Information for Parents - הורים

A Brief Overview of the Summer of 2011

There are many exciting things that are planned for the summer of 2011 as summer quickly approaches! Our staff is the engine of our camp and we are working on all hybrid cylinders! We have 20 past campers/CIT’s and Na’aleh participants staffing the junior counselor positions. The remainder of the staff is mostly returning counselors plus a very strong and enthusiastic group of madrichim (counselors) from Israel. This means we can hit the ground running with ruach (spirit), masoret (tradition) and great supervision. So…bruchim habaim…welcome to Machanei Yavneh, an ACA (American Camping Association) accredited camp!

Probably the most exciting thing is our new Beit Midrash/Community Center now named The Gottesman Family Community Center! This beautiful new meeting and prayer center will be open for full camp usage this summer. Derech Dov , in honor of Rabbi Dov Lerea is being set in place and gorgeous gardens are being planted in the front of the building. Check out our webpage.

Yavneh will be the sponsor of our intercamp basketball tournament to take place second session on our two beautiful basketball courts that are definitely up to the job! The climbing tower is open and ready for use along with the 300 foot zip line. This year we have various animals at camp; sheep, goats, chickens and rabbitts will be found in our animal pen. Both months, some of our campers will compete against other Jewish camps in a soccer, archery or ultimate frisbee tournament at Yavneh. And of course we will have our weekly sporting matches of softball, volleyball and Newcomb against other Jewish camps in NH. The tennis tournaments and swimming team tournaments will happen each month as well. There will be camper talent shows and Mini maccabiah for first session and the real Maccabiah the second session!!

Our talented teaching staff will be organizing and running educational activities that will revolve around our theme Yisrael V’umot Haolam-Israel and her relationships with nations of the world. Our programming for Tisha B’av is always meaningful and important. As always we will celebrate Israel through a variety of activities.We have 9 Israeli counselors coming to Yavneh! Our 4th of July celebration, a camp favorite, will be quite the show! We have our own gigantic outside screen to show movie clips before our stupendous fireworks display—the best in Northwood!! We invite some townspeople in to enjoy this sight. Traditionally other 4th favorites will include the famous 4th of July parade, which culminates in singing and our traditional outrageously large flag cakes that feeds 400!

Our Yomei Tiyul- trip days, will find Maalot in Acadia National park in Maine, during first session, for 3 days—camping, hiking, ocean kayaking and biking. Kerem will be going on a 3 day white water rafting trip in Maine. Leviim will be going to the spectacular Highland Center in Crawford Notch located in The White Mountains. First session will find Yavneh younger aydot enjoying our Kerem Karnival. with inflatable’s, cotton candy, special entertainment and our famous foam machine. All will have a blast! Second session the younger campers will be going to Water Country!

There will of course be hiking/overnights and other surprises. As part of Kerem’s chesed projects this summer they will be walking in support of Breast Cancer Survivors and raising money for that cause. Last years Kerem raised over $4,000!

Overnights first month include the following groups: Gurim, Leviim, Maalot and Kerem. The Kerem play this summer will be Bye Bye Birdie and the camp play taking place second session will be Annie. The singing will be all in Hebrew! More entertainment, this time first session is Soul Farm- incredible band filled with ruach! Of course the highlight of first session is Zimriyah on Thursday July 21st. Check out the website for details. Mini Maccabaiah, run by Maalot, will finish out the session on Friday the 22nd. For the local parents we hope you will join us in Newton for an evening August 4th as our performing group exclusively from Arayot, called Ketsev, will be performing in the morning for Camp Grossman, in the afternoon at the Hebrew Rehab and in the evening for our parents. Details will follow. There will be many other special activities, interactions, and Shabbatot, in addition to the electives your child will have chosen as part of their month long schedule. Every Shabbat we invite special guests to camp to discuss interesting topics with our older campers. The nine days begin during second session, which we will observe by limiting our music and dance activities and in other ways. On Tisha B’Av, second session, we will be having a special day of remembrances and a special guest speaker. Other special highlights this summer will include Julie Leshem, a well known potter, as our guest artist from Israel. With the help of our Israeli staff we will have pita making every Wed. afternoon, Yom Yisrael celebrations and the encouragement of Hebrew usage at every turn. Arayot and all aydat Kfirim will be going on their overnights second session. Second session, Maalot will be spending a sleepless night at Hampshire Hills, a health club with a pool, climbing wall and much more! Rikkudiyah and Kerem Idol events are also scheduled during second session. The Jewish Arts Festival where 7 other Jewish camps all come together to sing and dance and Yavneh will of course participate in this event. Quite an extravaganza. Maalot and Gurim will be “buddying up” to do some activities together. We will be having our all camp BBQ on the coast of Maine. Na’aleh, our largest group ever-39, our summer in Israel program will join us back at camp on in August to talk about their incredible 6 week experience in Eretz Yisrael. Maccabiah will happen somewhere in the middle of all that and will last for 5 days filled with sports, Hebrew speaking, dancing, singing and drama. And let’s not forget Yavneh For a Day-July 17th where we invite perspective families to come to see Yavneh in action. If you know of anyone that might be interested in this event it will be held in July. For details contact the Yavneh office.

You will be able to follow all this on the web through our website at www.campyavneh.org and your child’s Roshei Aydah will be posting weekly updates as to what your child’s aydah is doing. Having said all, the most important part that makes every child’s Yavneh summer camp experience is the fellow campers and staff that they interact with. Rest assured, we have the best in both categories! I look forward to greeting everyone at camp. Just follow the signs! I know it will be an awesome summer! Thanks for coming to Machanei Yavneh, we love having you as part of the family-mishpacha! Check out all the new things at camp- see the blue box!!