HDCA Newsletter – July 2023

We are nearing the end of our 4th week of Mosh – and what a summer it has already been!

Our mazkirut chose Ma Rabu (how great), as our summer theme. As our Rosh Mosh, Eliza Roth, explains, “it is amazing for us all to be here together. At Mosh, we notice and wonder with amazement at the incredible joy and love that exists here.”

Our first session began on June 23rd. In just a few short weeks, we have seen our camp community translate Mosh magic into connection, creativity, and kahilah in amazing ways. Our chanichimot share the avodah of caring for camp and each other by cleaning the shirutim (with cheers!), toranut after meals, and collecting and chopping wood for our weekly medurah. They have supported each other as Bogrimot-Amelimot and Bonimot-Nitznimot buddies. Campers have discovered new relevance of their Judaism through rikkud and other Shabbat celebrations.

Older campers have demonstrated impressive leadership skills, and have fulfilled experiences they have been waiting years for, like Bozman. The theme this year was Circus – and it really was! Campers were transported to The Bozo Circus, before being split into groups for a round robin of activities. They threw water balloons at the clowns; completed a short obstacle course made of hula hoops and mattresses; danced across the basketball court, learned a song about the day to the tune of Britney Spears’ “Circus;” ate pudding to clean up “animal poop;” and played the classic circus game, Balloon Pop. As Go Orringer, one of our fabulous Bogrimot, describes, “when I was younger, I always looked forward to the day I would run Bozman. Now that I have, I can say it 100% lived up to expectations.”A perennial summer highlight is tiyul, when our already de-screened chanichimot truly get back to nature. They headed to a clearing in the forest on our campgrounds, pitched their own tents (with oversight and help from the tzevet), and settled in for two days outdoorsy fun. Activities in the wild include chopping wood for the campfire; kneading, shaping, and cooking pita; hiking; swimming in Deer Creek; yoga and journaling; and connecting with nature, with each other, and with themselves.

Our first Special Day of the summer focused on labor organization and unionization, through the lens of our campers’ favorite movie character – a hat tip to the Writers’ Guild and, now, SAG-AFTRA strikes. As Dove Begleiter, our Communications Specialist shares, “chanichimot were woken this morning by Spider-Man and Yoda, and gathered after breakfast to explore Habowood, our own version of Hollywood. Some of their favorite characters joined them, and they had a great time playing games all together. But after experiencing the realities in the writers’ room that made these stories possible, the chanichimot decided to form a union and seek better working conditions. They learned about picket lines, collective action, and the challenges that workers face when forming unions. Through self-selected activities, campers were able to discuss the writers’ strike, teachers’ strikes in Israel, the Amazon labor union, and graduate student strikes across the US.”

As our first camp session comes to an end, we are confident our campers have made memories together that will sustain them until they return in Summer 2024. Our tzevet have created innovative activities for second session. When our new campers pull into Mosh on July 24th, more magic awaits!