By Max Antman, Rosh Eidah of Gesher

These past two weeks of Gesher have just flown by. We got into our routine rather quickly, but there have been many surprises along the way, such as two Kallah/Gesher Buddy Program days, a Bar Mitzvah for one of our madrichim (counselors) and two off-camp tiyulim (fieldtrips). This past Monday, our eidah (unit) had the privilege of attending a leadership workshop and performance at Comedy Sportz, an improv show in Milwaukee. I had high hopes for the trip, but my expectations could not have compared with what we actually experienced. After a fun and relaxing lunch at the beautiful Milwaukee Marina (pictured below), we drove about 10 minutes to the Comedy Sportz center. We were greeted with signs on the front doors that read, “Welcome O’ Brilliant People of Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute,” and at that point I knew we were in for a real treat.

First, the actors facilitated an 85-minute leadership workshop with our chanichim (campers), using improv games and skits to teach leadership skills. Almost every activity or game required some form of audience participation, which allowed our chanichim and madrichim to not only watch the show, but also be a part of it. The pictures below are just a few of the hilarious moments our chanichim had on that stage. Some of the leadership skills and qualities that were expressed in the workshop were to never leave anyone out, to support one another and to try and say “yes” as much as physically possible. I can say that from a personal standpoint, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn in such an interactive and fun environment, and I know that the chanichim feel the same way. My favorite quote of the trip came from Dima, a 7^th grader in the eidah. As we were leaving, he said, “It was awesome to be able to go on stage and say funny things without being judged or treated negatively.”

This coming week is a busy one, but nothing we can’t handle in Gesher. Today is our third and final Kallah/Gesher Buddy Program, and while it is sad to see this program come to an end, I can safely say that it has been more successful this year than ever before. After pairing each Gesher chanich with a younger Kallah chanich, the pairs were exposed to an evening program dedicated to bonding, and then a week later, a day filled with slip n’ slides, a barbeque at Jerry and Paula’s, and an evening of folk songs and s’mores. Today the pairs will come together once more for a picnic style lunch, have the opportunity to customize picture frames, and be given a picture of them with their buddies to keep forever. It has been absolutely amazing to watch our buddies create and sustain such meaningful and important relationships, and I know that the Gesher chanichim are sad to see their Kallah buddies go. Corey, a 9^th grader in the eidah, put it beautifully when he said, “I love that I have the opportunity to show my buddy all the amazing things we have at camp!”

I couldn’t be happier with the way our session has been going. The chanichim have formed friendships that will remain for years to come, and their willingness to try new things here at OSRUI has been tremendous. I am extremely excited for the next week and a half we have together; with one final tiyul, the Gesher carnival and much more, this is shaping up to be one of the best sessions Gesher has ever seen!