here at camp. Walking around camp, you can feel the excitement in the air. Chaluztim and Ohalim’s morning assemblies have been full of spirit and cheering, and start the day out with a ton of energy and laughing. Campers are already loving the new chugs – like newspaper, yoga, song leading, baseball, orienteering, lacrosse, and ultimate Frisbee. At drama, auditions were held for “The Lion King,” and a Chalutzim dance chug has already been on stage to perform in front of the whole camp! All of the kids in the sports chugs have been saying how amazing our sports staff are this year, and Gal, our basketball specialist, is proving to be a difficult one to beat. At riding, even more campers are able to spend time on the horses, thanks to our awesome new second riding ring we built this winter, and the campers in radio are learning how to conduct interviews and writing their own commercials, complete with sound effects and music. A huge thank you goes out to Martin Bluestein, father of camper Ari, who spent the winter with his set design class at Cuyahoga Community College rebuilding our mini-golf course. Now, as a cabin activity, campers can hit a ball to the top of Masada, or get a hole in one into either the red or blue sides of the sink in the “Larry’s Kitchen” hole! 

You would think that after a day of endless activity and fun everyone would be wiped out, but at evening programs the energy has stayed strong! Every village started the session on Sunday night with Bunk Night, where each cabin spent time getting to know each other and playing games. The night ended with the villages coming together to learn some favorite village cheers and even make up some new ones! The 0-4 cheer was so awesome that it’s quickly spread to become an Ohalim village favorite! On Monday night, Chalutzim got to know camp really well as they ran around playing “pranks” on all the other villages, pie-ing the other village supervisors in the face! At the end of the night, after conquering the rest of camp, we declared Chalutzim the best village ever! At Wednesday’s Cruise Night at the pool, they had fun contests like sand castle making, hula hooping and limbo.  

Ohalim’s Arcade Night brought to life some favorite “old school” games like Frogger, Whack a Mole, and Pac Man. On Wednesday, the boys had Gladiator Night while the girls had Glee Night, ending with an important conversation about feeling comfortable in your own skin. The next day at lunch, the girls surprised everyone with a Flash Mob dance they had prepared at Glee Night, and as they rocked out all dressed in yellow, they were exuding confidence, happiness and unity.  

Noar’s evening programs got off to an awesome start with Noah’s Ark Night on Monday, where each cabin had to make a boat – with only their creativity and very limited supplies. The girls of N7 were the first to get their boat across the pool, but in the end it didn’t really matter, and as most of the other boats sank, the race turned into a giant, fun pool party! On Tuesday, Noar had a really fun World Adventure Night, and last night they learned about what it’s like to be in the Israeli Army in Army Night. At the end of the program, some of our amazing Israeli staff hosted a Q&A session, and the campers asked tons of questions about their personal experiences growing up in Israel.  

Campers in Solel have been having a different kind of evening program, because they’ve been in Allegheny National Forest since Wednesday for their first Solel trip! The group returned home to camp a few hours ago, and from the spirited cheering and huge grins on their faces as they ran off the bus and into lunch, you can tell that their trip was amazing.  

Our S.I.T.s (Staff-in-Training) have been wowing us all week with their hard work and dedication to their activity areas and cabins. They’ve also been spending a few hours each week on this year’s S.I.T. building project – a new shed and covered pavilion at the lake! We’ll be sure to post pictures each week of their progress, and by the end of July we’ll have a whole new handmade program space in camp!  

Shabbat is approaching, and as activities wrap up for the day, Noar is getting ready to lead the camp through the first Shabbat of the summer. The theme they selected, “Don’t Be Cruel to Your Mule,” is going to address animal cruelty and respecting others. Respect is so fitting for this first week of camp, especially because of the conversations we’ve been having in the bunks about the importance of looking our for each other and standing up for others, just like Korach did in this week’s Torah portion when he led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Tonight we’ll start Shabbat with our tradition of a Shabbat walk through camp to the chapel, and then the Noar campers will lead Friday night services. Tomorrow, after the morning service, our staff will introduce a really cool program that was new last summer called “Mishpacha” or “family,” where the whole camp is divided into mixed age groups, and they get to know kids in different villages. In their camp mishpacha each Saturday, they’ll be playing games, doing activities, and talking with each other, making camp really feel like one big family together.

 I hope you all have a wonderful Shabbat, and I look forward to updating you next week on what’s going on here at camp!  

Shabbat Shalom,

Jodi  

P.S. If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, “No Fair! Why do they get to have all the fun?!” Come join us for Mom’s Camp (click here for more info) or a Family Camp Weekend (click here for more info)! Both are great ways for parents to experience the excitement of Camp Wise. Know someone thinking about Camp Wise for next summer? Family Camp is a great way for new families to get a taste of Camp Wise before a camper begins!  

P.P.S. Have you noticed the super cute new grey crew neck sweatshirts, brown hoodies, and green baseball caps some of the kids are sporting in the photos on the website? You are invited to go online to our camp store here and order any camp gear, to be delivered to your camper at camp that very day!