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8/15/2019 0 Comments

The Weekly Schmooze Issue 5

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K’ton Ton
Wow! What a week! This week we took a trip to Asia. We started by making Chinese lanterns. Then we enjoyed making and eating candy sushi. Our week ended with Israel Day. We went to Shuk and tasted delicious Israeli chocolate. We made mud, planted seeds, we made a wish on the Western Wall, we went fishing, made a Kabbalah bracelet, we had tea, and did juice tasting. We also ate Falafel and went to Boot Camp! What a day! What a week!
 
Shalom
We had so much fun traveling around Asia this week.  We got nice and sticky making candy sushi and got to practice using our chopsticks.  It was a beautiful day at Keansburg, everyone had a blast running through the waterpark.  We also got to try out our new challah baking oven this week.  Lots of campers got to roll and braid dough to make their own challah.  Israeli Day was themed around birthright; we learned so much.  We also participated in boot camp, tried falafel and made chocolate balls.  We are about to travel into Antarctica, we are looking forward to some chilly temperatures and our Day of Caring and Sharing.  Please remember to wear your pajamas on Friday and bring a pair to donate.  
 
Chalutz
Konnichiwa from Chalutz! During week five Chalutz traveled through “Asia”, learning the value of respect and customs from countries such as China, Japan, and India. Chalutz campers participated in many cultural activities.  They learned about Chinese, Japanese, and Indian art.  They painted Chinese characters, decorated paper fans, made Koi fish art, mandala sun catchers and made candy sushi. 
Chalutz had fun in the sun on our trip to Luna Park in Coney Island!  The campers enjoyed new rides, sweet treats and arcade games. 
Our campers and counselors practiced the value of “respect” throughout the week. This weeks’ Mensch of the Week go to three campers that exhibited this value. 
 
Maccabiah
Hard to believe we just finished our 5th week in camp! This week in camp was a lot of fun. A special highlight was when Painting with aTwist came to camp for Club Macc and helped us paint toucans! With a very difficult painting at hand, we all did an incredible job. We are looking forward to them visiting us again very soon! Additionally, we went to Dorney Park. Although the weather did not cooperate with us, we were still able to get on quite a few rides and learned how to have fun in the rain! On Thursday, we tie dyed shirts, which came out very nice! On Friday, we were lucky to be a part of Israeli Day, where we participated in a lot of activities that represented the Israel culture. A favorite of the campers were dancing  the Horah and eating falafels. We are really looking forward to what week 6 brings!
 
Teen Travel
This past week, Teen Travel attended Mountain Creek on Monday.  We took on the wave pool, followed by the craziest ride, Colorado River Rapids.  Many campers also tried the new drop slide, where we were standing in the tube and then the floor released beneath us!  On Tuesday, we went to Diamond Gymnastics.  We went to their brand new facility to rock climb and do gymnastics.  Many of us were doing flips, jumping into the foam pits, and completing somersaults!  On Wednesday, we went to Dorney Park.  Many of us went through the waterpark, then the amusement park.  Many campers took on Steel Force, which has the biggest drop in the park and Hydra, which has the world's fastest corkscrew for a rollercoaster.  On Thursday, we went to Manhattan for the first time all summer and went to the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.  Campers were shown where the media sits, where suites are located, and even were able to go on the actual floor where all the action happens.  We were also taken to the New York Knicks and New York Rangers locker rooms, which were amazing!  On Friday, we celebrated Israel Day.  We walked around to different booths to simulate an Israeli experience.  We even were able to eat lots of falafel, which is a popular food item in Israel.  We then went on to see Lion King! We came back to Shabbat and had a special guest singer from the M.O.R.E. division of our camp, which was spectacular, and finally ended our day with challah, grape juice, and ice cream!
 
Marvin’s Jr. 
It was an amazing week at camp for our Marvin’s Juniors Campers. On Monday, campers enjoyed the ventriloquist show. We also made candy sushi and enjoyed many of our specialist activities. On Thursday, we went on a trip to Medieval Times. It was an unforgettable day as we enjoyed a medieval feast and watched a live action show. On Friday, we enjoyed our Israeli Day special events. Campers participated in an Israeli boot camp and took a tour of Israel!
 
Marvin’s
Week 5 was so much fun! We started the week with our Monday show which was a great Ventriloquist! On Tuesday we had a lot of fun making candy sushi with our friends in our shelter. Fruit roll-ups wrapped around Rice Krispie treats and sour straws, so yummy! On Wednesday some of our groups had the opportunity to make Challah bread and bake it in our brand new oven! The campers said it was a lot of fun and they enjoyed eating their creations. On Wednesday we also endured in a chopstick challenge where the campers competed to see who could put the most mini marshmallow's on their plate only using chopsticks! They had a blast. On Thursday we had an incredible time at Medieval Times where our Blue Knight won! We ended the week on Friday with Shabbat, boot camp run by our ropes specialist, we made Falafel in our shelters, and we went around to different booths all for Israeli Day! Week 5 was so much fun and we can't wait for what week 6 will bring us!
 
Marvin’s MORE
Week 5 for MORE was an exciting week!  Monday we hiked up the trails of Mountain Creek Water Park and went down all of the water slides.  Tuesday we jumped and flipped on the trampolines at Diamond Gymnastics, and practiced our rock climbing skills.  Wednesday we cheered at the top of our lungs as the Yankees defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Let's go Yankees!  Thursday we drove to the Palisades Mall and participated in the rock climbing expedition inside the mall.  Finally, on Friday we relaxed at the movies and watched Lion King.  To wrap the week up, we were lucky enough to have one of our campers Robert Lombardi perform for us at Shabbat by singing, and playing his keyboard.  Thanks Robert!
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 K’ton Ton 
Our Mensches this week were Leilani Neely and Saul Polansky.
Leilani helps out by keeping the shelter clean. She is a great swimmer and a loving and caring friend.  
Saul loves to help out at cooking and he has become a JuJitzu expert. He a group favorite. 
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The counselor mensches this week were from group 8. Imani, Cassidy, Aurianne and Julie.
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Shalom 
Jessica Jacobson for always being a big help and listening to her counselors. Alexandra Mamkin for encouraging her friends, making everyone laugh and always being happy to be at camp.
Elliot Rachman for always listening to his counselors,  being a team player and being kind to everyone and helping everyone clean up.
Mark Yuzary for playing nicely with everyone, helping his counselors and making good choices. 

Counselors:
Jacob for being a good sport during Mondays show and for being a great representation of Shalom. 
Andrea for being a great counselors, always helping her campers and making sure all campers feel included.  
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Michael for always being happy and positive and being a great addition to the Shalom family. 
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Chalutz 
Shoshana from group 3 and Josh Gluck from group 5: Both Shoshana and Josh are always respectful to their counselors and fellow campers. They are so polite and are always is sure to say please and thank you! 
I would also like to Menschen Mike Man from group 7.  Although, he was not here for last weeks Mensch Ceremony he deserves to be rewarded for his actions. Mike saw that his friend was in an unsafe situation and stepped in to help by getting his counselor.  
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Maccabiah
Jacqueline- for being kind and buying food for other campers on trips. She is very appreciative of everything and has great manners.
Michael- for being the only camper to clean up cards off the floor, even when having an injured wrist. Michael is always respectful to his counselors and campers.
​Payton- for always being so kind to everyone. Payton always has a big smile on her face and tries to make her campers happy 100% of the time.
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Teen Travel 
Estee Anglada won Mensch of the Week for having a positive attitude and acting as a counselor during extended hours!
Alanna Silvestre won Mensch of the Week for staying behind at cooking to help clean the entire area! Austin Lerner won Mensch of the Week for setting an example for all students on how to behave and have fun!
​Matt Cinelli won Mensch of the Week for being nice to new campers and always making new friends!
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Marvin’s Jr.
Patrick Feng (Group 4): Patrick is a wonderful camper who is a kind, compassionate, and respectful camper. He is always willing to help his fellow campers whenever he can. His positive attitude helps to motivate his fellow campers throughout the day!
Vincent Sealy (Group 4): Vincent is a polite, caring and energetic camper. He is a great friend to his fellow campers and counselors. He is always following directions and participating in all activities throughout the camp day!
Counselor Ulysses (Group 4): Ulysses is an upbeat, hardworking counselor who is always eager to step in when needed. This past week he led the campers in a full division dance party and kept the fun going!
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Marvin’s 
Emily Parisi
She is nice to her counselors and campers. She always does what she is told to do, never complains and always has a smile on her face! 
​Rafael Colon
Not only was his 18th birthday on Friday, Ralph is also a a great camper to have in your group! He loves to talk and will always be happy to see you. 
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MORE 
The menches of the week were Robert Lombardi and Sara Dalton.  Both campers showed a great, positive attitude the entire week.  Sara is always friendly, and always made sure that her friends were having fun the whole week.  Robert performed for Shabbat by singing, and playing keyboard.  Way to go guys!
The counselors whom were awarded menche of the week were Esther Silva and Vincent Biondolillo.  Both Esther and Vin made sure to participate in all camp activities, and made sure to bring  a positive attitude to work every single day.  Excellent job!
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Specialist Spotlight - Cooking
This week’s spotlight shines a light on the specialist Lori who teaches cooking. This week’s project features a food “campfire.” Campers employed a green frosting grass, sugar cookie pit, Oreo cookie ash, pretzel logs, sour straw flames, and of course marshmallows. The campers all love cooking and it provides a chance for campers to become familiar with a unique skillset. As a counselor, our group used to wait impatiently each week for our chance to go to cooking. A truly hot commodity on campus, it is one of the most beloved periods that the JCC offers.
Lori told me that there are many values of cooking that she thinks it’s important that campers experience. She loves the feeling of togetherness when a whole group works together on a project. She said that cooking teaches about patience and dedication to see projects through. Lastly, she noted what a great creative outlet cooking is for children. When asked why she keeps returning year after year, she replied “I do it for the kids.”

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Holler for Challah!
We have added a new hands-on activity to our camp program that has quickly become popular, tasty and may inspire future bakers. Campers are now shaping their own challah bread, made from a rich, golden dough.
Challah is made in various sizes and shapes, all of which have been given symbolic meanings.  According to some, braided ones, which may have three, four, or six strands, are the most common, and because they look like arms intertwined, symbolize love. Others say that three braids symbolize truth, peace, and justice.  Round loaves, where there is no beginning and no end, are baked for Rosh Hashanah to symbolize continuity.  Perhaps, our campers can create their own Challah shape that symbolizes our camp.
Special thanks to JCC Facilities Director Mark Sefcik (pictured), for adding his technical expertise and getting the oven up and running.
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Value of the Week: Respect

Ben Zoma says…Who is respected? One who respects all others.”

Judaism teaches us to treat others with respect. Respect is an attitude of regard for the rights, dignity, feelings, wishes and abilities of others. Similarly, the Torah (Bible) teaches us that we are all created in the image of God. This simple and profound idea should guide our interactions with all people. If we see each person as created in the image of God, then his or her humanity and dignity is paramount.
 
At the JCC Camp, we strive to create an environment where each person’s well-being is of supreme importance. We treat our peers with respect, teach campers to respect staff, train staff to respect campers and remind everyone to respect our campgrounds and environment  We also respect campers and staff who demonstrate this quality by honoring them with the “Mensch of the Week” award.
 
A STORY FROM THE JEWISH TRADITION

A pious, well-known but poorly dressed rabbi took a lengthy train ride to a town far away. He was subject to insult and verbal abuse from a base fellow in his train car. When the train finally came to a halt, the rabbi came off the platform to thousands of excited disciples who waited for his arrival.
The fellow in his car looked mortified as he stood beside the rabbi. “I’m so ashamed. I had no idea who you were. Please accept my apologies.” The rabbi turned to him and said, “Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to everyone else. When you insulted me, you did so because I was everyone else.”
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