By Max Antman, Rosh Eidah of Gesher
With only two days left of Gesher 2014, I am starting to get that end-of-camp feeling in the pit of my stomach. The session has really flown by, and I know I speak for all of the madrichim (counselors) in Gesher when I say that we are really going to miss these kids. They are smart and interesting, always quick with a witty comeback or a joke but still respectful and understanding of the boundaries; they are truly great campers.
Last night was the Gesher Carnival, and it was an amazing success. The theme this year was Tarzan and the kids really got into it. The skit and songs were perfect, and all of the booths ran smoothly and without any problems. When the Gesher chanichim weren’t running their booths, they were hanging out, participating in the booths their friends were running, and amusing themselves with our inflatables; a few of them even got to dunk me in the dunk tank. Overall, the night was a total success, and we finished with a wonderful siyum under our carnival lights (pictured below) and some special snacks. I know I haven’t discussed siyum in any of my previous blog posts, so I will do so briefly now. Siyum is a tradition we started this year in Gesher, where every night the chanichim and madrichim come together in a circle and sing a slow and calming song. Afterwards, anyone who wishes to share an amazing or memorable moment that occurred that day can do so, and we finish by singing Shalom Rav as an eidah. We taught the harmonies to Shalom Rav on the first night of camp, and as the session has gone on, the song has gotten more and more beautiful. Last night, Shalom Rav was the best they have ever sung it, and more chanichim chose to share amazing moments than any other day. Tomorrow night will be the last siyum of the session, and I know it is going to mean a lot to all of us.
The coming days are no less busy than the previous, and I am so excited for everything we have left to do. This morning we had our last limudim (learning session), and it was one of the best yet. Moshavah and Gesher came together to hear a wonderful slam poet, Kevin Coval, wrap up our unit on prophets, and the kids were really into it. After performing some of his original work, Coval had the kids write their own poetry using a very easy to understand template. Afterwards, those who wished were allowed to share, and it was amazing to see some of the more shy campers come out of their shells and share such intimate and personal pieces of writing. We then had a wonderful pool party with personal pan pizzas, chips and cookies, and will be finishing off the afternoon by going to see Tiferet’s art culmination, which they have been working so hard to perfect.
With only a few hours until the final Shabbat here in Gesher, I feel it is important to look back at all of the amazing things we have done this session. The chanichim were initiated the first night into the Gesher family, and they have been working with that family to better camp ever since. In the first week we painted the benches around our medurah (firepit) and made our living area so much more beautiful. We participated in our chugim (specialized activities) and allowed the kids to experience things they new thought they would. We went on three field trips (the Brewers Game, the Dairy Farm and Mt. Olympus in the Wisconsin Dells) and the kids had an amazing time at each. Lastly, we came together as an eidah to show all of OSRUI what we are capable of in our Gesher Carnival, a night of acting, singing, dance, cotton candy, bouncy houses and more. The kids have climbed our tower, gone tubing and played sports, done tie-dye and even learned Hebrew. I am very sad to see them all leave; Gesher this year has been an absolute joy to be a part of, and I am so proud of everything these kids have accomplished. I hope to see them all back here next summer, if not in Gesher, than in one of our other amazing .
Shabbat Shalom!
Enjoy this video of the Gesher Carnival “Shtick!”
https://vimeo.com/102938813