Dear CW Families and Friends,

This past week was filled with incredible adventures. Our Solel campers traveled south to Cincinnati and Kentucky, stopping along the way at Kings Island, Mammoth Cave, Hocking Hills and more. Our Noar 9^th graders went rafting on the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle, PA while our 8^th graders spent an afternoon Jet Skiing on Lake Erie! While some of us were back in camp, we continued with incredible programming each day. As I walked through camp, I was immersed in the experiences that contribute to what makes Camp Wise a community for all. I saw campers grow with pride as they chose the horse they would ride, heard some of our first recorded podcasts (more information coming shortly on how to listen in!), and witnessed campers reaching out and taking care of each other with kindness.

Yesterday, Solel participated in their first Solel Special. They spent a few hours learning from and working with Sam Friedman of Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve. Together, campers learned why it’s important to consider the use of organic and sustainable ingredients in the products we use to take care of our bodies. At the end of their afternoon, each camper got to make their own natural lip balm to use and take home. Visit www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com to learn more.

On Thursday, our community joined together for our Israel Night program. We learned about the tastes of Israel with a delicious falafel dinner and were led by our Mishlachat (Israeli staff delegation) and Cornerstone Fellows in a celebration of Israel. Game Show Television found its way to the Camp Wise stage for “Are You Smarter Than an Israeli?” Staff were randomly selected to compete by doing challenges and answering trivia questions. I wouldn’t be surprised if the game makes a regular appearance at meal time skits!

It’s fitting that we celebrated Israel this week and that the core value that Chalutzim learned about when they studied Korach, the parsha (Torah portion), is Clal Yisrael (the unity of the Jewish people). In Shabbat prep, we read about when Korach leads a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. While Moses is accused of holding himself above his community, Moses keeps his faith in God and God’s plans while the others continue to rebel. Ultimately, the ground opens and swallows Korach and those who rebelled, proving that Moses and Aaron are God’s chosen leaders. Korach teaches us that jealousy can literally swallow us up and Clal Yisrael reminds us that we are always better when we are united rather than divided. When I visited Chalutzim during their Shabbat planning, I heard one camper explain that Korach must have been angry because he thought that Moses was trying to “hog” God, but he should have realized that God cannot be kept by just one person because we all have some God within us.

As our second week of camp comes to a close, we are sad to say goodbye to our Rishon campers in C4 and C5. We will miss their enthusiasm and laughs, and we can’t wait for them to return to camp in 2018! This week, we would like to take a moment to recognize our summer staff team! They have been working hard every day to ensure their campers are having a fun, enriching, and safe summer. If you’d like to write a note to share with your campers’ staff, please email it directly to rfelber@mandeljcc.org.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rachel

CABIN PHOTOS

CHALUTZIM

C1 – C1 had a blast on Wednesday during day trip at pioneer water park where they rode water slides and played in the lazy river!  On Thursday night, they learned about Israel during the camp-wide Israel night program.

C2 – C2 created cardboard cut-outs of their cabin mascot, the orange chicken, and posted them all over camp in a nighttime prank.  They’ve created cheers about the orange chicken and have taught them to all of Chalutzim to perform in the chadar!

C3 – C3 took a trip to the lake and got a chance to ride the jet skis!  After day trip, they relaxed and watched Moana to unwind.

C4 –C4 Dragicorns have created awesome memories this week including Jet Skiing at the lake and an amazing day at Pioneer Waterland! They are excited to be planning Chalutzim Shabbat this week! We can’t wait to see these guys back at camp next summer!

C5 – C5 Unicorns have had an amazing week getting to know each other and experiencing the magic of Camp Wise! They made their cabin plaque this week and had a special Cupcake Party! We will be sad to see this amazing group of ladies go home this Sunday!

C6 –C6 had an incredible time at pioneer this week, they got to enjoy plenty of slides and an awesome lazy river. They can’t wait for what’s next!

C7 – C7 got to use their artistic skills at arts and crafts and create a beautiful piece of art for their cabin to hang. They also had the opportunity to participate in our live wise chug

C8 – C8 got to show their athletic side this week and participate in archery, soccer, and basketball! C8 also helped prepare for Chalutzim Shabbat, which is this weekend.

OHALIM

O1 – What an incredible week for O1! This cabin has the whole village mind blown with their incredible magic tricks – you never know when a card will disappear right before your eyes! They also got their groove on during their Dance cabin activity and sang their heart out at a cabin song session!

O2 – O2 shared lots of laughs all week long. Whether it was laughing when their counselor, Noah, acted as a cow during their Drama cabin activity or in the cabin as they share never-ending funny stories, O2 is always having a great time! They even created a special cabin cheer and handshake that they do every time they are all in the cabin together!

O3 – O3 has had a super awesome week! They absolutely loved their chipwhich kitchen raid and had a blast at our Ohalim zoo evening program.

O4 – O4 had a great week at camp filled with ruach (spirit) and fun! You can always find the O4 campers in the middle of the village playing cards or throwing around a lacrosse ball.

O6 – The girls of O6 are loving their first session in Ohalim! They spent quality time together telling funny stories and making string bracelets while waiting for the storms to pass through camp. They also loved their Outdoor Cooking cabin activity when they were able to make delicious treats over a flame! This cabin always ends their day with a special cabin ritual of roses and buds where they share the highlights of their day and something they are looking forward to!

O7 – When you walk into O7, you see a hanging bead masterpiece made up of each girl’s bead bracelet, which they created at their Arts and Crafts cabin activity! This cabin rode horses for the second time and loved trotting around camp on horseback! O7 also surprised camp when they showed up to dinner on Tuesday wearing coconut bras, grass skirts, and colorful flower leis! Aloha!

O8 – O8 has been loving all of the activities that camp has to offer! They had an awesome time at their cabin’s pool party this past Thursday!

O10 – O10 had a great time this past week bonding and working hard to make their cabin sparkling clean! The girls of O10 had a ton of fun on our day trip to Splash Lagoon on Wednesday.

NOAR

N1 – This week N1 had an amazing pool party with N5. They powered through an obstacle course together and are even more excited for what’s coming up next week!

N2 – Everyone in N2 loved the freeze frame evening program Noar had this week. They showcased their creativity with the skit they created and they’re all excited to find out what more fun evening programs we have!

N3 – N3 busted out their best dance moves at Noar’s unbirthday party! They were even able to bring them out for their dance cabin activity! They can’t wait for new adventures next week.

N4 – N4 paddled their way down the river in Ohiopyle with the rest of 9^th grade and owned their way through the white water rapids! They didn’t even let the rain get to them.

N5 – N5 has had a great week here at Camp Wise, from showing off their dance moves, to participating in our new activity, podcasting. They can’t wait to see what this next week brings.

N6 – N6 had a cabin bonfire this week where they bonded over delicious s’mores. The girls also got a chance to go on our high ropes course and face their fears!

N7 – N7 participated in a special 9^th grade closing campfire after their white water rafting trip. They all shared about their experiences while getting closer together as cabin.

N8 – N8 showed such ruach in during song session you could hear their singing voices all around camp! They even brought the spirit back to the rest of the Noar village.

SOLEL

Solel’s week has been jam packed with fun! Immediately after Shabbat, we hopped on a bus and headed to Cincinnati and Louisville! Between going caving at Mammoth Cave, spending a day riding thrill rides at Kings Island, canoeing, and swinging on epic zip lines, you could say we’ve had a full week… But the trip was only half the fun! This week, we had our first Solel Special, which are activities targeted specifically for our teenage campers. We made our own lip balm! Of course, no Solel would be complete without village bonding, and it’s safe to say this group is no exception! While they all came in with individual friends, we can already see each and every camper reaching out to create new friendships and memories to last a lifetime. We are excited to be back at camp for a little while, but we cannot wait to see what exciting activities the second two weeks will bring.

SIT

This week, the SITs started working on a very special all camp program! During SIT hour, they had a very meaningful conversation about what they got out of camp as campers and then dug deeper discussing the real life benefits each activity provides our campers and camp experience and our role in creating those unique experiences with them! They’re looking forward to switching their counselor/ specialist rotations next week!