by Emily Schwartz, Tiferet Rosh Eidah (Unit Head)

Tiferet Bet 2012 is off to a fantastic start! Opening day was full of excitement with old friends and new friends. We introduced our limud topic for the session, Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) with all of our moomchim (specialists) and segel (faculty), Dr. Roberta Goodman. The chanichim (campers) were given verbs from Shir HaShirim. They wrote “I statements” to create their own poetry with these words from Shir HaShirim. Each statement was left open with a conjunctive word (and, but, or, therefore, etc.) so that the sentences could connect to one another. They wrote them at the same time in any way they liked (up, down, sideways, etc.). When finished, there was one long poem inspired by the text, written by the chanichim on the walls of our Tiferet Beit Am. We focused on music from Shir HaShirim throughout this program, and will continue to do so throughout our days in Tiferet.

One of the unique aspects of Tiferet is studio time; each chanich chooses an intensive of Drama, Dance, Music, or Visual Arts. Several hours of the day are committed to this art and our session will culminate in a presentation that celebrates their work. In music studio the chanichim started off by creating their own scales, which they will use when they begin their own composition. The musicians have also been practicing their own instruments outside. In visual arts studio, the artists began with the fundamentals of charcoal and shading, and capturing a still life. In drama studio, the actors are studying the art of storytelling, and they are focusing on warming up their bodies and voices as well as their stage presence for when they will begin the real work of the play. The dancers have been honing their technique and rhythm while creating a set of warm-ups and discovering new ways to move their bodies. With the help of Dr. Roberta Goodman, Shir HaShirim is being seamlessly woven into each of our studios.

Last night when it rained for the first time this summer on camp, Tiferet waited out the storm together in our Chadar Ochel (dining hall). We sat together, sang songs, played games and formed a tighter kehilah (community). When the storm subsided, spirits were high. It’s been a great first few days in Tiferet and we look forward to sharing, creating, exploring, dreaming, and playing together over the next four weeks!

Emily Schwartz is the Rosh Eidah (Unit Head) of Tiferet. This is her 13th year at OSRUI and second summer as Tiferet Rosh Eidah. She is a graduate of The George Washington University.