Camp Moshava Summer Blog

Week One Was a Blast!

This week was the first week of Mosh B’Yachad and it was……. AMAZING! 75 Chanichimot participated in 10 programs throughout the week, and had a blast doing so. We want to share highlights from each shichvah just to show how fun this week was!

Machaneh (Camp-Wide) Activity:

This week we had our FIRST…. EVER…. MACHANEH ACTIVITY!!!!!!! We tested our deep knowledge of Mosh and the universe through an intense and thrilling game of Jeopardy. Four teams faced off…. one team brought home all the glory. But most importantly, everyone had fun and got to meet new people!

We had a ton of people (25+) on to play Jeopardy together!

Amelimot:

Amelimot did a bunch of fun introductory activities, including learning our favorite cheer, “Deep in the heart of the Moshava jungle, you can hear teh Amelimot rumble ooh ahhh oooh ahhhh ahhh!” The tzevet, madatz, and chanichimot introduced themselves and created guidelines for a respectful and engaging Zoom-vironment. On Wednesday, the Amelimot participated in show and tell, which included some really cute dogs and cats. We also played multiple games of Mafia. Next week we’ll have more games and fun!

Chotrimot:

On Tuesday, we did introductions, went over the rules for Mosh B’Yachad and played a fun Mosh trivia game. On Thursday, we listened to some music and reflected on the impact of music on our lives and its power to show different perspectives and address social issues. If you wanna check out the music we listened to, visit this playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mGef3FFKqSJ0tPHHzaVZk?si=S-u8-69rS_uPZv3mty iG_w

Chalutzimot:

On Monday, the chalutzimot did introductions and get-to-know-you activities. On Wednesday we took a virtual tour of Mosh and talked about what makes Mosh a special place. We explored how Mosh is not only a physical space but also a place where we connect to each other and our values.

Bonimot:

For their first ever Zoom peulah, the Bonimot learned about media literacy. After introductions and learning their shichva’s cheer, the Bonimot dove into the topic of information online and how to navigate in an internet filled with misinformation. The teens learned about social media tricks and reporting biases, and even played a fun Kahoot to check their knowledge!

Bogrimot:

The Bogrimot were so happy to see their kvutzah again! After some intros and catching up, we played some fun online games. Together we envisioned what this summer can look like, including what type of programming we want and how we want to relate to one another.

Bonimot Tzedek Summer Program

Hello everyone! My name is Sara, and I have the joy and honor of coordinating Bonimot Tzedek — Mosh’s social justice leadership program for high school students. Since 2018, teens affiliated with Mosh have been learning leadership and community organizing skills through partnerships with local organizations, supporting local social justice campaigns, and participating in educational programming. This summer, our Bonimot Tzedek program is stronger than ever! We have over 20 teens participating in our weekly meetings.

This summer, the teens are learning about systemic racism and police violence, and specifically thinking critically about how these systems affect their own communities– particularly in Montgomery County. Yesterday, we learned from one of our community partner organizations, Young People for Progress, about racist police violence right here in Montgomery County. Many of the teens shared that they had not previously known that police violence occurs in Montgomery County, and we had an interesting conversation about how assumptions that Montgomery County is a “liberal” place have blocked some of us from seeing the realities of the racism that exists here.

We ended our call by thinking about ways that we as Bonimot Tzedek can support the work of groups like Young People for Progress, who are leading the local fight to defund the police. We talked about how important it is to engage those in our community — including the local Jewish community and other high schoolers — in political education and local activism! Look out for more announcements and information about how to get involved coming from our youth leaders in the next few weeks. Every Tuesday we’ll have a youth leader write a blog about the work that they are doing– we hope you’ll follow along on our journey!

Mosh B’Yachad

Boker Tov Machaneh Moshava! Today is the first day of our 2020 Virtual Program: Mosh B’Yachad. We could not be more excited to see the faces of our beloved chanichimot and tzevet members! Mosh B’Yachad will run for five weeks. The first four weeks feature programming for each schichva (age group) once or twice a week as well as a machaneh-wide (camp-wide) activity each Friday. The final week, Mosh B’Yachad Kol Yom, will have something every day and will be a great way to cap off the summer!

One of the best parts about Machaneh is our amazing tzevet– and this summer is no exception! We have a 25 person staff lined up, including our four person mazkirut (leadership team), our melavah (camper care coordinator), tzevet madatz (counselors for leadership program), tzvatim for each schichva (counselors for every age group), and a special team dedicated to our machaneh-wide activities. Our staff includes folks who have been counselors for many years and our first-year counselors, fresh out of their madatz training program, ready to bring their talents and excitement to our campers this summer.

Even though we are not meeting in person this summer, we still are so excited to be engaging our wonderful community in high numbers. We have 75 kids signed up, spread over seven age groups! Our youngest participants are going into 3rd grade and our oldest are in our madatz leadership training program. They are going into 12th grade.

Alongside our Mosh B’Yachad progamming, our robust Bonimot Tzedek program is also continuing throughout the summer. Bonimot Tzedek works to give high school age campers community organizing skills through educational programming and taking action together. This summer, Bonimot Tzedek teens are focusing on racial justice.

We look forward to keeping everyone in the Mosh community updated about our exciting summer program!

What a fantastic summer it has been!

Some of our highlights include:

Two fun and thoughtful Yomei Tzedek where kids engaged with social justice. We explored immigration and food justice.
A vigil for those detained by ice
A Special Day about inequality in sports
Aliyah Bet where we explored Moroccan immigration to Israel
A Bozman, a Bocoup, and two Revos run by our Bogrimot and Madatz
Many, many onegs on Friday night featuring songs, dances, and skits
Pe’ulot about equality, community, the environment, gender & sexuality, and more
Restorative justice circles for the Bonimot and Bogrimot to work through kvutza issues and feelings
Creative new anafim and chugim such as trailblazing, embroidery, Improvipida, and more
Day-long hikes at Rocks State Park for each kvutza
Going tubing on Deer Creek

And so much more! We are so appreciate for the hard-working tzevet that makes running Mosh possible. They put in so many hours before the session and every night to plan all of the amazing programs that the chanichimot get to participate in. Additionally, the mazkirut (leadership team) has done a huge amount to make this summer at Mosh safe, fun, and inclusive for everyone. Props to the whole team!

We look forward to seeing everyone back for summer 2020. If you have any questions about registration, please direct them to abby@campmosh.org. In the meantime, there is year-round programming – the Ken – for those in the D.C. and Baltimore areas. Our kickoff event, the Kupah Picnic, will be on September 8^th and you’re all invited! You can expect more information about time/place via email after camp ends. If you have any questions about the ken or anything else, feel free to reach out to me at talia@campmosh.org.

Moshly yours,

Talia

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Youth Empowerment – Bocoup!

After Revo ended with a pool party on Monday night, everyone at Mosh was happy to get some rest after such an eventful day. On Tuesday morning, the Madatz had a sleep-in as a reward for all their hard work before heading to their Chofesh, a special day of rest. They went to a waterfall located in a nearby state park, ate dinner, on the town, and had a slumber party back at Mosh. Everyone else was happy to have a normal day. There were pe’ulot, swim time, and even a chance for the Solelimot to go tubing.

We’re following up Revo this week with Bocoup. Bocoup is the Bogrimot’s opportunity to take over machaneh for about six hours. They have planned a fun day, themed around Minecraft, with a plot, characters from the game, and lots of creative stations. They have worked hard to plan this day for the rest of machaneh and create a lot of fun for the younger chanichimot.

One of the values we seek to teach at Mosh is youth empowerment. We believe that youth have a kind of energy, creativity, and insight that is often overlooked and undervalued by society. We want to teach chanichimot how to find their voice and feel comfortable in their own skin. One of the ways we do this is through activities like Bocoup and Revo. We let chanichimot experience what it feels like to run machaneh for a day – it shows them that we have faith in them as leaders and teaches them the responsibility of caring for others and their community.

Revolution

Today is one of the most anticipated events of the session – Revolution! This is a time where the madatz kick out the madrichim for and plan an entire day’s worth of activities themselves. Besides being a kef (fun) day for all of the chanichimot, Revolution teaches the madatz leadership skills and allows them to understand all of the logistics that go into running camp for a day. It is an empowering experience for the madatz, and for the chanchimot, as the youth get take over camp and run things for themselves for a day!

The theme of Revo this session is Museum Heist! The chanichimot broke into the museum, stole the diamond, and escaped across the ocean with it. A successful day of fun, silliness, and candy.

Here are some photos from last session’s Revo. Photos from this session will be posted on CampMinder soon!

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revo 4 revo 5 revo 3 revo 1

Spotlight on the Kitchen Managers

Meet Hannah and Adina, the Roshei Mitbach (Kitchen Managers). They are responsible for all of the delicious food we eat all summer!

Hannah started coming to Mosh in 2012. Her favorite thing about Mosh is how we make fun together and create our own world for the summer. Her favorite thing about the mitbach (the kitchen) is having fun with the people she cooks with and also the crazy quantities they need to make! Her favorite Mosh meal to eat is veggie lo mein. Her favorite mosh meal to make is macaroni and cheese because she loves making the sauce. She also loves braiding challah for Shabbat. Her biggest accomplishment in the mitbach is that she has gotten really buff.

Adina started coming to Mosh in 2008. Her favorite thing about Mosh is that she has access to nature. She loves working in the mitbach because she loves labor and finds it satisfying to cook great food. Her favorite meal to make is pizza because it allows her to have creative energy through choosing fun toppings. Her favorite Mosh meal to eat is curry. Her biggest accomplishment is that she learned how to make challah here.

We really appreciate all of the delicious food they make for Mosh!

Yom Tzedek Second Session

Today was the second Yom Tzedek of the summer. Older kids continued to learn about immigration policy. They explored the history of immigration in the U.S. and different ways to take action against deportation and the inhumane conditions of detention centers. Chanichimot explored how the history of many Jews involves detention and xenophobia and how speaking up against those injustices can be rooted in Jewish values. One of the highlights of the day was making a video encouraging the larger Mosh community to write to their representatives and speak out against immigration injustice

Younger kids will be volunteering for the morning at First Fruits farm in Freeland, MD. First Fruits is an active farm that gives its produce away to those in need. Kids will be picking vegetables in the field and afterwards will have a discussion about food justice and where their food comes from.

Yom Tzedek is an important part of the Mosh experience because it highlights many of our pillars of values. We educate about social justice throughout the summer and Yom Tzedek is another day of education. Even more so, Yom Tzedek represents our pillar of hagshama (actualization) when we apply what we have been learning to the world around us.

Moshly yours,

Talia

P.S. There has been a delay getting CampInTouch emails out, but they will all be handed out tonight. Thank you for understanding.

Learning about Israel, Peace, and More

Last night, the chanichimot participated in a longtime mosh tradition, Aliyah Bet. During Aliyah Bet, we learn about migration to Israel, particularly in times when it has been very difficult. This year, Aliyah Bet is themed around Moroccan migration to Israel, from the period of 1956-1961. During this period, all Jewish emigration and Zionist activity was illegal in Morocco. Habonim and Dror, the forerunners of our current Habonim Dror movement, organized covert movements of Jews to Israel.

The older chanichimot woke up shortly after bedtime and were led along one of our trails. Along the way, they met tzevet members playing historical figures from this time and learned about the challenges of migration to Israel. After they circled back to machaneh, the chanichimot got a midnight snack, went back to bed, and had a sleep in.

In the morning, the younger kids went along the same trail, meeting and talking with the historical figures. When they were done, everyone was awake. Everyone at machaneh gathered together for a closing ceremony that focused on the real lives of the people they learned about. They also had a moment of memorializing the people from the Egoz ship who perished in 1961 on their way to Israel.

In the afternoon, we had a visit from Ultimate Peace, an organization that works to educate about coexistence through sports. An Israeli and an Arab ultimate Frisbee coach came to machaneh. They facilitated games of ultimate Frisbee as well as conversations about a path towards peace and acceptance among Israelis and Arabs.

It was a great day of history, sports, and thoughtful conversations.

Shabbat at Mosh

Tonight will be the first Shabbat of second session. There are many special ways we celebrate Shabbat together at machaneh. Our festivities begin with “Huggy Kissy Time,” where everyone gathers around the toren to welcome the Shabbos. After this, everyone makes their way to the MLC for Shabbat Shira, which is singing Shabbat songs and Israeli folk songs. Once we finish singing Shabbat Shira songs, we all link up and hold hands in one giant chain led by the rosh, Leah. We sing “Lo Yisa Goy,” or “Don’t Walk In Front Of Me,” as we walk in a spiral, coiling around Leah. Everyone sits as Leah tells a story. After this story, everyone stands up and faces the setting sun. With their arms around each other, chanichimot and madrichimot sing “Shabbat HaMalka” to welcome the Shabbos Queen.

Once this song is done, chanichimot rush to the chadar ochel in excitement for the delicious Shabbat food. With the prayers said, chanichimot indulge in a beautiful dinner consisting of chicken (with vegetarian and vegan options, of course), roasted potatoes, salad, and homemade challah. After dinner, the chanichimot gather in the MLC for the oneg, which includes a skit, a small group song, a large group song, a modern dance, and an Israeli dance. Once the oneg is over, everyone races to the basketball court for the start of rikkud, which is Israeli dancing.

At this point in the night, everyone is exhausted, and rightfully so. After a day of cleaning and preparing machaneh for Shabbat, followed by the intense workout that is Israeli dancing, chanichimot have no trouble falling asleep, and in fact, they even get to sleep in on Saturday!

We begin Saturday mornings at 11 o’clock with Rejuvination, which is a time to reflect on the week and relax. The chanichimot then attended special Shabbat chugim, including discussing the news, writing poetry, and more. In the afternoon, there is time for more restful and fun activities, such as cloud-watching, swimming, gaga, and art.

The next part of the day is called zman tzrif/ohel, which means time with your cabin/tent. This is time where chanichimot split up into their tzrifim and ohelim to spend time with this small group of campers, do check-ins, eat food, play games, and chill out. After this, the chanichimot head to the basketball court for Asepha Klalit, which is a time when the chanichimot can suggest improvements or compliment things that machaneh is doing well. Some classic suggestions are “we should move the lower shetach closer to the pool!” or “we should have golf carts,” but a lot of chanichimot also use this time to say more useful things, like “the door handle to the sherutim is broken,” or “let’s be quiet during shira!” The chanichimot love voicing their opinions and bettering the Mosh community.

Mishpachot (families) is the next activity in the day, and it is where chanichimot split up by the places they are from so that they can talk about things relevant to their own communities at home.

After mishpachot, we all head to dinner where we eat pizza and cantaloupe! Next comes musicale where chanichimot showcase their musical talents, and after that comes Havdallah.

Once the first three stars in the sky are out, we do Havdallah. This is a peaceful time where we lie down to take in the night sky and reflect on the week. Then, we circle up and sing Havdallah prayers while swaying with our arms around each other. Once Havdallah is finished, we head to Medurah, where chanichimot perform acts in front of our bonfire. This is followed by kumzitz (Yiddish for “come sit”) where we sing songs such as Angel From Montgomery, Country Roads, Redemption Song, Sweet Baby James, Dark as a Dungeon, and so many more!

Shabbat is a special and amazing time at Mosh, unlike any other. It is a time of rest, community, rejuvenation, and fun!