Camp Ramah in Wisconsin

Meet Rosh Machon Jeremy Fineberg!

 

Machon and Tikvah Present "Pippin!"

On Tuesday night, campers in Machon and Tikvah presented their Hebrew version of Pippin, a musical about a prince trying to find his way in life. It might be a little-known musical, but Machon and Tikvah did not let that stop them. They sang with intensity and enthusiasm on songs such as “Corner of the Sky” and "Magic to Do." It was a great way to end the 2011 Ramah musical season!

 Tali Kravitz (Rosh Tikvah): It was really amazing to see all of Machon and Tikvah on stage together—between the two aidot we had almost 115 people. It was wonderful to see everyone working together as one aidah to perform an amazing show for the whole camp.

On the Road with Machon

After leaving camp bright and early on Sunday morning, Machon has had three days filled with adventures as they tour around Wisconsin. Their first stop was in Green Bay for a tour of Lambeau Field, which was a huge hit. After their tour the group tailgated in the parking lot for lunch, complete with chili made by their counselors!

They spent Sunday afternoon at a swimming pool and then headed to Bay Beach Amusement Park for their evening activity. The campers had a blast riding the roller coaster and other fun rides and got a surprise when the mayor of Green Bay stopped by to visit with them. They then spent the night at Congregation Cnesses Israel. Todah Rabbah to Rabbi Shaina Bacharach and everyone at the synagogue for their hospitality.

Monday morning Machon headed to Milwaukee where they toured the Jewish Museum, including the Holocaust Memorial. The museum is currently featuring a special exhibit about Camping in Wisconsin which was of particular interest.

They then headed to Beth Israel Center in Madison where they had an educational program with Rabbi Renee Bauer of the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice. They expanded on the topics they had explored in their programming at camp and in their meeting with Senator Jim Holperin.

They finished Monday off with mini golf and then returned to Beth Israel Center to spend the night. Todah Rabbah to Rabbi Joshua Ben-Gideon and everyone at Beth Israel Center for your hospitality.

Today has been another busy day full of lots of fun. Campers went bowling and then spent the afternoon at Henry Vilas Park Zoo. Tonight they'll be seeing a movie and then spend another night at Beth Israel Center.

So far the trip has been awesome and everyone is having a great time. Check back later for pictures and more updates!

Camp Ramah in the News

Check out this news article about the recent Machon, Bogrim and Tikvah Israel simulation held at camp!

Summer campers in Wisconsin learn about Israel thanks to JUF

If you missed it, here is the link to our blog post about the simulation.

A Visit from Senator Jim Holperin

On Friday, campers in Machon (entering 10th grade) were given a very special opportunity to meet with Wisconsin State Senator Jim Holperin. Holperin, a Democrat who represents the 12th District in Northern Wisconsin, was one of the 13 senators who left the state in February in order to protest Governor Scott Walker's controversial budget repair bill, which eventually stripped union workers of their collective bargaining rights. While meeting with the Machon campers, Holperin answered their many insightful questions on different topics relating to government and workers' rights. The campers have been learning about workers' rights and social justice and will have more opportunities to engage with the topic on their trip around Wisconsin this week. The campers seemed very excited to be meeting with the senator and listened intently as he answered their questions. Many campers stayed after the session to speak with him individually as they searched for more in-depth answers to their questions.

Originally from Eagle River, Holperin now resides in Conover, and he even has ties to Camp Ramah! When he was younger, he attended summer camp at a camp that used to be just across the lake from us, Camp Buckatabon. Camp Buckatabon and Camp Ramah occasionally had dances together, and his first dance with a girl was with a girl from Camp Ramah.

Thank you to Senator Jim Holperin for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with Machon. And thank you to Machon for being such great participants in his session!

Spotlight on Machon

The second oldest aidah in camp, Machon (entering 10th grade) is an aidah full of unique opportunities. The campers are leaders in camp now and are given more opportunities to embrace those leadership roles. One of the unique parts of the Machon summer is the partnership with Tikvah, the aidah for campers with special needs. Machon and Tikvah have sport and classes together throughout the day and have many peulot erev (evening activities) together. Machon campers can also choose to be Tikvah chaverim (friends) and have the chance for more one-on-one interaction with the Tikvah campers.

This summer, campers in Machon had the chance to participate in "intensives" instead of the regular activity areas (such as art, radio, woodworking, etc.). During their intensives, the campers were able to spend more time in their chosen activity area and get more deeply involved in them. For example, campers who chose the Tikvah intensive had the chance to spend more time with the campers in Tikvah and helped to create the Tikvah Arts Festival. Campers in the Nagarut (woodworking) intensive are hard at work creating a new ark for their tefillah space.

Another highlight of the Machon summer is the Trip Around Wisconsin, which will be happening next week (watch for more blog posts on that later). The five-day long trip includes stops in Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay and is a chance for the aidah to explore the state and its institutions while learning about how institutions interact with each other. Not to mention, it's also going to be a lot of fun and a great bonding experience!

Gita Karasov (Rosh Machon): I like working with Machon because Machoners have endless energy and are constantly keeping me on my toes. We're having a great summer together.

Matthew K. (Machon): I like how much freedom we get in Machon, now that we are starting to be considered adults. We have a lot more time to do things we enjoy doing. There are so many options of what we can do--it's hard to choose and it's different every day. I do really like hanging out on the Point with friends. It's great that we have our own special space.

Einav F. (Machon): I really like all the free time we have to spend with our friends. It's fun to hang out on the Point with all the guys. I also really like Shabbat here at camp.

 

Israel Simulation

On Tuesday night and Wednesday, campers in Bogrim, Machon and Tikvah took part in a special experiential education program designed by Israel educator Carl Shrag, along with the aidah staff. For the past eight summers Carl has helped campers learn about Israel by simulating historical events. Past simulations have included the events leading up to the Six-Day War, a model Knesset, and the impact of pogroms on immigration to 1940s Palestine. This year the campers simulated an event that may happen this fall -- the effort by the Palestinian Authority to seek admission to the United Nations.

  For the past week, the aidah staff has been working with Carl to educate themselves on the topic, learning about the different perspectives and motivations of the parties involved. The resulting simulation is, as Carl described, "a cross between Model UN and fortune-telling."

  On Tuesday night, campers listened to presentations to get an overview of the situation and the differing perspectives. On Wednesday, the campers were divided into over 20 groups representing different countries, non-governmental groups, and advocacy organizations with strong opinions on the topic. They learned about their group and held meetings with others who supported their opinions and worked to sway groups with differing opinions. The day concluded in a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, including various demonstrations.

Carl believes a program like this is important. "We are giving campers an opportunity to learn and engage with issues from a variety of perspectives...By helping campers and staff understand perspectives that are different from their own, we're helping them get a deeper grounding in their own personal beliefs and in their own communal beliefs." The campers have the opportunity to play different roles in these simulations. "They come away from it with a greater appreciation of diversity of views and a much deeper understanding of why they feel the way they do."

 

 

Tikvah Arts Festival

This weekend Camp Ramah is hosting the Northwoods Ramah Theatre Festival, a weekend of creativity inspired by the two-week residency of the Northwoods Ramah Theatre Company (more on that in another post). One of the components is the Tikvah Arts Festival, which took place on Friday. For many years, Tikvah and Machon have worked together to create the Tikvah Lunch Theatre, a series of short plays written by the campers based on a theme that they would then present at lunch. This year, they expanded the project to include visual art and dance in addition to the theatre component. Entitled "It Could Always Be Worse: Three Artistic Interpretations," campers explored Jewish folktales highlighting the values of tzedakah and gratitude. The campers in Tikvah and the Machon campers who chose to participate spent the last several weeks studying these Jewish texts and then chose visual art, dance, or drama to express their own creative interpretations. The dance and the plays were presented on Friday during lunch for Bogrim, Machon, Nivonim and staff, and an art gallery was set up for everyone to view throughout the day on Friday.

  Before and after the performances, campers who participated in the visual arts component stood  proudly by their creations and explained their pieces of art. The dancers danced with smiles on their faces and lots of enthusiasm. The actors delivered their lines with confidence and excitement. It was easy to see how much fun everyone was having and how proud they were at what they had accomplished.

Kol HaKavod to Tikvah and Machon, and all the staff that made the Tikvah Arts Festival possible! Click below to see the dance.

 

 

 

 

Meet Rosh Machon Gita Karasov!

 

Machon Trip

Machon's trip continues. Here they are working for the Russ Feingold campaign.