by Deborah Goldberg, Tzofim Sganit Rosh Eidah (Assistant Unit Head)

Tzofim Gimmel is off to a great start!  Our campers have had the opportunity to swim in the agam (lake) and the breicha (pool), to climb Etgar (the Alpine Tower), to learn Hebrew, to work with the animals in our refet (farm), to tend the gan (garden), and to meet all the other chanichim (campers) in Tzofim.  We are also working on our Festikayitz presentation, the Israeli music festival taking place on Thursday night.  The chanichim are learning songs and dances and getting excited to perform for all of camp.

This past Saturday night, all of camp came together for the 60th anniversary concert.  We sat on our bitan (pavilion) with the rest of camp and hundreds of guests.  Dan Nichols played old favorites and new songs, and campers and counselors danced and sang together throughout the whole concert.  It was amazing to be a part of the 60th anniversary celebration, and the Tzofim chanichim had so much fun on Saturday night.

I remember my first summer as a camper at OSRUI.  The last night of camp, Debbie Friedman z”l, played for everyone on the bitan.  I remember sitting with my new friends and being so sad that this was our last night together.  These same friends and I sat together at the Dan Nichols concert this Saturday night, and I am so grateful for all the wonderful experiences I have had at OSRUI and for all the friends I have made at OSRUI.  I am confident that the next three weeks in Tzofim Gimmel will be full of the same kinds of experiences for our campers and I know that all the madrichim (counselors) want to give our campers the same amazing summers our counselors gave us.

Deborah Goldberg is the Sganit Rosh Eidah (Assistant Unit Head) of Kibbutz Hatzofim and will be a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri this fall.