Director's Corner - Saturday, June 22
Saturday, June 22, 2024
Electric Boogie
It's electric!
You can't see it (it's electric!)
You gotta feel it (it's electric!)
Ooh, it's shakin' (it's electric!)
Jiggle-a-mesa-cara
She's a pumpin' like a matic
She's a movin' like electric
She sure got the boogie
At Beber Camp, Shabbat is more than just a day of rest—it's a celebration of our community and a time to reflect on our shared values. As we gather each week to welcome Shabbat, we not only embrace a sacred tradition but also live out the core values that define our camp experience.
I’d like to take a moment to share our Core Values and how we live them at camp.
1. Sacred Community (Kehillah Kedosha) Shabbat at Beber Camp is the epitome of our kehillah kedosha. We come together on Friday night for a Shabbat dinner, Israeli dance together, sing amazing camp songs. Today, and every Saturday, we also enjoy being together for services. During the summer, the sense of togetherness is so palpable when we have 2 GAs throughout the day and enjoy the warmth of our community. The Havdalah ceremony marks the end of Shabbat, but it also strengthens our bonds as we sing arm and arm under the amazing sky.
2. Leadership (Manhigut) Shabbat provides a space for campers and staff to step into leadership roles. Campers lead prayers and readings during Shabbat services, gaining confidence and honing their public speaking skills. Our counselors guide meaningful discussions during Mikud, encouraging campers to think critically and express their insights. This practice of leadership in a supportive environment helps cultivate future leaders both within and beyond the camp.
3. Courage (Ometz Lev) Shabbat invites us to explore and express our spirituality in ways that may be new or unfamiliar. For some campers, it might be their first time leading a blessing or sharing a personal reflection during Mikud. It takes courage to participate in these moments, and we celebrate each step taken towards personal growth. The supportive environment of Beber ensures that everyone feels encouraged to take these brave steps.
4. Gratitude (Hakarat Hatov) Shabbat is a time to slow down and appreciate the simple joys of camp life. We express gratitude for the delicious meals prepared by our kitchen staff, the beauty of our natural surroundings, and the friendships we’ve formed. Activities like gratitude circles, where campers and staff share what they are thankful for, help us focus on the positive aspects of our week and foster a culture of appreciation.
5. Love of Israel (Ahavat Yisrael) Our connection to Israel is celebrated in many special ways during Shabbat. We sing Israeli songs, learn about Israeli culture, and share stories from our Israeli staff and campers. These activities help deepen our understanding and love for Israel, making the connection more personal and meaningful. Celebrating Shabbat together allows us to reflect on our shared heritage and reinforces our commitment to Ahavat Yisrael.
Shabbat at Beber Camp is a beautiful blend of tradition, reflection, and celebration. It's a time when our core values come to life, creating a powerful and enriching experience for everyone. As we welcome each Shabbat, we are reminded of the importance of community, leadership, courage, gratitude, and our deep love for Israel. Shabbat Shalom!
Today our Shabbat programming lends itself to the theme for the weekend which is gratitude. Ramot spent a period solving a tent building challenge where each member of their bunk was tasked with following certain obstacles to communication from being blindfolded, to not speaking, to only being allowed to use a certain five words. Through the challenge they had to rely on each other and work together as a cohesive group to get the tent set up appropriately. In a debrief after the challenge, they spoke of their challenges to overcome their personal challenges while expressing gratitude for the abilities that they have in their normal lives. Due to rain this afternoon, our program team pivoted and adapted the activities for indoor success. Kesher adapted their Nature Mandala activity to include materials from arts and crafts like beads and feathers and colored papers and tiles to make beautiful mandalas. Although this activity would have been beautiful using items in nature, the campers embraced their inner creative talents and came up with beautiful works of arts all sharing gratitude for all that they have. Makor wrote compassion cards for members of a local senior citizen Jewish Center to brighten their day with stories of camp life.
For the swimming period today, we moved the campers indoors where they played games in small group rotations. For our Maccabi Games sports rotation, campers were challenged with both athletic and silly tasks like human knot and human charades as well as a hula hoop challenge by bunk that when completed were eligible for ruach point tickets towards Maccabiah.
Speaking of Maccabiah, after Havdalah ended, our senior Ramot campers broke Maccabiah to the entire camp by storming the stage with their team flags and donning their team attire. Staff captains were announced to drum rolls and loud cheers and once the theme was announced the campers erupted into roaring cheers for the excitement of being able to represent their team mascot. I will keep the theme a secret for tonight but share all about it tomorrow and the highlights of the day which is set up to be an action packed, super fun and SUNNY day! Tonight was electric and tomorrow well….
P.S. Congratulations to the following who knew that The Black Eyed Peas sang “I Gotta Feeling!!”
Jill R
Sarah S
Dennis P
Diane B
Jessica F
Jaret F
Amy B
Shayna P
Anne R
Hannah R
Who sang “Electric Boogle?” Email your answer to trivia@bebercamp.com for a shoutout in tomorrow’s blog!