A message from the new Assistant Director:

Hello, my name is Jenn Reiss and I am the new Assistant Director for Camp Galil. I am very excited to join such a wonderful community! I am looking forward to working with all the prospective and current families in order to make their children's summer the best it could possible be. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions and/or concerns you may have. I can't wait to get to know each and every one of you!
Here's a little about me:

Current Location: Yardley, Pennsylvania

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I received my Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Temple University. I completed my internship through Jewish Family and Children's Service in Princeton, NJ focusing on community involvement as an Assistant Case Manager and an Advisor for two teen programs. Throughout my college years I had the wonderful opportunity to substitute teach at Abrams Hebrew Academy, my alma mater.  While in high school I was an active member of NCSY and held the title of Vice President of Communications my senior year. I am very excited to be continuing my efforts in the Jewish community with this position.

Tell us about your family: I grew up in a very large family consisting of 5 children. I am the youngest and also the only girl... It was a very loud and fun house to grow up in! Since my family owns their own businesses, I spent much of my teenage years working in my father's clothing stores. 

Why did you want to become the Assistant Director: From the moment I saw the job posting, I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me. I love working with parents and families and providing people with positive experiences. Also, I have always been an active member of the Jewish community, so what better way to continue my efforts than working within the community. Sending your children to camp is an important decision that many parents struggle with. I want to be able to work with these parents so that they feel very confident and excited about sending their children to Camp Galil. 

What's your favorite...

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Holiday: Passover
Music: I am a big fan of the band Passion Pit, but truly enjoy all music.
Food: I love falafel and shawarma.
Ice Cream Flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip, YUM!

Fun Fact: As a child, I was a dancer and figure skater.
Are you going to jump off the zip line this summer: Absolutely! I am looking forward to it!
If you could meet anyone alive or dead, who would you choose: Larry David
If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go: While I've already been there twice, I'd love to make my way back to Israel!

Introducing...Noa Swisa!

This month the Galil community is thrilled to welcome in the newest addition to our professional staff: Noa Swisa!  Noa is Galil's Israeli Emissary (shlicha).  She will spend the next year working for Galil, planning and running our year-round activities and bringing Israeli culture and history to the greater Jewish community.  Get to know Noa below...then send her a message at shaliach@campgalil.org to introduce yourself and welcome her into the Galil family!

Name: Noa Swisa
Hometown: Jerusalem
Current Location: Philadelphia
Have you ever been to the United States before: This is my first time.  I'm so excited to be here!  I really want to go to Disney World and the Grand Canyon.
Tell us a little bit about yourself: I have a B.A. in Business Management and International Relations at the Hebrew University.  My focus was foreign policy, including a lot of coursework on the United States.  It's exciting to now be here in the place that I studied for so long!  In the army, I was in an air traffic control unit.  I love to cook and to read.  I spent one year studying in a culinary institute in Israel.  My specialty is grilling and, of course, Middle Eastern food.

Tell us about your family: My parents are the most amazing people on earth.  They're from Morocco.  I have a sister who is two years younger than me.  The last member of my family is my dog, Marley.

Why did you want to become a shlicha: I wanted to be a shlicha because it's an opportunity to meet a lot of people and work directly with the campers.  This is the most important thing for me.  I love Israel very much.  It makes me feel very good to be able to share that with others.

What are you most excited about for living in Philly: The people and to have the chance to really know the city in a way that a tourist can't.

What's your favorite...

Book: Harry Potter.
Holiday: Shavuot because of all the dairy food.
Camp tradition: I love the fact that everyone gathers together in the morning and the evening.  It reminds me of the good old days of the traditional kibbutz.
Music: Classic jazz like Ray Charles and Billie Holliday.
Sports: I love to swim and I root for Maccabi Tel Aviv!
Food: I love the cous cous my mom makes.  She puts in vegetables, meat, and the most important ingredient: love.
Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate, without a doubt.

Fun Fact: I can't whistle.  I don't play any instruments, but I hope to learn guitar at Galil this summer.
Secret Skill: I know Spanish.  One of my good friends is from Argentina so she taught me.
Are you going to jump off the zip line this summer: I have a fear of heights, but I'll do it anyway!

If you could meet anyone alive or dead, who would you choose: Elvis.  

If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go: Argentina.  The food is amazing - lots of chocolate!  Also, it's beautiful there.

Last Day of Camp!

After a fun Candyland themed final party (mesiba), everyone woke up excited to see their families and ready to say goodbye to their camp friends. Breakfast was our traditional bagels with cream cheese, after which we did some last minute cleaning and packing. After grilled cheese lunch, families began picking up their children. Next, everything was ready, everyone had time to say goodbye to friends. Though they were upset to say goodbye, the campers (chanichim) are looking forward to seeing their friends again at Galil Fall Seminar, on September 27th and other Ken events during the year.

We thank everyone for such an amazing summer-- we learned and built our community, we traveled to Israel and back on Yom Israel (Israel Day), we went rollerskating and travele to Crystal Caves on Kupa Trip, and had a fun colonial adventure for the special evening activity (tochnit erev miyuchedet). We hope to see you at Ken events this year and next summer. Though my time as blog writer this summer is over, there will be blog posts and pictures going up regularly during the year. This has been Toviah Botwinik, Communications Specialist signing off.

Last Shabbat and Final Mesiba

Today everyone woke up feeling excited for the last stretch of camp! This morning, after an assorted muffin breakfast, everyone worked extra hard during work time (avoda) - the cleaning anafim (groups) made sure that everything is clean and ready to be put away. Anaf medura, the group in charge of making the bonfire, put together a giant fire for tomorrow night's conclusive medura. During the age group activity (peulat shichva), the Madatzim (junior counselors) led their chanichim in a guided meditation and a time to reflect about the summer and the progress they made as an individual and as a team (kvutsa). Afterwards was an enthusiastic singing session (shira) before Friday pizza lunch and sport of the week, which was a heated game of ultimate Frisbee.

Tomorrow will be both an exciting and relaxing day. In the morning, after a sleep in and rolling breakfast, the Bogrim (post-9th graders) and visitors from MBI (Habonim Dror Israel summer program for post-10th graders) will run special electives (chugim). Lunch will be split up by age group (shichva) and eat picnic styles in various places around camp (machaneh). After serious chugim, there is ample free time for packing and relaxing. Before dinner, everyone will gather in front of the library building (sifriya) for an extended Musicale, where everyone will sing songs they have been preparing. After dinner, the final bonfire (medura) will happen, and where ongoing skits will finish. Finally, the final party (mesiba) will finish off the night. Every session, a theme is selected for the mesiba; this session's is Candy Land! At the mesiba will be candy galore and fun games and stations based on the board game. Afterwards, everyone will say their goodbyes and go to bed, all ready to be picked up on Sunday.

Have a great weekend and see you on Sunday!

Revo Rugrats!

Today was Revo (short for revolution) and the Madatzim (counselors-in-training) ran machaneh (camp) for the day. Revo happens once per session at machanech, and it is where the Madatzim take the responsibility of planning a fun-filled themed day and running it themselves. Planning it is a process which requires compromise and teaches leadership skills during Revo as well as the days leading up to it. Two guest writers, Natalie and Ali wrote about the day:

Last night, at the end of an iPhone-themed carnival, everyone gathered in a circle which was interrupted by Mikey, our summer camp director, with a list of complaints about the constantly messy tzrifim (cabins). He then threatened to send all of the chanichim (campers) to daycare! Two Madatzim jumped into the circle to stop Mikey, and that commenced Revo Rugrats! We, the Madatzim, put the chanichim to bed with a bedtime story broadcast over our radio station.

This morning, the chanichim woke up to a kid's show on the Rom Kol, and after learning a Rugrats Nation song, went to a diner-themed breakfast. Afterward, the chanichim went to the 'playground' where they enjoyed activities such as World Cup soccer and playing in the sandbox which ended with a camp-wide mud fight! For lunch, the babies watched Rugrats in Paris and took a voyage to Paris. The Rugrats then battled it out with a food fight! After some clean-up time, the chanichim went to Reptaurland with activities such as building a dam in the Paris canal and going through the Paris Catacombs! The Rugrats soon got bored of Paris so they decided to hop on a plane back to America. But something went wrong after take off and we simulated a plane crash on the high ropes course. After landing, we found out we were in Africa where we met Eliza Thornberry, who guided the chanichim through a safari ride full of 'wild animals' which ended in a pool party. The Rugrats realized they had been trapped in Africa for 13 years. Now they are All Grown Up and after grabbing a soft pretzel they went back home. In order to make some money, they decided to start a babysitting business, but then lost all the kids, but had a scavenger hunt to find them. They will soon go back to the Pickles' house for dinner, but will escape to go to their first high school party! Today we all learned leadership skills that will help us on the road to becoming counselors (madrichim), all while we and our chanichim had fun.

Check back tomorrow for more exciting events happening at Galil!

Arts and Crafts and Special Evening Activity

Today started off like a normal day, but at snack time (kibud) we transitioned into special programming. After breakfast, the campers (chanichim) split up for some exciting activities (peulot) with their age-group (shichva). The Tzophim (post-7th graders) learned about social activism through art, made their own stencils, and spray-painted them onto shirts. The Bonim (post-8th graders) had a peula where they were blindfolded and played trust games; they then learned about critical thinking. The Bogrim (post-9th graders) reflected on their Bo-Coup from yesterday and wrote letters to each other after opening up letters they put in a time capsule five summers ago. During their free time, the Bogrim also designed and made their own jerseys for the Frisbee tournament tomorrow. During kishronot (special skill groups), the chanichim in the art kisharon learned how to make silkscreens. At Galil, we value creativity and being self-sufficient, so we often make our own designs for clothing or knit and crochet accessories. Since the weather was nice today, everyone had a chance to hop in the pool during free swim (schiya chofshit).

During snack time (kibud), the theme for this summer's special evening activity (tochnit erev miyuchedet) was revealed- a colonial theme! Everyone dressed up in traditional plain black and white clothing or long dresses. For kibud, we ate chocolate pie, and then headed to a colonial carnival with fun stations like family portraits, candle making, and potato sack racing. Dinner was a Thanksgiving feast with turkey, stuffing, and gravy. After dinner we embraced technology and transitioned to a 21st century-themed carnival to end the night. Stations were set to resemble mobile apps like Angry Birds (ski-ball), Fruit Ninja (baseball), and Instagram (photo booth). Everyone went to bed happy and looking forward to tomorrow's surprises.

Check back with the blog tomorrow for another exciting day!

Bo Coup

This morning ran like a normal day; everyone went to work groups (avoda) and to their age-group activities (peulat shichva). During sports time, everyone enjoyed playing in the warm weather. The Amelim (post-3rd and 4th graders) decorated their clubhouse (moadon) and had a candy party. The Chotrim (post-5th graders) talked about gender equality and gender empowerment. The Sayarim (post-6th graders) came back from their rafting trip (tiyul) today. The Tzophim (post-7th graders) learned about social activism and empathy. The Bonim (post-8th graders) had an activity (peula) about the media, its effects on perception and made their own advertisements. The Bogrim (post-9th graders) set up for their big moment...

After sports and cleaning time (rachatza), we had a fire drill, after which the Bogrim broke their Bo Coup. Bo Coup is a half day where the Bogrim plan and run fun themed activities; this year the theme the Bogrim chose was based on the movie Ferris Beuller's Day Off. Bo Coup started during lunch, where they watched some of the movie and ate French onion soup and potatoes with cheese. Next, everyone headed to the middle of camp (machaneh) for a carnival with fun stations based on events in the movie like learning how to fake sick, baseball, making sculptures in a museum, and constructing towers from cardboard boxes. After some free time, everyone returned to the dining hall (chadar ochel) for a float parade and snack time (kibud). Next was a fun pool party and a car chase with cardboard cars, before a Mom-cooked dinner with treats like meat loaf and corn. Finally, the night ended with a party with dancing, a photo booth, pin the wallet on Rooney and a chance to destroy the cardboard car from earlier. At Galil, we value youth leadership and readying the next generation for responsibility and guidance. Bo Coup is just one way that we educate our campers (chanichim) while having a great time.

Second Session Mifgash!

Madatzim working on a treebench

Nitzanim saying goodbye

Today everyone woke up recharged for a new exciting week! Early in the morning, we said goodbye to our friends in Nitzanim (taste of Galil program). During the morning age-group activity, everyone was doing something exciting; the Amelim (post-3rd and 4th graders) learned about gender empowerment and equality. The Chotrim (post-5th graders) made arts and crafts projects and went to the creek. The Sayarim (post-6th graders) left on a short trip (tiyul), where they went rafting down the Delaware River. The Tzophim watched a movie, relaxed, and then reflected on the last week. The Bonim had an activity (peula) about the education system and expressed their personal views on pedagogy and formal education. The Bogrim had a bonding peula and practiced Ultimate frisbee for the Frisbee tournament on Thursday. All through the day, the Madatzim worked on finishing up their projects- making and putting up treebenches and painting a mural for the moadon (clubhouse building).

Bogrim practicing for the Frisbee tournament

This past weekend, we have had visitors from one of our Habonim Dror sister camps, Camp Gesher, located in southern Ontario during mifgash (meeting). The oldest campers (chanichim), the Bonim (post-8th graders) and Bogrim (post-9th graders) came from Gesher and met their age group (kvutsa) from Galil. Friday evening, they arrived and ate Shabbat dinner with their newly met friends from Galil. Afterwards, everyone continued to icebreakers and normal Friday night programming, where the increase in energy the Gesher chanichim brought was definitely felt. For the Bonim and Bogrim from the two camps (machanot), there were fun bonding activities run after the regular programming. On Saturday, there was ample time for everyone to spend time together before Gesher left early Sunday morning. All of the Bonim and Bogrim look forward to seeing their friends again during future events like MBI (post-10th grade summer Israel program) and next year's mifgash.

Shabbat Day

After a week full of special days like Yom Israel and Kupa Trip, everyone was ready for a restful Shabbat to reflect. Fridays run on a modified scheduled; this morning,  after a munchy muffin breakfast and extra work and cleaning time, the Madatzim (junior counselors) lead their respective age groups during the age group activity. The Nitzanim went on the ropes course and learned about working together and later helped the Madatzim make chalot (twisted bread) for Friday night dinner. The Amelim did arts and crafts and the Chotrim had a fun scavenger hunt all around the machaneh. The Tzophim had a meaningful discussion about positive thinking and leadership. The Bonim gauged how they felt about the summer and about the progress they made as an age-group, and the Bogrim made fun art projects and talked about how working together improved efficiency and creativity.

Shabbat at Galil is a very special time; not only does it give everyone a chance to spend time together and relax from the fun-packed week, it gives us a time to reflect on the things we learned and the fun times everyone had together. Starting this off is a time when reflection groups on Friday afternoons before dinner. On Saturdays, there is extra rest time and instead of regular electives (chugim), there are special electives run by the Bogrim and later serious chugim run by Madatzim and counselors (madrichim). Many times, these chugim help chanichim reflect on or learn about social or political issues today. In the evening, after dinner, everyone sits in front of the sifria (library building) for Musicale, led by the Bogrim, where everyone have the chance to sing or read poetry for the machaneh. Next, everyone forms a spiral and lies down for a peaceful Havdala procession to officially end the Shabbat. Finally, everyone goes down to the fire pit for a bonfire (medura), where people can sign up to perform funny skits. Before bedtime, everyone eats a bowl of ice cream and recalls the best parts of the week.

Check back with the blog on Sunday for another exciting week!

Fun in the Rain

Bonim during tiyul (camping trip)

This morning started off with a rain warning, and we quickly adapted our day to fit the wet weather. During breakfast, the Nitzanim (post-2nd graders in Taste of Galil) let the camp (machaneh) in a dance party. During the age-group activities (peulat shichva) today, the Nitzanim played Gaga and made oobleck in the kitchen (mitbach), the Amelim (post-3rd and 4th graders) talked about sharing and using a candy model for sharing bigger and more important things. The Chotrim (post-5th graders) practiced a Hebrew song and dance in the pavilion for their kabalat Shabbat performance this week. The Sayarim (post-6th graders) played silent football and learned about freedom of speech and expression. The Tzophim (post-7th graders) had an activity (peula) where they talked about and learned about different kinds of education and how they learn best. The Bonim came back from their tiyul today, after a great night camping out. The Bogrim (post-9th graders) learned about the chalutzim (pioneers) of Israel, and how they were revolutionaries in their communities.

Kitchen (mitbach) kisharon

Today was a rainy day, but we still had a lot of fun. During sports time before lunch, we had a different assortment than the usual: campers (chanichim) had indoor and outdoor choices like mud soccer, nail-painting and arts and crafts, reading and writing, and Israeli dancing. During lunch, the Bonim led the machaneh in singing their favorite Disney songs. During speciality groups (kishronot), the garden (gan) kisharon ate the pickles they made yesterday, the Nitzanim and the cooking kisharon made chocolate chip and sprinkle cookies. Instead of free swim (schiya chofshit), the chanichim watched a movie and had a popcorn snack. Even on a rainy day, we find many ways to engage everyone in fun activities!

Taste of Galil and Bonim Tiyul

Today was another exciting day at Galil as we welcomed our friends from Taste of Galil and the Bonim (post-8th graders) left on their camping trip (tiyul). Taste of Galil is a special four day program for post-2nd graders to experience life at Galil. Each day is filled with fun activities, team-building and art projects to give the campers in the program (Nitzanim) a concentrated taste of Galil. Today they made t-shirts in the Beit Omanut and played games with toys in the pool. Using the skills they learned trailblazing during Aliya Bet, the Bonim left for their tiyul, where they will be hiking in the woods, setting up camp, cooking their own dinner and rock climbing.

The rest of camp was also having a great time today: During instructional swim, the Amelim (post-3rd and 4th graders) swam laps with kick-boards and learned about building communities using rocks at the creek. The Chotrim (post-5th graders) learned about social movements in Israel. The Sayarim (post-6th graders) learned about revolutionaries and social activism in history in a mini-museum. The Tzophim (post-7th graders) had a Yom Kvutsa (bonding day) today, where they spent the day team-building, talking about they community they wanted to create, and learning more about each other. The Bonim discussed their roles as leaders at camp and in their communities at home before leaving for tiyul. The Bogrim (post-9th graders) worked on planning activities for younger chanichim. The Madatzim (junior counselors) finished the first half of their work project, and set up tree benches around machaneh!