by Leah Sherin, Tiferet Rosh Eidah (Unit Head)

When I walked in to visual arts studio this morning, I found 16 chanichim (campers) silently sitting around a table in the art studio. On the table was a display of bagels, milk cartons, cereal, and fruit, and in front of each chanich was a pen and paper. The chanichim were sketching their breakfast, just like that. An everyday kind of occurrence in Tiferet, and still a very special moment to walk in to.

We call the final week of Tiferet Bet “Marathon Week,” as we head in to our final showcase at the end of the session. The week is spent primarily in studio, with the chanichim finalizing their art projects. During Marathon Week, some other camp activities are replaced with extended opportunities for studio, like today, when Visual Arts started the morning with breakfast and t’filot (services) in studio. Although the whole session is about building a community of artists, Marathon Week exemplifies the experience Tiferet provides to really live in an artistic community. Being creative and immersing yourself in art happens all throughout the day, from sketching your breakfast to painting in the dark at night.

Another exciting aspect of Marathon Week is that Tiferet’s madrichim (counselors) plan special themed activities for the chanichim to enjoy when we’re not in studio. This year, the theme is Alice in Wonderland, and through the week, we have all gone on a journey through Wonderland, meeting characters (or rather, the madrichim dressed up as wonderland characters!) and doing all sorts of special activities. Even during meals when we aren’t in studio, this week we have had opportunities for Alice in Wonderland- related creation activities, such as making more of our own sock puppets and making some Wonderland decorations.

This week has included lots of fun and silliness, hard work in studio to prepare for our showcase this Saturday, and the unique experience of really living in an arts community. To all our families visiting for our final showcase this Saturday, we look forward to welcoming you to camp and sharing a piece of Tiferet with you!

Leah Sherin is so excited to be spending her 11th year at OSRUI as Tiferet Rosh Eidah! She just returned from a semester in Israel with The Nachshon Project, and will be returning to Brandeis University in the fall for her senior year.