In this time of lasts today was a first…the first full rain day that is.  This morning we woke up to some wet weather that lasted all day.  After a lazy breakfast we sent the camp back for an extra good cabin clean followed by a rainy day morning.  Instead of regular activities we offered board games in the dining hall, a special Timber activity in Uncle Milts, and some banquet prep and bunk time for our Summits.  Although it was dreary outside our spirits were all upbeat as headed into the afternoon.  After lunch we had our “Messy Monday”/”Twisted Tuesday Eve” that G-14 arranged.  After “attacking” Kate Monge in the dining hall with water balloons and whipped cream the entire camp proceeded to the softball field for a game of paint twister and a slip n slide.  Everyone had a blast and really enjoyed themselves.  After the messy start to the afternoon everyone relaxed with a few movies around camp and truly enjoyed a “lazy” day that we had very few of this summer.

Slip Slidin' Away

Today we celebrated our last Shabbat, the first of what are to be many lasts over the next several days.  The morning started with our traditional Shabbat PJ breakfast followed by our Shabbat morning activities.  Because the weather has been so amazing this summer we have not been able to do “Micah Cribs”( a rainy day activity where each cabin decorates their bunk in a certain theme)so we decided to have Micah Cribs as the second part of our morning. It was so much fun to walk around to see how all of the cabins decorated.  The themes ranged from Jungle to Candyland to Empire Strikes Back.  This again is another activity that showcases how creative our campers are.

After lunch and our extended rest hour we welcomed the Magician, Gary Goodman to camp.  Gary performed two separate magic shows along with a workshop for the campers today.  Everyone really enjoyed seeing him perform his tricks and then learning some of the “secrets” .  After the magic show we had our Shabbat choice period followed by our Shabbq and campfire.  Tomorrow we have a late wake up (8:30 Breakfast) and then normal activities.

As promised … here is the list of readings from tonight’s Shabbat Service.

Reading 1:

A great pianist was once asked by an ardent admirer: “How do you handle the notes as well as you do?” The artist answered: “The notes I handle no better than many pianists, but the pauses between the notes—ah! That is where the art resides.”
In great living, as in great music, the art may be in the pauses. Surely one of the enduring contributions which Judaism made to the art of living was the Shabbat, “the pause between the notes.” And it is to the Shabbat that we must look if we are to restore to our lives the sense of serenity and sanctity which Shabbat offers in such joyous abundance.

Reading 2:

I am almost a hundred years old; waiting for the end, and thinking about the beginning.
There are things I need to tell you, but would you listen if I told you how quickly time passes?
I know you are unable to imagine this.
Nevertheless, I can tell you that you will awake someday to find that your life has rushed by at a speed at once impossible and cruel. The most intense moments will seem to have occurred only yesterday and nothing will have erased the pain and pleasure, the impossible intensity of love and its dog-leaping happiness, the bleak blackness of passions unrequited, or unexpressed, or unresolved.”

Readings 3:

Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can’t buy more hours. Scientists can’t invent new minutes. And you can’t save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you’ve wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.

If I could reach that certain star
And make a wish so true
It would not just be a wish for me
but a wish for all of you.

In a world so full of problems,
My wish would be for peace
People of all nations joining hands
Not wanting to escape or be released.

War, crime destruction
These three words we use every day
If I had that one wish
These three words would be wiped away.

Countries would no longer be at war
People would be good to each other
We were all created equal
God said to love one another.

So if I had that one wish
It would be for peace not sorrow
This way children just like you and me
Would have a future – a tomorrow.

Reading 4:

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves – who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence liberates others.

Reading 5:

I love to change the world,
But I rarely appreciate things as they are.
I know how to give,
But I don’t always know how to receive.
I know how to keep busy,
But I don’t often listen.
I look, but I don’t often see.
I yearn to succeed,
But I often forget what is truly important.
Teach me, God, to slow down. May my resting revive me.
May it lead me to wisdom, to holiness
To peace and to You.

Reading 6
There is something about the congregation praying together, as one, that makes me feel more alive than on a brisk winter’s day. There is something about all of our voices rising together, as one, which fills me with a quiet happiness that stays with me long after the singing stops. Why is it that here, I can feel separate bodies come together, as one, and hold on to that perfect unity as long as possible? Why, here, am I able to reach out effortlessly, and touch someone’s hand, by doing that, touch heaven? There is something about this place, which brings out the best in me, for it brings out the best in us all. Surely this place is holy and I did not know it. I give thanks for this new and beautiful finding.

As i write this blog our oldest boys are watching the Patriots game on a giant screen outside the dining hall while our oldest girls are sleeping under the stars at the ladder. The rest of our evening activities were a blast; The Critter Girls has a campfire sing-a-long and s’more fest. The Critter Boys and all Prowlers went to a Luau at the pool hosted by the fantastic CIT. There were yummy snacks and drinks and of course lots of games and laughs. The Timber girls had an Iron Chef competition while the Timber Boys played a wacky game of tennis on the soccer field. All in all it was an amazing evening of unique Micah experiences.

A today began as very rainy trip day and many of the units were off to the movies. The brave Summits went to Funtown and enjoyed the park to themselves. One counselor said that he rode the Excalibur twelve times. It was a great day and the sun came out briefly in the afternoon.

Tonight was our last dance of the season in Uncle Milt’s, a great night for all! We are all looking forward to counselor switch day tomorrow and many other end of the season Micah traditions in the coming days.

The Final Countdown

Gold and Blue awoke this morning to the traditional playing of “The Final Countdown.”  The teams were excited to get started on the final day of Color War.  The morning started with team rallies and breakfast cheers.  After clean up, the teams gathered in the chapel for the inaugural Camp Micah Spelling Bee, hosted by the one and only Scott “Flick” Flickinger.  Both teams had a lot of fun, f-u-n, fun.  After the Spelling Bee, the teams rallied to prepare for their final lunch cheers.  It’s amazing to see how creative our campers are each day as they create unique cheers to perform at every meal.  After lunch, each camper got in a solid Rest Hour before getting back to the competitions of the day.  Every camper and staff member was looking forward to the Micah Marathon (where Gold and Blue race through a series of events, passing a baton along the way, and culminating in our Rope Burn).  This year, we saw the closest marathon in Micah history with Blue edging out Gold as their ropes broke just 12 seconds apart.  Each team then did a great job cleaning up the entire camp before their final SING practices and team rallies.  As Gold and Blue entered Uncle Milt’s after dinner, everyone could feel how close the competition was.  It was truly anyone’s game this year.  SING began with the presentation of each team’s plaque that will soon hang in our Dining Hall.  After each team performed their cheer, alma mater, and free song, the Summit Captains and Co-Captains spoke to the camp about how much these past three days have meant to each of them.  The judges then left our theater to tally the scores as each team waited in anticipation.  Without further ado, the winner of Color War 2011 is….BLUE!  Congratulations to both teams for an incredible three days filled with competition, spirit, and sportsmanship.

Day two of Color War is in the book and it seems as if everything is very close.  Today the day started with two rounds of Unit activities in the morning followed by our Track and swim meets in the afternoons.  During the first hour of the track and swim meets we received a really heavy rain that seemed to really wake up the campers and rejuvenate their spirits.  Tonight we did the Micah Clue Hunt where teams had to figure out clues that would lead to another and another.  It was a lot of fun and really goes to show how smart and resourceful our campers are.  Tomorrow is the last day of Color War and we look forward to our two signature events; The Micah Marathon and The Sing.  Make sure to check back in tomorrow night to find out who won Color War.

Who would of thought, a snow day at Micah in August?  I’ll tell you who, the Color War Committee.  I am pleased to announce that we broke our second session Color War this morning by waking the camp up to a snow day.  The campers were woken up to “Winter Wonderland” and a special edition of the Micah Update which announced the freak August snowstorm.  After the wakeup campers and counselors proceeded to the dining hall where three snow machines were making it snow inside.  In addition to the snow machine there were decorations, once of which featured a board of camp closings.  Needless to say everyone was excited and eager to get to the activities.

After breakfast we had the Tug of War followed by two rounds of Unit activities in the afternoon.  Although it looked like rain most of the day, we were able to get all activities done as scheduled.  This evening we unveiled a new allcamp, Micah double dare.  Here campers competed in trivia and challenge.  Everyone had a blast and is also worn out from a long day.  Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day of Color War.

Today was not only the start of second session CW, it was also Alumni Day.  We were so excited to welcome all those back home even if it could only be for a day.

Snow Day

Tonight, I am going to write this blog post in reverse order of the days events.  Our evening activity was an amazing concert by Stephen Marcos and a dance in Uncle Milt’s (the Critter girls are spending the  night at the ladder) .  The camp was rockin’ and many campers got his autograph after the concert.

We are so happy that the Micah In Israel campers and staff arrived home safely.  Everyone looks great!!!!  They are simply abuzz with stories and anecdotes about their five week excursion in Israel and Poland.  I cannot wait to hear more stories from them at Shabbat services tomorow night.   Our weary travelers got a very warm Micah welcome complete with a giant welcome home sign and many, many hugs from all of their friends and family.  It was a very happy reunion for all.

We also had a quick Counselor Appreciation meeting after dinner.  We showed the staff a short video which we hope will help keep spirits up as we move into the final days of camp.   (You can find the video on our Facebook page.)

The Upper Timber Girls returned from their Sacco Canoe trip right before dinner.  They had a great time and one of them actually said (out loud)  that they enjoyed hiking and sleeping in a tent and wanted to canoe longer.  They also enjoyed a quick visit to Starbucks on the way home.

At Micah it is Tie-Dye Thursday and  we had activities and a soccer game at Camp Winona.  There was also a hike to Pleasant Mountain.  The pool staff is busy preparing for our annual swim meet which is scheduled for tomorrow.

Today was Wednesday and we all know what that means, TRIP DAY!  The camp enjoyed an late wakeup and then each unit was off to their awesome destinations.  The Critters and Prowlers enjoyed the day at Sebago Lake State Park followed by a trip for ice cream and the Gazebo.  The Lower Timbers spent the day at Big Adventure while the Upper Timbers enjoyed a hike up Mt. Willard.  Our Summits spent the day at York Beach and then enjoyed the evening in Old Port, Portland where they were able to shop and go out to dinner.

Tomorrow we resume normal activities and are really looking forward to our concert tomorrow night featuring Steven Marcos, a Tampa, FL based singer.  As you can only imagine with each passing day the talk of Color War keeps intensifying.  Who knows, maybe it will break tonight???

Make sure to check out the amazing photos taken by some of our campers.  You can find these on our Tumblr page, enjoy.

www.campmicah.tumblr.com

It really does not get old saying this but today was another beautiful day at Camp Micah.  Though some rain threatened in the afternoon we were able to get through all of our activities.  This morning we hosted our U 15 girl’s soccer tournament round robin.  In the first game against Fernwood Cove we played very hard but ultimately lost in two overtimes and penalty kicks.  Ever the troopers our girls immediately bounced back to beat Forest Acres 7-0 to ensure a second place finish.

This afternoon our U 15 boys soccer team traveled to Wigwam for a game and I am pleased to report they won by a score of 8-1. I have been assured that the boys has a blast and were, as usual, great sports.  The rest of the camp enjoyed normal activities in both the morning and afternoon.

This evening our evening activities were by Unit.  They included British Longball, paint twister, Micah Fortress, and some other fun choices.

Tomorrow promises to be exciting as our U 15 boys Hockey team is set to compete against Kingswod and our 8^th grade boys leave on their Canoe trip overnight.  We will update you all again tomorrow night!

Going for the goal

It was a very busy and exciting day at Camp Micah today. We awoke to a gloriously sunny day, not a cloud in the sky! Several campers and staff went on a climbing overnight to Jockey Cap Mountain and others went on a day hike in the White Mountains. Our U11 boys kickball team went to camp Kingswood and played a rough and tumble game and emerged victorious. We welcomed the Hampstead Theater Company who performed Aladdin for our Critters and Prowlers this evening and also led an amazing improv character workshop for our campers. Some of the Timber girls are spending the night out at the ladder and the Summits were completely occupied and engrossed in their evening activity, American Gladiators.

Today was one of those classic Maine summer days that we absolutely live for here at Micah.  Waking up to temps in the lower 70’s, a bright blue sky, and a nice breeze we knew we were going to be in for a great day.  The morning, as do all Saturdays, started with our lazy, pajama, buffet breakfast that featured waffles, blinces, fruit, assorted cereals, and bagels.  Needless to say this is one meal everyone can’t wait for.

After breakfast we preceded to our Shabbat morning activities.  Among the choices this week were services, a baldpate hike, yoga, girls circle, being a mench, along with many others.  After Shabbat morning and Kiddush the campers were given a free choice period.  During the free choice our 8^th graders went to the waterfront to practice for their canoe trip while the critters experienced the thrill of the zip line.  Other activities included tennis, basketball, kickball, bocce, badminton, soccer, and board games.

After lunch and rest hour we had our all camp activity which was Potterpalooza.  The entire camp was split into the four houses of Hogwarts and competed against one another in Harry Potter themed activities.  Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves, especially playing Quidditch.

Tonight was our traditional cookout dinner followed by Campfire and Havdallah. Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day as we send our U 11 boys Kickball to Kingswood for a game.  Have a great night!

Tie Dye Thursday is always a colorful day at Micah. Today was the campers first day with their individualized schedules and camp was buzzing with activity! From Uncle Milt’s to the pool, campers were playing, singing, running and climbing all over camp.

We played a girls tennis intercamp competition against Camp Mataponai and our 3 on 3 boys soccer team came in second place at the Wigwam soccer tournament.

Tonight we had a delicious dinner (egg rolls, stir fry and rice) followed by a dance in Uncle Milt’s. Bunk G3 is out at the Ladder for a night of s’mores and bunk bonding.

Well it was another fun filled and action packed day at Camp Micah.  Today the camp went around by bunk during the morning and during the afternoon we ran some special programming led by the Unit Leaders.

Evening activity tonight was by area.  The Girls met their big sisters while the Boys did boat building with their camp families.  From what I saw it looks like each area had a lot of fun and there were no doubt some wet guys from attempting to sail their boats across the pool.

Tomorrow we begin regular schedules and we are not doubt sure the campers are anxious to get them.  We also have the first inter-camp, tournament and hike of second month.

Today began and ended soggy and wet … but most of the day was dry and perfect camp weather for our bunk activities and first full day of second session.  Our campers and staff were full of spirit today as they had a chance to try new things and make new friends.  Each of the campers had some time with someone from our amazing scheduling crew, customizing and tweaking their individual schedule. After a really delicious dinner of BBQ chicken and potato skins all of the units were out and about at Unit Activities.  I saw Timbers (grades 7 &  playing Micah Camper Bingo in the Dining Hall and Prowlers (grades 5 & 6)  playing human Guess Who?  at the upper Basketball Court.  The Summits (grades 9 & 10) played trivia games in Uncle Milt’s and the Critters (grades 3 & 4) were in Gymnastics for the evening.  It was a great  day that ended with a fantastic night!

night!

Believe it or not but today was the beginning of second session.  After an amazing visiting day that featured perfect weather, great food, smiling (and crying) parents and a lot of candy we welcomed our second session campers to Micah this afternoon.  The busses pulled through the gates at exactly 3:45pm and were greeted to loud cheers from our staff and full season campers.  Everyone was so excited to be at camp; they immediately ran to old friends or were quickly engulfed by their new bunk mates.

Once the chaos settled (a bit) they went back to their bunks to collect their bags and unpack.  After which some played games, some received tours of camp and some just caught up on all that has been happening.  Tonight we were treated to our traditional first night meal of pizza and cookies – YUM!  Needless to say this was a hit and I am again still amazed at how much pizza this camp can eat.

After dinner we headed down to the outdoor stage for our meet and greet which featured several songs by various groups of the administration – some were much better than others, but all were funny.  After the songs, some cheers, the Shehecheyanu bunks went off for some bonding time and bunk meetings.  Tomorrow and Wednesday the campers will go around to activities by bunk (and some Unit) and regular schedules will begin on Thursday.

G 14 '11 HUH!

It’s hard to believe that today was the last day of first session and that visiting today is tomorrow.  Today we had our P.J. Buffet breakfast followed by our Shabbat morning activities and packing and cleaning time.  After lunch we finished the packing and then enjoyed some Bunk choice activities.  Once we were done with bunk choice we had hosted our annual camper vs. staff soccer game, which I am pleased to report the staff won by a score of 4-1.  In addition to the soccer game we held our Island swim.  Over 40 campers and staff completed the nearly one mile course.  After the heat we have had, it felt great to swim in the lake.

Tonight was our weekly cookout dinner followed by Campfire and Havdallah.  As always today is very bittersweet, while we look forward to welcoming all of our families to camp we know how much we will miss those campers who have to leave.  See everyone tomorrow!

Some of the awards from Banquet

Well, I’m sure this will come as no surprise to anyone living on the east coast but today was another Scorcher in Maine.  We woke up to temperatures already in the low 90’s and knew we needed to do something about today.  Instead of sending the campers to regular activities we decided to send the Critters, Prowlers and Timbers bowling while the Summits stayed in to “run” camp.  The Summits spent the morning at the lake and the pool followed by a picnic lunch.  In the afternoon we set up a few movies in some indoor locations to find some reprieve from the 100 degree temps.  Around 2pm we surprised them with Pizza and soda.  The Units who went bowling had a blast and really seemed to enjoy their second trip day of the week.

Tonight we welcomed Shabbat with Rabbi Lipof and really embraced coming together as a community for one of the final times of this session.  After services we headed to the dining hall for our first session Blue and Gold Disco Banquet presented by our talented C.I.T’S.  They did a wonderful job and a big thanks goes out to our C.I.T coordinator Daniel Anderson and our hosts Sonny and Cher.  After banquet we headed back to the chapel for first session award and the slide show.  It’s hard to believe that almost four weeks have passed since the campers arrived.  But as the saying goes, “time flies when you are having fun”, and we are most certainly having fun this summer!

With temperatures nearing 100 degrees, our campers and counselors tried everything to keep cool from water balloon fights to running through sprinklers. This morning our G14 girls went on a special blueberry picking excursion while at camp our morning activities continued as planned. For the afternoon we cancelled our regularly scheduled activities so everyone could hang out and cool off at the pool and at the lake. The highlight of our day was this evening’s premier of Camp Micah’s rendition of Grease. Our campers sang and danced their hearts out despite the heat. Once the play concluded, the cast and crew were rewarded with a quick nighttime dip in the pool.

A-B-C DOGS! Today was trip day and the entire camp went to see the Portland Seadogs vs. the Binghamton Mets.  The game went down to the wire but we are excited to report that the Seadogs won the game on a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning.  Everyone had a great time and the weather could not have been better.

Tonight we had our weekly dance and this week we decided to have it outdoors on the tennis courts.  The campers danced to the music provided by D.J. Andrew Lipof and if that was not enough we were treated to a live performance from Kenny Goldberg.  Tomorrow is the play and everyone is looking forward to seeing GREASE!

At the game

It’s hard to believe that we have entered the last week of first session.  Where has the time gone?  But let’s not dwell on that.  Instead, let’s focus on what a night we had last night.  It started out with our Talent Show, and as we say every time we are always impressed by how talented our campers are. The acts were great and one of the highlights had to be the Micah minis dance routine.  After the talent show the camp was treated to a 15 minute fireworks show from ATLAS Pyrotechnics.  Everyone LOVED the show, especially the Epic finale which features some really cool displays.

Today we hosted our fourth annual 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  There were four divisions; U 15 boys, U 15 girls, U 12 boys, and U 12 girls.  I am pleased to announce that Camp Micah won both the U 15 boys and the U 12 girls divisions.  Unfortunately Mother Nature decided to throw us a curve ball during the U 15 girl’s final, which featured Micah vs. Forest Acres, and have the rains come.  All in all the day was a success and all of the campers (from Micah and the other camps) had a great time and got to play a lot of basketball.

This afternoon the sun came out, the courts dried and regular activities resumed.  The rain did serve as a bit of relief from the heat and everyone really seemed in good spirits from the cooler temps, although we are assured they are short lived.

In other Micah news the rehearsal for the play has really begun the amp up and we all look forward to opening night of Grease on Thursday.  Evening activity tonight is by Unit and activities range from Casino night to a “Bat Critzvah”  – sounds fun!

The second part of our evening activity

Well it’s been a busy end to the week here at Micah.  On Friday we hosted two games, a U 13 Girls basketball vs. Mataponi and a U 11 Boys soccer vs Winona.  The girls played a phenomenal game and came from 10 down to rally to within two within two in the last two minutes of the game.  Unfortunately the shot to tie the game came just as the buzzer had sounded.  The girls were not upset and were proud at how hard they fought.  It was a lot of fun to watch, especially the finish.  The Boys soccer was off and running from the get go with Micah taking an early 2-0 lead and not looking back.  The boys prevailed 5-1 against a very talented Winona squad.  As usual, both teams were great sports and represented camp very well.

The afternoon proceeded with regular activities as we welcomed back our 10^th graders from Acadia National Park.  Though they were all extremely tired they couldn’t help but go on and on about how much fun they had on the trips.  Some highlights included a lumber jack show, sea kayaking, and seeing the sun rise on Cadillac Mountain.

Last evening we welcomed Shabbat with Rabbi Lipof.  The entire camp was thrilled that she was with us and thoroughly enjoyed her service and story that really seemed to hit home.  Rabbi Lipof also led a “Questions for the Rabbi” group for Shabbat morning today.  Other offerings were services, yoga, a bald pate hike, amongst several other unit offerings.  This afternoon the All camp was Army –Navy capture the flag that was led by our CIT’S.  The entire camp participated and had a blast.  I must say, our CIT’S did a great job making sure everything went smoothly.

The day concluded with our tradition cook-out of burgers and dogs.  After dinner we enjoyed our weekly campfire and Havadallah service.  It’s hard to believe that we only have one week left in first session.  Where has the time gone?  As they say, time flies by when you’re having fun!

Today we woke up to cooler temperatures and bright sunshine at Micah.  All of the campers and staff seemed very well rested and full of energy after trip day yesterday.  Since today is Thursday, it’s Tie-Dye Thursday at Camp.  Many of the campers and staff had their Ti-e-Dyes on at Flag and the front green was a plethora of color and creative patterns.  This morning the campers were all at regular activities, though some had to be adjusted due to the Summit trips being out.  We have heard from both trips and they all sound like they are having an amazing time.  The 9^th graders will be back in camp tonight and the 10^th graders will return tomorrow.

This afternoon we hosted Wigwam in a U 13 Boys Hockey game.  Keeping with the spirit of Tie-Dye Thursday the entire team came dressed in Tie –Dye shirts as their uniforms.  Although we did score first , Wigwam got the better of us today.  Our guys played really hard, were awesome sports, and had a blast playing hockey.

Tonight is a Unit night and after speaking with the Unit Leaders it looks as if they have some amazing activities planned for their campers.  Tomorrow we host two intercamps; A U 13 Girls Soccer and  A U 11 Boys Soccer.

Hockey and Tie-Dye

Today was the first trip day of the summer and the campers were super excited.  The Summits left on their respective overnights while the Critters went to Aquaboggan and the Prowlers and Timbers went to Funtown.  Everyone seemed to have a great time and were telling stories of the awesome waterslides and roller coasters that they rode.  For some it was their first time, and for that they were called up to flag this evening.

Tonight is the dance and we have a special guest D.J from Bates entertainment.  The campers are having a blast playing games and doing silly dances.  Tomorrow is a regular activity day featuring a U 13 Boys Hockey game at 2:30.

This evenings rainbow

Well today is July 12, anyone know what that means?  Of course it means today is Mark’s birthday!  Contrary to popular opinion he did not turn 150.  This morning we were treated to Marks favorite breakfast, donuts!  The campers had their choice of glazed, chocolate frosted and sprinkled donuts.  Needless to say they were all excited and there were not very many left, especially after B-15 went looking for any unfinished boxes.

Today we had three separate age groups competing in three different tournaments: U 12 Boys Baseball (at Micah), U 15 Boys Baseball (at Micah), and the U 15 Girls Basketball (at Forest Acres).  I am very pleased to announce that both our U 15 Girls Basketball and our U 15 Boys Baseball won their respective tournaments.  While the U 12 boys did not win, they played really hard and gave it their best shot.  We want to congratulate our two U 15 teams on an amazing job, both in winning and how they conducted themselves and represented Camp Micah!  Way to go!

After lunch we decided that it was little hot for regular activities so we did a Water World, where some of the camp went to the pool and some went to the waterfront.  In addition we also had some of the cabins (for part of the time) working on their bunk plaques in Arts and Crafts and play rehearsal for our upcoming rendition of Grease.

For evening activity we had in Rob Surette and his Hero Art experience.  Rob put on an amazing hour long show where he made these portraits of peoples “heroes” in 10 minutes using only his hands, a canvas and paint.  For Mark he made and amazing one of Batman.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.  If you are interested I have included his link, http://www.amazingheroart.com/index.html

As a reminder our Summit trips leave tomorrow with the 9^th graders going on the Moxie rafting trip and the 10^th graders going to Acadia National park.  They are all super psyched and ready to get there.  Also, tomorrow is trip day so breakfast is at 9am and not 8am and there are no lunch phone calls.

Well as we say at Camp Micah, it’s “where the sun and kids shine”.  Today both of those happened in a huge way.  The morning started as a regular activity day as our U 15 girls soccer team left to compete in the prestigious Nashoba Cup at Nashoba North.  We were kept informed all day and were so excited when we heard they advanced from group play with a 2-0 record and headed into the semifinals.  I am very pleased to report that for the first time in Micah History our Under 15 girls soccer team are the Nashoba Cup Champions, winning 2-0 in the final game.  The girls were very excited and made the announcement to the camp at dinner.

We also had a U 13 flag football game at Wigwam this afternoon, although our boys fought very hard and tried their best they came up just a little short to a very strong Wigwam squad.  Our two overnight camping/hiking trips to Tripyamid and Welch-Dickey arrived just before dinner and it seemed everyone has a great time.  The campers could not stop talking about how much fun they had and all that they learned.

The day at camp was a hot one but none the less the campers seemed to be having a blast.  Whether they were playing tennis or swimming in the lake everyone seemed to have a smile on their face.  Evening activities ranged from the egg drop to paint wars and I can still hear some of the campers and staff having a blast outside as evening activities begin to wrap up.  Tomorrow is a big day as we host our U 15 and U 12 baseball tournaments and our U 15 girls compete in a basketball tournament at Forest Acres.  Have a great night!

Jumpin' for joy at Micah!

Watch Out Jeeter ...

With Sunday comes a new Micah week — a week full of camping overnights, intercamp competitions, tournaments and  of course many, many  surprises.

Today there were a few intercamp games against Camp Kingswood (u 13 girls newcomb & kickball; u 12 boys baseball) and our first trip to the Bridgton Senior Center.

On the hiking/camping  front G13 is at the Ladder tonight while another 20 or so campers are hiking/backpacking in the Waterville Valley.    Our hiking staff was very excited for this new overnight

After a pasta dinner with ooey gooey brownies for dessert, tonight was a Unit Night for Evening Activity:

Critter Girls:  Spa Night

Critter Boys:  Gaga

Prowler Girls: Four-way Dodgeball

Prowler Boys:  Egg Drop

Timber Girls:  Project Runway

Timber Boys:  British Long  Ball

Summits:  Micah-ranium

Another beautiful Micah Erev Shabbat service just ended as did another amazing Micah day.

Today many of our Summit campers visited Seeds of Peace.  Here is what a few of them had to say:

On Friday, we visited Seeds of Peace, an international camp that draws kids from around the world to discuss the conflicts in their regions. The first thing we noticed as the Micah vans rolled through the gates was the motley collection of flags from many different countries, all waving side by side- the first sign of just how unique the place was. After a quick tour of the campus and the starting sports of the day, we all congregated at their chapel and discussed the plan for the rest of the day. First, the cookout lunch, where we all “schmoozed” and learned a bit about everyone’s backgrounds. Next, many of us were lucky enough to observe the Muslim prayer service, which stressed the need for equality, reason, and respect for everyone, no matter their wealth, gender, or race. We finished the day off with a game of softball for the girls and soccer for the guys. We didn’t even care who won or lost- all that mattered was that we got to talk to kids who are the same age as us, wear the same clothes as us, speak the same slang as us, but have to deal with the responsibility of the world on their shoulders as they learn the way to peace. It was one of the most moving experiences of our lives to see these campers cheering each other on in five different languages after knowing each other for only two weeks, while governments around the world take years to arrange one peace negotiation. We wish that one day we will be able to see the results of the amazing Seeds program, and encourage others to help the camp with its mission for peace.

It was another beautiful day in downtown Bridgton and Sebago.  Since we had Color War on July 4^th, we celebrated Independence Day today (a few days later) with some special activities.  The day started with an 8:30 wake-up that was much appreciated by both campers and staff.  After our “lazy” start we ran some field games and opened the pool.  Also this morning our U 15 Girls Volleyball team hosted an inter-camp with Mataponi.  It was a lot of fun and the girls played so well.  We are pleased to report that Micah won the match 2 games to 1.

After lunch we hosted a homerun derby that featured a team of 5 campers vs. a team of 5 counselors.  I wish I could report the staff did better than they did but unfortunately I can’t, and the campers won by a count of 11 to 2.  When the derby was over we had our Fourth of July Carnival that featured a slip n slide, a water slide, a bounce house, a dunk tank, tons of games, a snow cone machine, popcorn and slushies.  Everyone had a blast, especially during the pie eating contest that turned into a food fight on the softball field.

Tonight, the evening activity is the dance.  A lot of campers came dressed in funny outfits and they are dancing and listening to the music being played by DJ Andrew Lipof.

Today was a glorious day at Camp Micah.  Several campers and staff went on a hiking trip to Mt. Bald while others (Critter girls) attended a soccer intercamp competition at Camp Mataponai.  This afternoon, we also hosted our first ever GAGA (Israeli dodgeball) intercamp competition against Camp Wigwam (Critter boys).     All of our campers enjoyed a great day of camp activities and delicious meals (homemade garlic bread, spaghetti and meatballs with apple crisp for dinner).

Tennis Anyone?

Tonight’s evening activities included:  Critter Games, an outing to the Ladder or Spa Night the Prowler girls, Timber Bring Me and Summit Micah-Cranium.   Tomorrow we will be having our (belated due to Color war) Independence Day festivities including a carnival.

The Tug of War Begins

What a day we had today, it being first session color war after all.  The morning started with each team taking the time to decorate the outside of the dining hall in their team colors.  It’s always so fun to see how much spirit our campers have.

After breakfast it was off to the softball field for the Tug of War.  This was one of the most even pulls in recent memories.   The campers were working so hard and you could really see the effort in their faces. After the Tug campers were divided by Units for Unit activities.  The activities included: Football, Basketball, soccer, hockey, kickball and volleyball.  Both sides displayed amazing sportsmanship and really seemed to be having a great time.  The afternoon featured our improvalooza and all camp swim meet. We were planning a track meet as well but some afternoon showers in the area put a damper on that.   After dinner the camp gathered for our annual scavenger hunt, which features some really funny and creative items.

When it was all over the scores were announced and Blue holds a slim lead over Gold going into second month.

Blue- 390

Gold -375

Congratulations to both teams on a great first session Color War!

Sunday, July 03, 2011
Our first hike and intercamp competitions were held today. Our hiking staff took two dozen campers to Mount Major in the White Mountains (overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee) for a day hike. Camp Kingswood came to Micah to play basketball (boys 13 and under) and soccer (girls 13 and under). The games were fun and competitive and I am happy to report that Micah emerged victorious!

Tonight at dinner we had a Jungle theme dinner and the entire camp got dressed up like animal and jungle creatures. I spotted many bears, giraffes, zebras, parrots and even a lost penguin! It was a fun dinner (the chef served chicken burritos with all of the fixins’) music and dancing.

Just as evening activity was getting underway, we heard the emergency call (three blasts of the air horn) and all of the campers and staff reported to the flagpole for, what we thought, was another emergency drill. All of a sudden, Paul Revere (well, Daniel Anderson, our CIT unit leader) ran out and shouted that the British were coming … and a beautiful horse with a Revolutionary War soldier riding it came out of nowhere and galloped around the center green. The horse and rider were joined by more Red Coats. Then, suddenly, the Minutemen came running out of the Boys’ Area and a brief battle ensued … the British Red Coats were defeated and COLOR WAR 2011 began!!!!
The entire camp community was shocked and amazed … and all are totally excited for tomorrow… A day filled with healthy competition and blue and gold spirit.

Yesterday during Takkuna Mattata our Prowlers wrote recipes for peace …

A Recipe for Peace
Written by our Prowlers
2 ¼ cups of friendship
1 tsp of communication
1 tsp of calmness
1 cup of include not exclude
¾ cup of counselors
¾ cup of environment
1 tsp of Mark
2 large brownie pies
2 cups of chocolate
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2 ¼ cups happiness
1 tsp talent
1 tsp field trips
1 cup making friends
¾ cup brownie pie
¾ cup fun
1 tsp nice weather
2 large smiles
2 cups quiet
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2 ¼ cups of chocolate
1 tsp of friendship
1 tsp of no fighting
1 cup of sleeping
¾ cup of smiles
¾ cup of lavender
1 tsp of vanilla
2 large of brownie pie
2 cups of chocolate chip cookies
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2 ¼ cups of love
1 tsp of politeness
1 tsp of shalom
1 cup of flowers
¾ cup of butter
¾ cup of friendship
1 tsp of kindness
2 large camp fires
2 cups of chocolate
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2 ¼ cups happiness
1 tsp fun
1 tsp sillyness
1 cup food
¾ cup excitement
¾ cup relax
1 tsp communication
2 large smiles
2 cups peace
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2 ¼ cups of niceness
1 tsp of friendship
1 tsp of funniness
1 cup of working it out
¾ cup of making it better
¾ cup of happiness
1 tsp of working together
2 large bags of chocolate
2 cups of calmness
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2 ¼ cups coca cola
1 tsp pizza
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup azucar
¾ cup mantequilla
¾ cup macaroni and cheese
1 tsp meat
2 large chicken
2 cups fanta
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2 ¼ cups s’mores pie
1 tsp happiness
1 tsp of wealth
1 cup awesomeness
¾ cup chocolate
¾ cup fun
1 tsp food
2 large happiness
2 cups peace
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shabbat is Here

Shabbat is here!

Yummy . . . giant homemade Challah!

Friday was the first full day of camper schedules. It was simply an amazing day, the sun was shining and the campers and counselors were all excited to be at their activities. Our Shabbat dinner was delicious (homemade soup and challah, pot roast, veggies and pasta) and song session, led by Felicia and Ben, was rockin’.

Our first Shabbat services in the chapel were quite memorable as when we were singing Hashkievienu, it seemed as if the heavens opened and it began to rain! The entire service (torah and all) quickly relocated to Uncle Milt’s where we finished our worship. Just as services were ending, a huge, beautiful, colorful rainbow appeared in the sky. It was a very magical and memorable moment.

Saturday was a restful and fun day, filled with Micah’s Shabbat spirit. After our first activity period,  Avodah shel Lev (Worship of the Heart), we inaugurated Tikkuna Mattata for the 2011 season. All campers learned about our new Shabbat mitzvah themes for the summer. The afternoon brought a very special Counselor Hunt (congrats B12 & G7 for winning this week’s competition) and camper favorite, free choice.

After a delicious cookout dinner, everyone attended our weekly campfire. This summer our campfire hosts are Kate and Flick who keep the camp laughing and singing the whole night through. There were many new acts (great job G6 and your invisible bench) and some old favorites (like the Jerk Song, Little Red Wagon and, of course, the ever popular Micah Update.)

Free Swim at the Pool

This morning featured a visit by Andrew Zitoli, principal of Millis Middle School and an anti-bullying crusader.  He spoke with the campers about how they could help make our camp community safe for everyone.  He told our campers that they could each make a big difference … they could interrupt the bullying cycle.  It reinforced for all that we just “don’t do that” here at Camp Micah.   Individual camper schedules began in the afternoon.

Today our CITs got their bunk assignments and tonight they were able to join their new bunk for the first unit evening activity: the Critters played fun games on the Center Green including Wizards, Giants and Elves; Prowlers played Micah-Cranium; Timber Girls got better acquainted with each other by playing some speedy quiz games,  Summits lived MarioKart – Micah style!

This just in … the Micah in Israel staff just called in to report that they have landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv!  All 31 campers and 3 staff are now on the bus heading Jerusalem for the weekend.

Summer 2011 begins ….

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The 2011 Micah season is underway and the campers were REALLY happy to come back to their Micah home in Bridgton (and Sebego) Maine.  For our first night we had our Micah traditional first night dinner, delicious home-baked pizza with a new twist … chocolate chip blondies (rather than chocolate chip cookies).   After a quick welcome at Uncle Milt’s our evening activity “Bunk Night” where each bunk had a chance to play games, get acquainted with each other and also learn all about their fun summer ahead at Micah.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

This morning, we awoke and camp was very gray, foggy, and somewhat soggy.  However, as first period approached, the sun began to shine and it turned into a truly beautiful day at Camp Micah.   Today, each of the bunks traveled to activities together so that all could become familiar with many of the activities that Micah has to offer.  Highlights included: sailing, boating and wake boarding at the Waterfront  for the Critters (campers in grades 3 & 4), an intro to the “Art Underground” for the Prowler Girls, hockey and skate for Timber boys,  Ropeventerous Bactivities (bunk challenge activities on our ropes course) for the Summits and of course, swim tests for all campers.  The Boys Area and Girls split for tonight’s evening activity.  The Boys played Capture the Flag, Micah style, while the Girls met their big and little camp sisters and had a crazy scavenger hunt.  The cheers and laughter could be heard for miles.

Micah in 30

Greetings Micah campers, parents, staff and alumni,

We are working on a new project and we need your help!  We would love for you to send us a video that is 30 seconds or less and answers one of the following questions:

What do you love about Micah?

Why do you keep coming back to Micah?

What is the first thing that pops into your head when you think about Camp Micah?

The plan is to take a collection of these videos and show them for a variety of purposes such as staff training and marketing.  We want everyone to see why Micah is such a special place and what better way to do that than hearing from all of you!

Videos can be a single camper, a group of campers, a family, or whatever other creative idea you may have.  We ask that you send this video to campmicah04009@gmail.com.  Please note, only one video per family.  We will begin taking video submissions on Wednesday May 11, 2011 and will stop on Friday May 13, 2011 at 12pm.

Have Fun!!!

Mark your calendars, everyone.  The summer 2010 reunion is January 8, 2011 from 7pm – 9pm at the Longfellow Sports Club in Natick, MA.  We will have games, music, snacks and I’m sure a few surprises.  A formal invitation will be sent in early December.  As always if you have any questions please feel free to contact us.  We hope to see all of you there!

Summer 2010 Reunion

Longfellow Sports Club

203 Oak St

Natick, MA 01760

Saturday January 8, 2011 from 7-9pm

Relive CW and other great summer memories at the reunion

The fall 2010 newsletter has been e-mailed and will soon be available on our website.  If you would like to receive a copy of the newsletter please send your e-mail address to steve@campmicah.com.  Enjoy and remember if you would like to be included in upcoming editions all you have to do is let us know what is going on.

Can you believe it?  10 year have gone by like that. It seems like only yesterday we were waiting with anticipation for those first buses to pull through the gates.  Now look at us, hard at work preparing for summer number 11.   And as we prepare, so should you. Camp is filling fast and it will be here before we know it.  If you have not yet sent in your forms please do so soon.  You can mail the forms to:

Camp Micah

PO box 67414

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Also, make sure to keep an eye out for the fall 2010 newsletter which will be e-mailed in the next few weeks.   The newsletter will contain important information about our January reunion and other items you will need.  As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon, hopefully at the Reunion!

Shana Tova, happy new year from all of us at Camp Micah.  We hope this new year brings everyone health and happiness.  Enjoy the holidays!

Saturday

Well, we have reached the last Shabbat of the summer and what a Shabbat it was.  We began the weekend with services in the Chapel followed by an outstanding dinner.  After dinner we had our annual dance show and it was truly awesome to see some of the performances our campers and staff put on.  This morning we woke to another beautiful day and were greeted by an amazing buffet breakfast, followed by a choice of services and Tikunna Mattata.  After lunch we had our final all camp of the summer, The Amazaing Race. This all-camp was put on by our CIT’s and they did a great job of ensuring everyone had a lot of fun.  Tonight was a cook out dinner and Camp Fire.  Tomorrow is another regular activity day with our Mt. Washington hike heading out bright and early.

Thursday

Today was trip day.  The Critters went to Big Adventure.  The Prowlers & Summits went to FunTown.  The Timbers went to Scarborough beach.  After a pizza dinner, we had our last dance of the summer on the Tennis Courts.

Wednesday

Today was the third and final day of Color War X.  The morning started with everyone’s favorite, The Micah Marathon.  The Marathon was highly competitive, with Gold just edging out Blue in the rope burn.  This afternoon the Sing was held in Uncle Milts and it was so great to see how into everything our Campers and Staff were.  While both teams were amazing, Blue was crowned the winner.  Now for the news everyone wants to know, who won Color War?  The winner of Color War X was…GOLD!  Congratulations to both teams for an amazing three days.  Tomorrow is trip day and everyone was very excited to hear that.

Pictures to follow soon…

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Today was the second day of Color War and what a beautiful day it was!  The morning started off with Unit Activities followed by a staff favorite…Silent Lunch!  Each team presented some very creative cheers.  This afternoon, teams competed in our Swim Meet and Track Meet.  The athleticism and sportsmanship were commendable.  Tonight we introduced a new Color War All Camp Activity called “Minute to Win it,” based off of the popular game show.  Contestants each had one minute to complete a ridiculous task and the winner earned points for his or her team.  Campers headed back to their bunks in time for curfew so everyone could get a good night’s rest to prepare for our final day of Color War 2010

Sunday

Stephen & the Abends at Alumni Day

Alumni Day was a perfect Micah Day.  Camp was visited by many, many formers campers and staff who enjoyed a delicious lunch, time at the pool and waterfront, and most importantly a great day with our Micah family.  When all of our visitors left, it was time for our campers and staff to celebrate Micah’s 10th anniversary.  For dinner we dressed up as our favorite Micah memory and got to watch 10 years of Micah slide shows during dessert (a really yummy sundae bar).  After dinner and a spontaneous dance party we all went to the softball hill for fireworks.   Just as it was ending gladiators pulled up on a horse drawn chariot and  . . . you guessed it . . . Color War X is under way.

Fireworks over the Campus Center!

Friday Night Services

Well, there was a hint of fall in the air as we woke up this morning.  Temperatures were in the high forties and the sky was crystal clear.  Our day started with a great buffet breakfast and we then went into our Saturday morning Services and hike followed by Tikkuna  Mattata activities.  This afternoon our all-camp was Israel Day presented by our Micah in Israel Campers.  The campers went around by bunk to learn and experience different things about Israel.  Everyone really seemed to have great time and learned a lot.  After our cook out dinner everyone headed up to the second to last camp fire for the summer.  Tomorrow is our tenth anniversary celebration and it promises to be a lot of fun as welcome back members of our Camp Micah family.

Friday

On your mark . . . get set . . . go!

With the Micah in Israel participants at camp, camp seems really full and busy.  Today several campers went on a hike to Burnt Meadow Mt and Micah also hosted a co-ed Swim Meet for a few other camps in the area.  We had a blast at the swim meet.  Our Shabbat dinner was delicious.  Of course it started with our homemade challah and soup followed by chicken, green beans  and rice pilaf.  For dessert after services we had apple popovers.   During our Erev Shabbat services on Friday evening, several of our travelers shared highlights from their trip with the Micah community.  

G14 Mighty and Messy

What an exciting day!  We welcomed 22 of our Micah in Israel campers back to their Bridgton home as they completed their long journey from Poland to Israel.  They have already shared some great stories and we look forward to hearing much more over the weekend.  We had a big surprise after lunch today as the G14 girls sprung Messy “Monday “ (even though it’s Tie-Dye Thursday) on the entire camp.  Instead of our usual clinic time, the entire camp got down and dirty in several messy activities including Human Sundaes (made out of Bubble Bath) and a G14 pudding eating contest.  This our CITs were in charge of most of the evening activities.  During the summer the CITs learned to plan, execute and then evaluate an evening activity for their unit at camp.  For example the Critters had a pool party and the Prowler Girls had water balloon dodgeball.  You can be sure it was an exciting evening at camp.

Color War Fake Break

Today was a favorite at Camp Micah, it was Counselor Switch Day.  Counselors from each of the areas switched clothes and acted as the other bunks counselor.  They would eat meals with them and lead them in some ridiculous cheers.  Everyone had a lot of fun and needless to say there were some very creative outfits worn.  The other surprise of the day happened at flag lowering.  The upper summits pulled a great fake break for Color War.  It was obvious that they put a lot of planning into this fake on their recent trip.  A lot of the camp was fooled and really thought Color War was breaking.  It’s great to see how creative our camp is and the amount of spirit they can show.  This leads us to ask the inevitable question, when is color war actually going to break?  I’m not sure when but we will surely let you know when it does!

Trip Day

Today was the first trip day of second session and everyone seemed to have a really great time.  The Critters went to the Saco Bounce Zone, a bounce house and indoor water park.  The Prowlers went to a candy factory where they got to see how candy is made and everyone left with a goody bag.  The Timbers went roller skating and from what I heard we have some really talented skaters at camp.  In the afternoon the entire camp (minus the Summits) met at the movie theater in Portland to see Despicable Me.  Tonight’s evening activity is the dance.

Monday

Tonight was a very special  “around the world” dinner.  This year’s theme was “The World Cup” and we celebrated soccer around the world with delicious tidbits and treats from all over the world.  Our evening activity was also soccer themed – campers had the choice of four different kinds of soccer games –   human foosball on the hockey court, crab soccer and world cup soccer on the soccer field and giant ball soccer was played on the ultimate field.  It was a great night but we can’t wait for the Summits to get back from their trip as camp is just a bit too quiet without them!

Sunday

Saving a Goal

Believe it or not, second session of summer 2010 is almost a week old. Our Summit campers left this morning on their respective three day trips. G-14 and B-15 arrived safely in Acadia National Park where they have an amazing and action packed adventure planned which includes a sunrise hike up Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place in America to see the rising sun.  Our Lower Summits have arrived at Moxie Outdoor Adventures for their three day rafting trip on the Kennebec River.  It was also another amazing day here at camp.  The day started with an under-11 boys’ soccer game versus JCC Maccabi Camp Kingswood.  Even though they did not win, our guys fought really hard and had a lot of fun.  The rest of the day was spent doing activities and trying to guess when Color War is going to break!

With the IDF soldiers at the Lebanese Border

Near the Lebanese Border

Planting kiwi trees near the border

Tuesday we continued our stay up in the North exploring the Golan Heights. We visited the Naot Mordechai Sandal Factory which is on a kibbutz in the Golan.  They are considered the “Israeli Birkenstocks” and many kids bought shoes while we were there.  After lunch we went rafting on the Jordan River where we floated down the river and occasionally jumped into the water to cool down. We checked into our hostel for the night and after dinner headed to Agmon Hhula Nature Reserve where we saw some neat birds and animals at night. Wednesday morning we woke up early and headed out on the Yehudia Water Hike.  We hiked for about 3 hours through the mountain including a waterfall that we climbed down and jumped off into a pool of water.  We all enjoyed this hike and the waterfall was lots of fun. In the afternoon we visited IDF soldiers patrolling the Lebanese Border. We had a chance to chat with them and ask questions.  We also learned about a Kibbutz located on the border and helped plant a kiwi tree in their orchards.  For dinner we had a cash dinner at a mall in Kiryat Hemona and walked around there for a bit. 

At the De Karina Chocolate Factory

Enjoying the chocolate we made

Atop Mt. Bental

Thursday we started the day with our last hike up North along the Hatzbani where we walked through the river.  After lunch we went to the De Karina Chocolate Workshop where we learned about the chocolate process and all made our own chocolate.  Everyone had tons of fun eating lots of chocolate, especially Jeremy Noller.  After the workshop we went to Mt Bental outlook and bunkers near the Syrian border where we learned about the history between Israel and Syria.  That night we skyped with some of the campers at Micah and told them about our trip and answered their questions.  It was great to have the chance to talk with them and share information about our trip so far.

Girls on our last Shabbat

Boys on Shabbat

Learning to drum

Friday morning we headed to Sachne Natural Pools where we had tons of fun swimming around in the water.  After eating lunch there we drove back to Jerusalem and headed to Machaneh Yehuda Shuk where we split into four groups and each bought different snacks to eat during our Seudah Shlishit picnic on Saturday.  Since it was right before Shabbat the shuk was packed with people getting ready for Shabbat and we had the chance to sample various pastries, fruits and nuts. Last night we spent our last Shabbat in Israel doing services as a group overlooking the Western Wall. This morning we had Shabbat services outside and then headed to Temple Moreshet Israel to have a discussion with Rabbi Adam Frank about Judaism.  He was born in Atlanta and spoke to us about how he became a Rabbi and then gave the kids the opportunity to ask any questions about Judaism that they had.  After a restful afternoon we headed to Independence Park for our Seudah Shlishit picnic with the yummy things we bought at the market.  At the picnic we ate and played some games.  After Havdalah we participated in Jammin which was an interactive music experience where we combine a drum circle, dancing and Capoeira, Brazilian martial arts, into a fun time.  We finished the night off with a pizza dinner.

Dancing the night away in Uncle Milt's

The sun was shining and our campers began their individualized schedules today.  Camp was buzzing with activity – from the waterfront to the skate park our campers and counselors were playing and having fun!  Today was the first day of play rehearsal for our 2^nd session play,  Micah Time Warp, an original retrospective look at 10 years of Micah Theater.  After dinner, our campers and staff put on their dancin’ shoes as tonight’s evening activity was our first dance of the session.

Fun at Gymnastics

It never gets old saying this, but it was another beautiful day in downtown Bridgton and Sebago.  We have been exceptionally fortunate this summer to have such great weather; we only hope that it continues.  Today was another bunk day where the campers went by Bunk to various activities.  It is safe to say that in the last two days each camper has done almost every activity at camp!  This morning our CITS left on their three day trip to Newport, RI.  They have some really exciting activities planned and we will keep all of you updated on how much fun they are having.  Our evening activities were by Unit and everyone seemed to be having a great time.   Tomorrow we start regular schedules, which we are all looking forward to.

Introductions

Well the sun is still shining and the second month campers have arrived!  Today, everyone went around by bunk to get the full experience of Camp Micah.  We had our first theme dinner of the session entitled “Generations” and every Unit had to dress as a different era  The evening activity was an area night; the boys played a four way capture the flag and the girls did a “camp family” scavenger hunt.  Everyone really had a great time and is looking forward to an awesome day tomorrow.

on the cable cars down to the sea grottoes

walking through the sea grottoes

Wednesday afternoon we visited Acco which is the knight’s halls and crusader complex where we learned more about the history of the crusaders in Israel.  From there we headed to Achziv beach where we spent the evening and slept overnight.  We had some time to swim and hang out before having a bbq dinner and talent show with some great songs and even our very own Micah in Israel update. We slept out by the beach under the stars that night and woke up the next morning and headed to a Jewish village in a large Arab community to talk about the Jewish-Arab relationship and to learn more about how that plays out in Israel. We had two speakers, one Jewish and one Arab who spoke to us about the situation and gave us the opportunity to ask questions.  That afternoon we were supposed to hike, but it was too hot to hike so instead we headed to the beach to cool off in the water.  That night we went to Rosh Hanikrah cable car to sea grottoes where we explore some of the caves that had formed naturally in the mountains. 

group picture before the bike ride

all ready to set out on the bike ride

getting ready to bike 40K

Friday morning we woke up very early to do our bike ride to support the Alyn Hosptial in Jerusalem.  We all biked 40K through the Gaililee.  It was hot, but we all had a great time biking and raised over two thousand dollars to support the hospital!  After finishing the ride we cooled down in some natural springs and then headed to the Golan Heights to Keshet, the Moshav that hosted us for Shabbat.  We were all placed with families on the Moshav for the weekend.   While some of the families spoke English, many of them do not and we all had the chance to work on our Hebrew and had a new experience in an Orthodox community.  Friday night was spent and Kabbalat Shabbat services and then dinner with our families.  Saturday morning we went to services and had lunch back with our families.  That afternoon the kids had some free time to explore the area as well as activities with the Israeli kids to learn more about each other. After Havdallah that evening the boys and the girls each made a bonfire and hung out singing songs and telling stories. 

at the olive oil factory

Sunday morning we woke up and packed our stuff to leave.  Everyone enjoyed their time on the Moshav and getting to know the families we stayed with. We headed straight to learn more about the Golan Heights through videos and a topographical map of the Golan.  There we got a better understanding of where we will be all week.  We also visited an olive oil factory nearby where we took a tour and then had the chance to sample their olive oils and cosmetic products, and many of us bought items to bring home. After a yummy lunch in the area we headed for our first hike in the Golan, where we hiked to 2 different waterfalls where we cooled off and swam around.  Everyone had fun hiking and enjoyed the breaks in the water to keep us cool.

learning how to blow the shofar

Mitzpeh Shalom lookout

This morning we began at Kol Hashofar workshop where we learned all about Shofars, from an expert maker.  He gave us a demonstration on how he makes them and what the finished products sound like, depending on what animal they come from and who he makes them for. The kids all got a chance to blow the shofar and many of them did a very good job.  From there we headed to Mitzpeh Shalom lookout that looked out across the Kinneret and the area.  Then we headed to our hotel where we checked in and had lunch on the beach and swam in the Kinneret.  This evening we ate dinner in Tiberias and went on a boat ride around the Kinneret.  On the boat we danced to Israeli and American music and even did some drumming.

Pixar Theme Dinner

Well, it was another event filled day at Camp Micah.  The first half of the day was beautiful as the temperatures stayed in the upper 70’s.  Our Under 11 Girls had a kickball inter-camp vs. Camp Mataponi that proved very competitive and a lot of fun.  In the afternoon our Under 15 boys went to Camp Wigwam for a Flag Football game that unfortunately had to be postponed due to weather.  The weather also played a little havoc at Micah today. The skies opened up at about 4pm forcing us to go to a rainy day schedule, one that allowed everyone to get into costume for our Pixar theme dinner. The dinner was put together by the critters and consisted of decorations of all the animated Pixar movies.  It was a lot of fun and everyone really had a great time.  Congratulations to all of the critters and their counselors along with our special events coordinators Gretl Kresmer and Scott Flickinger for an amazing evening. The evening concluded with the final dance of the session.

Sunday

It was another beautiful day in downtown Bridgton and Sebago.  The temperatures stayed in the low 80’s and we had a nice breeze coming off the lake which made for an awesome day of activities. Some of the highlights included the opening of the Zip line, which is always a camp favorite. All day long you would hear campers coming up from the waterfront saying, “man that was so cool”.  This afternoon we held our first inter-camp tennis competition of the summer vs. Camp Kingswood. The inter-camp was for 13 and under boys and girls. Both teams played really well, the boys pulled out a 4-1 win while the girls lost a 3-2 nail biter.  This evening we had evening activity by Unit. The Critter and Prowler girls had a campfire program on friendship and bullying.  The Critter boys are spending the night at the ladder.  The Prowler boys had an awesome game of kickball.  The Timber girls did a flower pedal activity. The timber boys played British Long ball.  The Summit girls played, “extreme how well do you know your counselor” while the Summit boys had trivia night.

Aryeh Malkin on his kibbutz

Sunday morning we left Tzfat and headed South toward Haifa. On the way we stopped at Kibbutz Ein Dor where we met Aryeh Malkin, a Bronx native who fought in World War II and then volunteered in the Haganah and helped Jews make aliyah to Israel.  He himself made Aliyah when he was 26 and founded Kibbutz Ein Dor. He was very interesting and personable throughout his talk.  We then continued on to Haifa where we explored the city and saw part of the Baha’ai Gardens.  Then we headed to the beach in Haifa where we swam and hung out on the beach.  The kids thought it was the best beach we had been to so far.  That evening we went to a Druze village where one of the families welcomed us into their home and cooked a wonderful Druze dinner for us.  The food was very yummy and we learned more about the Druze. We also did some shopping at the Daliat-al-Carmel market before dinner.

Ceasarea

Discussing Tisha B'Av at the Kotel

In Jersualem

Monday we began the day at Atlit Detention camp where Aryeh Malkin was detained after his boat was captured on the way to Israel.  From Atlit we headed to Caesarea to explore the ancient ruins.  We saw the amphitheater, hippodrome and watched an interactive video about the history of the area. After Caesarea we headed to Jerusalem and checked in to the hostel and had some free time to mingle with some of the other groups.  That evening began Tisha B’Av (9^th of Av) which commemorates the destruction of the temple as well as other tragedies that have occurred to the Jewish people.  This is one of the fast days in Judaism and some of the counselors and children chose to fast for this day. We headed to the Kotel in the evening to experience Jewish tradition during such a holiday and learned more about why we commemorate the day.  Tuesday we began the day at Yad Vashem where we learned more about the Holocaust through memorials and the museum.  The museum helped to broaden our knowledge that we had developed from Poland.  Afterwards we went headed to a home of an Ethiopian family where the woman told us about her experience of making Aliyah from Ethiopia to Israel 26 years ago.  Then we headed back to the hostel where we had some time to rest and then watched A Hero in Heaven, a video about Michael Levine, a Philadelphia native who made Aliyah when he was 19 and was killed in combat during the second Lebennon war in 2006. The video gave us background about his life and Noah who knew him talked a bit about him as well. This morning we visited Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery where we had the chance to visit Michael Levine’s grave as well as see those of past Israeli Prime Ministers. 

Amanda & Noah

Kayla guiding us at Machon Ayalon

Clean at the beginning of Army Day

Learning how to ambush our enemies

End of Army Day, slightly less clean then when we began

Wednesday morning we visited Machon Ayalon, the underground ammunition factory during the Mandate period.  Here Kayla, one of the directors of Keshet took us around and we toured the facility.  We got to walk around the actual factory that was used during that time.  That afternoon we got a chance to get a taste of what the Israeli army is actually like.  At first our commander made us run continuously in short amounts of time to teach us discipline and the value of completing a task as a group.  As the night went on we practiced ambushing, learned army formations and how to act as a unit.  Later that evening we played capture the flag and thoroughly kicked the butts of the other team from Dor L’Dor.  But our night wasn’t over yet, after a half hour of precious sleep we were awoken by sirens and forced to march with sandbag laden stretchers before we were allowed to go back to bed.  We were the first group to arrive back and able to go to sleep before everyone else and showed our dominance as a group.  In the morning we did the same stretcher march arriving back first again.  After we were finished we headed to the beach to swim and then to a very nice hotel for some much earned rest. That evening ed had the chance to hang out with some teenagers from Dor L’Dor, other camps in Massachusetts.  

learning to wrap tefillin in Tzfat

Sheva Chaya glass blowing demonstration

Yesterday we drove north to Tzfat, exploring the old city and learning about the spirituality and the mysticism of Judaism.  We then had the chance to watch Sheva Chaya, an American Jew who made aliya to Israel in the 90s and works as a painter and glass blower in Tzfat.  She spoke with us about her life while doing a glass blowing demonstration for us, which we all enjoyed watching. Then the girls came back to the hotel and we backed Challah for Shabbat dinner while the boys headed to the Mikvah for a new religious experience.   We spent Shabbat at services in the square dancing and praying with the Orthodox Jewish community. The kids are had a great time dancing around and taking in the spirituality for the community of Tzfat.  We had Shabbat dinner back at the hotel and then free time for the evening.

Today we have had a restful and enjoyable Shabbat.  We had services this morning as a Micah community atop the highest point in Tzfat.  After lunch each of the counselors offered a different activity such as yoga/meditation and conversational Hebrew for the kids to choose from. After some rest time we are headed to hear David Friedman an American born Jew who immigrated to Israel in 1977 and has lived in Tzfat studying the Torah and Jewish Mysticism.  He has developed his own original system of translating kabbalisitic concepts into graphic shapes and colors based primarily on the Book of Creation. 

Noah & Amanda

All the girls on Shabbat

The boys on Shabbat

We spent our second Shabbat in Israel at Kibbutz Keturah participating in services and other activities with the members from the kibbutz.  It was a very restful day filled with swimming and a soccer game with some of the kibbutz kids.  After Havdalah we headed to Eilat and went to King’s City which turned out to be an amazing amusement park based on the bible.  Sunday morning we left the kibbutz and headed to Mitzpeh Ramon where we rappelled down a 45 foot rock cliff, part of the Ramon Machtesh (crater).  After finishing the rappelling we headed to an overlook of Ramon Machtesh and saw many Ibacks (gazelles) running around right in front of us.  From the overlook we could see the whole Machtesh and the various colored sands of the area.  Then we went to one of the only two alpaca ranches in Israel where we learned about alpacas, goats and llamas and had the opportunity to feed and pet the animals.  While the alpacas were fairly friendly creatures they did spit on a few of the kids. After leaving the alpaca ranch we drove north to Maccabim, a suburb of Modi’in located mid way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  At the hostel we met another Keshet group with kids the same age.  That evening both groups watched the World Cup at a nearby country club outside on a big screen.  We enjoyed meeting new people while watching the big game. 

Rapelling at Mitzpeh Ramon

Independence Hall in Tel Aviv

Monday morning we headed into Tel Aviv where we went to Independence Hall where we saw and heard about Israel becoming a state.  We sat in the same room that had been used in 1948 when Israel became a state. From there we headed to Jaffa and went to Nalaga’at Theater Company, where we participated in a sculpture in the dark workshop with blind members of the company.  There we were in complete darkness where we sculpted many objects, mainly one item that we thought a blind person would want to see if they had their sight again.  We also had the opportunity to ask questions of the blind members and hear their stories. This included the story of Bezah, who has been blind since birth and has climbed Mt. Everest up to 20,000 ft. and has run several marathons including Berlin and Amsterdam in 3 hours and 15 minutes! Following the workshop we ate lunch at Kapiche, their restaurant where the servers are deaf.  We had a great lunch and also learned some Israeli sign language from the people working there. After lunch we headed to the beach in Tel Aviv right along the promenade and swam in the Mediterranean Sea. We had a great time swimming and relaxing on the beach.  After the beach we went to B’nai Darfur and listened to a Darfur refugee talk about his experience coming from Sudan to Israel.  For dinner we went to Dr. Shakshukah in Jaffa where we ate Shakshukah, a meal of sautéed tomatoes, onions and herbs with a fried egg on top along with bread, couscous and vegetables.  The meal ended with cake and mint tea.  Many of the kids bought sharwalim, flowy colorful pajama pants at a nearby shop.

Packing food boxes at the Jaffa Institute

Amongst all our hard work at the Jaffa Institute

Doing our part to help plant trees

Sheep hearding at Neot Kedumim

Today we headed back to Jaffa to volunteer at the Jaffa Institute; first we helped pack boxes of food for families in need for the high holy days.  Everyone found it very rewarding to spend some of their time in Israel helping those who are less fortunate, and Adam Gray got to practice both his Hebrew and Arabic.   Then we headed to the actual school building where we spent time interacting with the kids doing various activities.  Some helped sew pillows, while others helped teach first aid, some even tried to participate in a mock legal case unfortunately the lack of English spoken there made it hard to understand.  Afterwards we went to the Nahalat Binyamin, an open market in Tel Aviv, where we enjoyed some delicious shwarma and falafel.  There we were able to peruse through the market where there was a plethora of t-shirts, fruits, arts, and other cultural products.  In the words of Joshua Grove, it was awesome.  Next we drove to the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv, where we learned about the history of the IDF and the founding of Israel.  The museum itself was very interactive and informative about the Israeli partisan forces before the IDF.  On our way back to the hostel we stopped by Neot Kedumim, a biblical nature preserve, where we herded sheep and goats and saw the burning bush (well just planted some trees actually).  Then it was back to the hostel for dinner and prepared ourselves for the army program that is coming up.

Amanda & Noah

Aylin Hospital in Jerusalem

Picking onions as part of Project Leket

We made it out alive from the Negev, the desert in the southern part of Israel and even had a great time while we were there. The desert was very hot, but also very enjoyable.  Before heading into the Negev on Tuesday morning we participated in two social action projects. First we picked extra onions from a field on a Kibbutz as part of Project Leket to be donated to homeless shelters and soup kitchens around the country.  Picking onions was something most of us had never done before, but it felt good to work outside and help those in need. We also visited Alyn Hospital in Jerusalem, which is Israel’s premiere comprehensive rehabilitation center for physically challenged and disabled children, adolescents and young adults.  In a few weeks we will be doing a bike ride to benefit the hospital.  If you would like to make a donation in honor of our ride please visit http://www.alynus.org/CampMicah.   So far we have raised $1,852.00 for the hospital.

Campfire in the Negev

Top of Pencil Point Mountain

top of the mountain in the Negev

In the Negev we met our guide, Lee and we began hiking by doing a spirit walk, in which we all walked alone for a period of time to reflect on the environment and how it relates to our Judaism. We then made camp and spent the night sleeping out under the stars.  The next morning we woke up around 4:30am, had breakfast and headed out for our first hike up Pencil Point Mountain.  It was a difficult trek up the mountain, but it was rewarding to reach the top and look out over the desert. After spending some time on the top of the mountain we walked down the safer side of the mountain and headed to the oasis.  There we swam, ate and relaxed in the shade. We then left the oasis and spent a couple of hours under the shade of a tent waiting for the temperature to drop and for us to be allowed to continue our hike.  Once we were allowed to start walking again we headed to our next campsite where we had a delicious dinner and used the great outdoors as our latrine. We then promptly fell asleep nice and early so we could wake up before sunrise the next morning.  Our morning hike consisted of walking to an area where we individually experienced the sunrise.  In the words of Mikey Wolkon “It was sick.”  We then walked out of the desert and met the bus that took us to Ben Gurion’s grave.  Here our guide told us a little bit about the former prime minister and we placed rocks on his grave.  We had a lovely breakfast and had the chance to use real bathrooms before heading off to Kibbutz Keturah, where the rooms are very nice.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the pool, going on a tour of the Kibbutz and hanging out with some of the Israeli children that live there. 

Hanging out with Israeli teens on Kibbutz Keturah

Making seed balls at Kibbutz Loton

Getting ready to go snorkeling in Eilat

This morning we headed over to Kibbutz Loton near where we are staying to learn about Jewish Ecology.  There our guide taught us about what Kibbutz Loton is doing to work on saving the environment and we got the chance to do some hands on projects as well.  Afterwards we headed to Eilat where we went snorkeling on the coral beach and saw many gorgeous fish and coral. For lunch we headed to the shopping mall and had some Israeli (and American) food and some time to do some shopping.  Back at the Kibbutz we had free time to explore the kibbutz and use the pool.  We’re all looking forward to our second Shabbat in Israel as we celebrate services and dinner with members of the Kibbutz.

ODT (Outdoor Training) team building activity

Netanel teaching about history atop Haas Promenade

More ODT activites

ODT activity where they were blindfolded trying to find a balloon

We are finishing up on our time in Jerusalem and will be heading to the Negev tomorrow. On Sunday we woke up and took a short bus ride to Haas Promenade, another Jerusalem outlook, and discussed the history and why Jerusalem has been such an important city throughout history.  Then we took a bus ride to the City of David, an archeological site that is uncovering the original city of Jerusalem to learn some of the history and explore the ruins some.  We also had a chance to travel through Hezekiah’s water tunnels, which the kids along with us really enjoyed.  The tunnel took about 15 minutes to walk through and was pitch black, stomping through almost knee high water.  After returning to the hostel for some lunch and a little rest, we watched Operation Thunderbolt, a film about the Israeli commando raid in the 1970’s to rescue hostages taken from an airplane hijacking.  We followed the movie with a discussion in which we not only discussed Israel’s responsibilities to Jews around the world, but also their own connection to the Jewish people. Following the movie we headed over to a nearby park to do some outdoor training activities to strengthen the group dynamic.  There the kids had a blast running around, working together and enjoying the beautiful weather.  At the park we had a BBQ, which was delicious; who would have thought hummus on a hamburger could be so good!  Back at the hostel we talked about journeys and their personal Jewish journey on this trip. 

Southern Wall excavation visit

outside the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem

Today we visited another archeological site in the morning, this time looking at the ruins of the Southern Wall excavations of the Second Temple.  There we learned more about the city’s history and witnessed numerous Bar and Bat Mitzvahs that were taking place among the old stones of the Second Temple.  We then explored the Jewish Quarter of the old city, first getting lunch where the kids enjoyed falafel and shwarma for the first time in Israel.   Then we split into groups to compete in a scavenger hunt where the kids ran around the Jewish Quarter finding not only hidden treasures, but also learning about the history of the city and its ancient buildings.  Upon returning to the hostel Yitzhak, the head of Keshet came by to talk briefly with the kids about the trip so far and their experiences in Poland.  After some rest time we headed out to the Time Elevator, a simulated ride that told the history of Jerusalem to the present day.  We are headed off to the Negev tomorrow and will be there for two nights.  We will post again the end of this week after our time in the desert.

Amanda & Noah

Saturday  – Shabbat

This teams is ready for action . . .

Today was the first rainy day of the summer which was a nice break from the heat.  In the morning we were inside for our Shabbat services.  Some campers and counselors got drenched when it started to pour as they were hiking up Baldpate Mountain for our weekly Shabbat nature hike.  Tikkuna Mattata (our Shabbat morning social action activity period) was a great success.  Many of the Critters made and baked dog biscuits that they will be delivering to a local animal shelter next week.  Other campers knitted hats and scarves, made cards for sick children, or learned about the environmental effects of an oil spill.  Many campers look forward to Tikkuna Mattata each week as it is a time that is dedicated to making our selves better and our world a better place. 

Luckily, the rain subsided for much of the afternoon and we were able to have our planned all-camp activity:  Predators V. Prey, a new and exciting game for the camp.  From all reports, it was a real success.  Campfire was a real treat even though we had to hold it in the dining  hall because the campfire area was too wet.   Many campers and counselors preformed songs and skits that kept the camp in stitches.  Havdallah ended the evening on a real high note.  Shavuah Tov (a happy week) Camp Micah. 

 Thursday & Friday

Our very hot weather continued as the week ended.    On Thursday our regular activities were augmented by many intercamp competitions and a special theater workshop run by the Hampstead Theater Company.  On Friday Micah hosted our first intercamp tournament of the summer, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  Our courts were rockin’ as we welcomed several local camps to compete in a morning of fierce competition.  Our Micah teams fought hard and the Girls 15 and under team was victorious!  Our Shabbat dinner on Friday evening was simply delicious.  Our chefs made Chicken soup and homemade Challah followed by brisket, baked potatoes and delicious green beans.  After an amazing song session and wonderful Shabbat services led by many of our campers we had a delicious dessert,  Apple Turnovers, yumm!

Our first Inter-camp of 2010

Today was another scorcher in downtown Bridgton and Sebago, with the high topping out at 95 degrees.  Though the heat was oppressive, our Under 13 girls volleyball team managed a win over Mataponi in the first inter-camp of the summer.  Not only did they play well, they showed great sportsmanship!  Our U 11 boys soccer team was also in action vs. Wigwam. They played super hard and had a great time!

With the day being so hot we decided to have a world cup/water park/waterfront afternoon.  Campers were allowed to head to the lake or pool or, if they so decided, to watch the world cup semi-final, Spain versus Germany.  From the sound of the dining hall you would think we were in South Africa.

The evening ended with some very creative programming by our Timber and Summit Unit Leaders while the critters, prowlers, and lower Timbers were treated to a two man show of Treasure Island by the Hampstead Theater Company.  Tomorrow promises a little relief from the heat as we send our U 12 Girls soccer team to Forest Acres for a tournament.  Don’t worry, we will keep you posted!

Having a blast at the first dance

 

  

 

 

 Neither heat nor more heat will break our camp Micah spirit… Today hit 96 degrees in parts of Maine and the Micah spirit stayed as cool as ever with our first trip day of the summer.

The Critters went to Sebago Lake State Park and had an awesome day playing at the beach. Then they went out for “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICECREAM.” Note-there was no screaming, everyone was calm and collected.

Our Prowlers cooled down at Aquaboggan water park while the Timbers went to Funtown USA amusement park.
The Summits had a late wake up and breakfast, then took a leisurely stroll in Old Port, followed by a  trip to see the Portland Sea Dogs baseball game. “A-B-C- DOGS!”

We concluded the day with our first dance of the summer.  It was a lot of fun and we got to see some great moves!

Monday

Keepin' cool at the pool!

Feelin’ hot, hot, hot was our theme song today.  Out creative Micah campers and staff came up with a bunch of new ways to keep cool — forty campers went on a hike to Diana’s Bath in North Conway, NH to play in the waterfalls; others recreated  at the lake or really, really enjoyed their instructional swim period.  Of course in the early afternoon there were popsicles for everyone and lots and lots of water to drink!  Evening activity tonight was by unit:  The Critters had a pool party; Prowlers played Baloon bvreakout on the ultimate frisbbee field; Timbers had the 1^st annual Timberathon while the Summits  had a “get to know me” in the Dining Hall.   One counselor said, “Summit activity was amazing the campers had a great time and made some great connections . .. ”

Sunday

 

 

 

Mr. America -- Scott "Flick" Flickinger

Happy Independence Day!  We had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our nation.  The weather was hot and balmy so we had a blast at our regularly scheduled activities.   After a quick patriotic sing along at flag lowering we had a real all-American feast featuring fried chicken, corn on the cob and apple pie.  The Timber unit had decorated the dining hall and all were decked out in red, white and blue.  The summits continued the patriotic theme with their evening activity, Amurrican Gladiators, an epic battle between the bunks that started at the tennis courts and ended at the pool.  Our Timbers and Prowlers had game show night – Timbers played Micah Bingo while the Prolwers played Guess Who!  The Critters competed in Iron Chef:  Red, White and Blue where they made yummy ice cream sculptures for presentation to the judges.

Listening to the Rabbi in Krakow

Outside Shindler's Factory

We spent the last 2 days of our trip of Poland in Krakow continuing to learn more about Jewish life in Poland and the Holocaust.  Wednesday we visited a mass grave outside of Krakow for hundreds of children that were killed in the town.  The kids had an opportunity to write letters to their parents about the experience that they will give to them when they arrive home.  The rest of the morning was spent exploring Krakow and discussing what Jewish life was like before and after the war. After lunch we headed off to Aushwitz I to view the concentration camp and learn more about the Holocaust.  At Aushwitz we had the privilege of having a renowned Holocaust scholar lead our tour.  We ended our tour at Aushwitz with a ceremony to remember the lives lost there.  Being in a place that was so well known to all of us and the kids was difficult to handle and after dinner that evening we spent some time in smaller groups talking and processing what we had seen and experienced.  Thursday we started our day very early with a visit to Berkeanu, the death camp to Aushwitz.  Here our tour guide led us through the camp and told stories of experiences that had occurred there.  Around noon we all hopped back on the bus and drove to the Warsaw airport to head to Tel Aviv.  While our journey through Poland was overwhelming at times the kids all talked about how it was interesting to have firsthand experience seeing the places they had learned so much about in Hebrew School. 

Atop Mt. Scopus on our first morning in Israel

Overlooking Jerusalem

After many hours of traveling we all arrived in Israel and are finishing our first Shabbat in Jerusalem.  Straight after arriving in Tel Aviv we watched the sunrise over Jerusalem and had our first view of the city.  We also welcomed two Israeli counselors who will be joining us for the trip, Netanel & Michal as well as our security guard/medic, Mor. Additionally we were glad to have Noah Jackson join us as well. After resting we had a great Israeli lunch and then headed out for a short hike through the Jerusalem hills.  There was a natural pool part way through the hike that many of the boys took the opportunity to cool down and swim in the water. Back at the Hostel we prepared for our first Shabbat and headed off to the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem.  We had services as a Micah community overlooking the Kotel.  It was a warm welcome home to Israel and a great way to start our trip.

First Shabbat in Jerusalem.

Shabbat

For our first Shabbat the kids have spent much of the day getting the opportunity to relax and catch up on some sleep after a whirlwind few days in Poland. For services we visited two shuls in Jerusalem to view different types of services.  First we were at the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem and then a Chassidic shul.  The kids got the chance to experience other types of Judaism that they may not have known much about before.  After lunch and some singing all of the counselors talked a little bit about themselves and then opened it up to questions from the kids.  After some rest we met with Elana Heideman, a Holocaust educator getting her PhD under Ellie Wiesel.  She is an expert in the Shoah, anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial.  She led a session to help process our Poland experience especially how it relates to being in Israel for the summer.  All of the kids and counselors are so very excited to be in Israel and are looking forward to the next 5 weeks of our trip. 

Amanda & Noah

Micah in Israel 2010 in Logan Airport before we left

Listening to the Rabbi at the Warsaw Cemetery.

Micah in Israel has begun!  On Sunday 24 of us boarded the plane in Logan to begin our journey to Israel. We arrived in Poland on Monday morning and immediately began our trip through the country. We drove to a shtetl called Tikocyn to get a feeling for what Poland was like before the war.  The shtetl gave us an opportunity to learn more about how Jews would have lived before the war. Our tour guide explained to us what happened to all of the Jews after the Nazi’s captured the town and we walked through the forest located next to the shtetl.  Here we viewed a few different mass graves, taking the same path as the Jews had before they were killed. Next we drove back to Warsaw and spent some time learning about the Warsaw Ghetto and viewed parts of the actual area. We finished the day off with a Polish dinner and headed to the hotel for a good night’s rest after a long day of traveling and touring.

Memorial at the entrance to Majdanek.

Tuesday morning we started our day off at the Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw where our tour guide took us through and told us stories about many of the people buried there including many Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto uprising as well as famous Rabbis.  After the cemetery we got back on the bus and headed to Lublin to see our first concentration camp, Majdanek.  At Majdanek we walked around the camp and experienced firsthand what the camps actually looked like.  At times it was hard to completely comprehend what had actually occurred at the camp and understand exactly what the experiences had been for those who had been detained during the war.  Being at a concentration camp is something that you have to see to understand and even then it’s hard to completely understand what we saw. We ended our visit of the camp with a short ceremony to memorialize the lives lost. After leaving Majdanek we got back on the bus and drove a couple hours to Krakow for dinner and our hotel.  The synagogue where we ate dinner was the Lubavitch synagogue in Krakow and G Buonomo noticed that there were pictures of the Rebbe everywhere.  We are finishing our time in Poland visiting sites throughout Krakow and experienceing Aushwitz-Birkenau and will post more in the next few days.  

Amanda & Noah

Our B15 Boys dressed up for Shabbat!

Another picture perfect Micah day filled with regular activities which were so fun and challenging. At the end of the day, we welcomed Shabbat with our traditional Micah feast; homemade challah and chicken noodle soup, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and yummy green beans.  Dinner was followed by a lively song session in the dining hall led by our amazing song leaders, Daniel, Felicia and Ben. Erev Shabbat services followed in the Chapel where Rabbi Lipof told us a story that taught, “this too shall pass” and reminded each of us to take advantage of each and every Micah moment.  Shabbat Shalom!

In the Crossfire

Our campers and staff had a wonderful and busy day at activities today.  The weather was absolutely beautiful — sunny and a bit on the cool side.  Our taco lunch was followed with exciting clinics and afternoon activities.  After dinner (pasta and meatballs with ice cream sandwiches for dessert) was our first unit evening activity.  The Critter Boys and Girls played Extreme Tag games.  When asked about her experience at evening activity one Critter said, “You won’t believe how intense it got . . . we even had to hold hands {with the boys} ewwwww.”  Our Prowlers experienced the Prowler Marathon – an old Micah favorite spruced up just for their unit. The Twix Team competed against the Milky Way Team in a variety of physical challenges (one after the other).   One camper said, “it was really fun, we had good teamwork and great friendships on our team.” Our Timber Girls played an assortment of “getting to know you games.” Their activity ended with a very special presentation as each Timber girl received a royal unity bracelet which symbolized the unit goals for the summer:  friendship, unity and spirit.  The Timber boys were busy on the Ultimate field where they played Crossfire, a fierce competition between the uppers (grade 8 ) and lowers (grade 7) which ended with an epic battle of campers vs. counselors.  The Summits started a new Micah tradition with the Face Race.  This activity was described as a combination relay race and jigsaw puzzle.  The object of the game was to collect entire faces of the Micah admin and other Micah celebrities.  Every Summit had an important role in the success of their team and fun was had by all!

Wednesday

Our first day of activities was a perfect “10″!  The sun was shining and so were are campers and staff!  All of our campers traveled to activities by bunk today so that all could get acquainted with each other and our wonderful Micah facilities. Among their other activities,  the Critters (campers going into grades 3 & 4) enjoyed basketball, waterfront and a visit to the art underground (arts and crafts, ceramics, woodworking and our new Jewelry area).    Our Prowlers (grade 5 & 6) visited the waterfront and had amazing tennis lessons on their schedules today.  The Timber unit (grades 7 & 8 ) was busy all over camp especially at the basketball court and Art Underground.  Our oldest campers, the Summits (grades 9 & 10) had a special activity period with Mark and (Steve) Monge today where they had the opportunity to learn all about our new Summit Leadership program and our Micah Edge.  Of course, every camper visited the pool today for a swim test and a refreshing dip in the pool on such a beautiful and sunny day.

Clinic time by the flagpole.

After a delicious dinner (grilled BBQ chicken, homemade cornbread, and veggies) we had our first all area night.  The girls participated in a rousing game of Camp Sister Rainbow Bring Me.   After meeting their camp “families” (all campers get to do special activity with “big or little sisters” throughout the summer), all of the girls gathered on the Soccer field for a night full of laughter and fun!  The boys donned very tight clothing and played Village Ultimate Capture the Flag on the Ultimate Frisbee field.   It was a sight!

Tuesday

Our first flag lowering of Summer 2010

What a glorious opening day!  The staff was so excited to FINALLY have the buses arrive at camp.  Our traditional dinner of pizza and chocolate chip cookies was followed by a joyous and spirit filled gathering at Uncle Milt’s.  Our entire admin staff sang their hearts out as we introduced our staff for summer 2010.  The campers and counselors spent the evening with their bunks, meeting new friends and old ones too.  Camp is quieting down for the evening and all are looking forward to our first day of activities tomorrow.

We will try and post to this blog several times a week so that you can get a peek into our exciting summer.

~Shari & Stephen

Noah and I are busy at camp getting everything ready for this year’s Micah in Israel Trip.  We leave in less than a week!  This year we have 23 campers on the trip and we will be updating the blog every few days to let the Micah community know about the adventures of our travels.  We are both super excited to be leading the Micah in Israel Trip this year and look forward to an amazing few weeks.  Check back often for our updates from the trip.

Amanda

The following positions are available for the upcoming summer.  If you or someone you know may be interested please fill out an online application under the “Work at Micah” link.

Head of Sailing

Camp Driver

MetroWest  Jewish Day School in Framingham, MA is looking for 2 – 3 students in grades 10 – 12 to work as counselors at their April Vacation day camp April 20 – 23 (you have to be available for all 4 days).   $10/hr, 8:45 – 3:15.  Contact Mike michaelc@campmicah.com to apply or for more information.

As many of you know this summer will mark Camp Micah’s ten year anniversary. It’s amazing to think how far we have come in just a decade. To commemorate this accomplishment we will be holding our ten year anniversary celebration on Sunday August 8, 2010. As part of the festivities, a T-shirt will be given to everyone who registers for the event. We are going to hold a camp wide competition to see who can come up with the best design. The winning design will be incorporated into the official Camp Micah Ten Year Reunion T-shirt and must contain the official 10 year logo. A picture of the logo can be found on the Camp Micah facebook Page under pictures, in the album titled 10 year. Here is a link to the 10 Year Design. We will also post the design on the website. All designs must be submitted electronically to steve@campmicah.com or mailed to PO Box 67414 Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 by Friday April 30 no later than 4pm. The contest is open to all campers, counselors, alumni and parents. If you have any questions please feel free to call or e-mail. Good Luck!

We are pleased to announce that Jason Pressberg has been named the Boys’ Head Counselor at Camp Micah.  Jason came to us highly recommended and we are extremely pleased to welcome him to the Camp Micah family.  Jason is originally from Yorktown Heights, NY.  When he was younger he was both a camper and a CIT at Camp Taconic.  Jason then went on to work at Camp Canadensis in Pennsylvania.  Jason attended Elon University in North Carolina where he graduated with a BA in Religious Studies.  Since graduating college in 2006 Jason had been the Program Associate/Birthright Coordinator for Tulane University, Harvard University and Northeastern University’s Hillel Programs.  Be on the lookout for the latest edition of the Micah Update where we sit down and really get to know Jason.