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.