Machon 2010: Yad L’Yad
It is with great pleasure that I can announce as the Rosh Edah for Machon that Kayitz/summer 2010 has begun with a full force of happiness and meaning. The hanichim/campers in our edah walk around camp with smiles on their faces and with joy in their hearts.
Yet, Machon is about more than just having fun. Our theme for kayitz 2010 is Yad L’Yad/Hand in Hand. This theme reflects our greater educational goals of Social Action in the world. In Machon, our Take Home Project revolves completely around helping others in need and stretching out our hands to help those that we can.
And as the edah grows older, they are beginning to understand that a meaningful summer experience at Camp Ramah is about more than just their small pockets of friends. It is about the tzrifim/bunks coming together as whole units. It is about the banim/boys and banot/girls bonding with each other as larger groups. This summer is about the edah uniting together to achieve the great heights that Camp Ramah is all about. We are truly learning that Yad L’Yad means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Here are some highlights from two of our tzrifim:
After only two days, camp is already in full swing. After the parents left, tzrif 39 kicked off the summer with a great Peulat Tzrif. We all got to know one another and played games. After dinner we sang songs as a camp, getting the girls excited for the summer. They are in 2 different chugim/activities and have started their sport. Our tzrif is filled with girls from all over (including Israel, Belgium, and Hong Kong). They cannot wait for Shabbat—This week is Shabbat Machon. We will be singing and dancing in front of the whole camp. We are all very happy and excited!
-Melissa, Eva and Alona
Kayitz 2010 is off to a great start in tzrif 51! We have been having a great time getting to know each other over the past few days. On opening day, after eating lunch and hanging out at the carnival on tzad aleph/a-side, we came back to tzad bet/b-side to play some games that allowed us to learn a lot about each other. On Wednesday night, Nathan Werner gave us a great harga’ah/bed-time activity by playing the violin and the accordion for us. Everyone in the tzrif was totally blown away. Whether we are playing rafterball in our tzrif, throwing a Frisbee around on the migrash/field or just hanging out on the mirpesset/porch with some of our neighbors from tzrif 52, we are always having a great time!
Kayitz Tov,
David, Omer and Zach
This week is Shabbat Machon. As an edah we have prepared a dance to the song, “Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu/Peace will be brought upon us”. We have also prepared to sing a song, “Darkeinu/Our Path.” While watching them practice, I can think of no better way to usher in our first Shabbat than with the wonderful message that these two performances invoke: Peace will come upon our path together, as we walk it, Yad L’Yad.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ezra