Nitzanimot Arrives!

Who are those cute new kids running around the kikar (sports field)? Why are we hearing little voices right outside the Chadar ochel (dining hall)? What is going on at macheneh Galil?

The answer to all these questions is that the Nitzanimot are here! You may be wondering what Nitzanimot are. Is it a new game brought across the Atlantic by the shlichim (Israeli counselors)? Is it a unique type of breakfast sandwich? The answer to all these questions: NOPE. The Nitzanimot are a great group of post-second-graders who are trying out camp for four days. In this program, called Taste of Galil, younger kids can experience camp under the close care of our most experienced madrichim (counselors).

Today I caught up with our precious Nitzanimot at the pool while they were taking their swim tests. Everyone passed and we threw them a pool party with the new pool rafts that the Madatz (CITs) bought for Revo. Our new campers really enjoyed the floating on rafts shaped like pizza, watermelon, and angel wings. Check CampInTouch for more photos of Nitzanimot at the pool.

If you’re a new parent reading the blog, then welcome! Here you’ll learn more about how life at Galil works. While we’re here, let me clarify the “imot” endings that we use here. You’ll notice that we say “Cochavimot”, while other Jewish camps would say “Cochavim”. The grammar choice comes from our sister movement in Israel, a youth movement called “Ha’Noar Ha’Oved V’Alomed”. In Hebrew, the suffix “im” is masculine, and is used as the normal plural, while “ot” is the feminine suffix. By using “imot”, we are able name our schavot (age groups) in a more egalitarian, and less gendered, way.

Anyway, today was a packed day at Galil. We ate toasted bagels for breakfast and then headed off to avodah. One avodah group, in particular, has become very proud of their accomplishments. Bruit, the group that cleans the Bik (communal bathhouse) bathrooms, actually wrote a song celebrating their hard work. It goes, to the tune of High School Musical’s “Breaking Free”, “Scrubbing, squee-gee-ing, there’s not a toilet in the bik that we haven’t cleaned/ if we’re trying, yeah we’ll make it clean/ oh Bruit!”

Zman Meyuchad is the time of day when specialists (like me) get to lead workshops for kids in areas related to their tafkid (job). I usually plan photoshoots, where my kids can be models, photographers, or costume designers. Today I wanted to try something different. I had the Cochavimot, and I decided to work on a different type of communication. I gave each kid colored construction paper and writing utensils, and played some acoustic music on a portable speaker. I gave out prompts like, “Write a note to someone who has helped you this summer” and the kid would chose someone in their kvutza (age group) and send a little letter to them. At the end, all the kids got to keep their notes. We encouraged them to keep them safe so that they can look through them in a few years. I still have my notes from when I was a kid at Galil, and it’s crazy to re-read them as a madricha (counselor).

We got to catch up with the Nitzanim tonight at dinner, when we feasted on Israeli cuisine. Tonight we had chicken shwarma, pita, hummus, Israeli salad, broccoli, and couscous. At every meal, there is a group of chanichim (campers), Madatz (CITs) and madrichim (counselers) who serve and clean up. We rotate through this job and it’s called “doing toranut”.  Our kids find it really fun to play waiter for a night! We get to wear hats and refill platters during dinner. Afterwards, we wash all the reusable dishes, sweep the floors, and clean the tables. Sometimes toranut kids will get ice cream sandwiches if they work particularly hard.

For Tochnit Erev (evening activity), we had “Digestive Night”. The chanichim (campers) started off at the “mouth”, which was the refet (barn). They went though an obstacle course, which was the throat and then headed off to the stomach. At the stomach, the kids had to do tasks like balancing plates and making food out of random ingredients. It was a wacky but fun evening. See you tomorrow!