Shabbat Korach 2017
“Be present, you and all your company”
What an incredible first week it has been at OSRUI. After an amazing and beautiful opening day, our chanichim (campers) moved into their eidot (units) with the help of our amazing madrichim (counselors), moomchim (specialists), and segel (faculty).
After a week of climbing etgar (challenge), riding horses, water skiing, dance, drama, photography, art, sports, and so much more, Shabbat is here, a sacred and beloved time at camp.
Before we get clean and we put on our Friday night best, before we join together in prayer, before we tune our guitar strings and warm up our voices, before we prepare to rest, we take a look back at the incredible week that was week one of Summer 2017.
Chalutzim began their amazing journey toward ivrit (Hebrew) immersion being put into their various kitot (classes) and beginning their ivrit lessons. Their madrichim, who are primarily Israeli, hosted a program to show the chanichim that they are, in fact, connected with Israel. We had a ceremony where we gave everyone their Hebrew books for the summer. Food was eaten, songs were sung, memories were shared. We hosted a lively dodgeball tournament (tzrif (cabin) vs. tzrif, tzevet (staff) vs. chanichim) ending in learning new cheers. We wrote our goals for the summer and put them on the wall.
Moshavah prepared to depart for their first trip on Sunday with trip orientation, which includes learning to pitch tents, learning how to pack hiking packs, and sharing previous trip stories. They had amazing week full of friends, fun, and teva (nature). They learned the Mosh cheers and had t’filot by the beach!
Gesher Aleph opened with great fanfare and excitement in the horseshoe. They opened the session with initiation where the chanichim and madrichim wrote out their fears and threw them into a fire to symbolize that these fears will be conquered throughout our session. They then planted a bush to symbolize planting their roots and foundation for the session. It was very meaningful and the chanichim really enjoyed it! They hosted Erev Tzrif (cabin night)! We had many different activities, from camp fires and s’mores, to shakshuka night, to designing their own picture frames, and a karaoke night. Everyone is enjoying their two chugim (electives) daily from arts and crafts, to leadership and programming, to meditation chug. Gesher had an amazing scavenger hunt around camp and ended the week with an amazing field trip to the This is Hunger exhibit in Milwaukee sponsored by Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, which is a national nonprofit working to end hunger among all faiths and backgrounds in the U.S. and Israel. This is Hunger is a community engagement program which will illuminate the profound prevalence of hunger in America, encourage us to raise our voices on behalf of the 42.2 million Americans who struggle with hunger every day, and ignite our community’s commitment to end hunger once and for all. Everyone is having a great time and the bonds between the chanichim and the madrichim have been greatly strengthened!
Tiferet opened the summer with a big collaboration and an egg drop off the climbing tower. Tiferet participated in a questions program, which made connections through important questions. They followed up the week by going for gold in the art-lympics and a fairy stale mash-up program!
In Kibbutz HaTzofim, they are having a great time in the downstairs zone in their ohelim (tents). Tzofim had an amazing erev ohel where the kids enjoyed various activities with their new friends making splatter paint signs, zip lining, making their own high socks for High Sock Thursday, and baking cookies at Susan’s! They played human battleship in the mercaz sport (sports center) and made sculptures about their interests to learn about how artifacts can help the chanichim learn about ancient Israel.
Kallah had an amazing first week in the Kallah-only campus, now with the brand new and awe-inspiring, tzevet (staff) built Beit T’filah. This week they had erev tzrif where each tzrif held their own special evening program for just their bunk kehila (community). The rain has stayed away and they have been able to swim, tube, pontoon, and kayak everyday! Campers experienced pontoon rides, s’mores, karaoke, climbing our tower wall and lots more. They celebrated Yom Rainbow and dressed up in all colors and showed their bright colors around camp! Everyone is having so much fun!
It has been an amazing and exciting opening week here at OSRUI and we can’t wait for week two. Thank you for sharing your children with us!
Shabbat Shalom from all of us at OSRUI!
Jerry Kaye, Director Susan Alexander, Associate Director
Albert Marks, Senior Assistant Director