Camp
This week’s Thought for the Week is taken from the current edition of LJ Today and focuses on the wonderful experience of our young members at LJY camp and looks forward to the next ones.
As we write this, we’re running our brand new spring camp - Machaneh Shamayim. It’s been fantastic to have everyone back together on camp and return to some classic LJY-Netzer vibes. The weather has smiled on us so far this week, allowing us to make full use of our incredible site by running sports and other activities like our Ma’amadim (songs and prayer) outside. So far, we’ve had many challenging and engaging sessions, including Intersectional Feminism, Thinking About Pink and Greenwashing, as well as guest speakers from the fantastic refugee youth movement Our Second Home. New to camp this year are our chuggim (project group) sessions, which give the chanichimot (participants) a chance to develop a skill of their choice throughout Machaneh Shamayim. Some of the chanichimot have baked vegan treats, whereas others have been choreographing dances, learning the fundamentals of engineering, designing comic strips or creating a brandspanking new LJY Haggadah - just in time for Pesach!
It feels strange to now look ahead to Machaneh Kadimah but we’re already gearing up for our biggest camp of the year. If you’re a budding young Liberal Jew, aged 8-15, then a full two weeks in sunny Wiltshire is exactly the summer experience you’re looking for. It is filled with all kinds of games, fantastic discos, bonfires, an exciting day trip and plenty more. Back in our old stomping grounds, for the first time in three years, we’re ready for kef (fun), chinuch (informal education) and a few LJY-Netzer surprises too. If you need any more proof, Eden - one of our first time leaders on Shamayim - tells us of her experience on Kadimah summer camp. Eden said: “I first went on Kadimah when I was 12... and loved it so much I have been every year since. I think camp is amazing. You have lots of fun, as well as the challenge to push yourself to explore new ideas and do things you would never usually do. I have made so many new friends from all over the country that I would never have met without Kadimah. It allowed me to get to know other young Jews outside of my area and community. It changed my life.”
The dates are 15-28 August and you can sign up now at www.ljy-netzer.org. Financial assistance is available, and if you have any questions or worries then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.