Kishroniyah Mural!

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During our Kishroniyah week, campers from Magshimim, Bogrim, Machon and Nivonim, working with our visiting artist Tova Speter, designed and painted an enormous and gorgeous new outdoor mural.  Earlier this week, we completed construction on a new frame and we mounted the mural.  It now adorns the entrance to camp.  We hope that everyone driving to camp on Sunday will stop to take a look an this incredible new work of public art that our campers created!  Here is a look at the mural:

The campers worked very hard and thoughtfully to create a work of art that was both beautiful and meaningful.  Here is there explanation of the new mural:

The theme of this mural is Makom Kadosh, a holy place, which is written in a mezuzzah along the right side of the mural. We chose five parts of camp that we feel make camp holy to us. These five circles are all connected and overlap.

In the center there are nine Medurot (campfires), each one representing an edah. Their smoke and sparks come together into one fire symbolizing the Ner Tamid (eternal flame) that burns in synagogues to show the presence of Hashem. Four friends are sharing the campfire experience together showing friendship and joy.

The circle on the bottom left represents friendship because we feel that it is the people and friends at Ramah that make it a holy place. On the first day of camp, buses, cars, and planes bring friends from all over the world to camp. In the heart (growing out of two handprints), two friends jump with joy as they see each other arrive. The word Chaveroot (friendship) written in the path symbolizes all the friendships that make up the paths we travel through our years at camp.

The circle on the top left represents our Friday night traditions that are special to us. This includes Shabbat beginning as the sun sets, the Miriam dancers with their tambourines, and roses to represent the song Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening of the Roses) that we sing on Shabbat.

The circle on the top right depicts Seudat Shlishit, a meal we have together on Saturday evening. One of our favorite moments is after the meal when we all hold pinkies and sing together with our eyes closed in the glow of the Ohel. The words to one of the songs we sing, Bashem Hashem, are written above.

The circle on the bottom right represents the Chursha (grove) which is a special place to everyone at camp. Between the trees are the words Hamavdil ben Kodesh L’Chol (the separation between the holy and the regular) which is a part of the Havdallah service. We often sing when in the grove which is why we have music notes coming up and joining the music above. The trees are reflecting in the Agam (lake) showing the beauty of all of the nature that we have in camp because we feel that the nature helps make camp a holy place.