The Moshava Lens
Seeing what's most important...

Summer 2007
Parshat Pinchas
20 Tamuz 5767
July 6, 2007

Getting perspective from Channah Spiegelman, our Rosh Mosh

Welcome all to Week Two of Machane Moshava!

I tell my staff every year that leaving Eretz Yisrael, leaving my husband and some of my kids behind, is hard, it's really hard.  I do it though, because Moshava is my shlichut, my mission; it's purposeful, it's a choice with meaning and my heart is here .  I love working with the kids and staff.  Lots of people can run a camp, but this isn't just another camp, it's a place with a message; it's a place I believe in .  Camp Moshava embraces and transmits the central ideology of Torah v'Avodah , as well as pashtut and shivayon , simplicity and equality.  There is no one person more or less important here.  There is great respect for one another. We all equally give our parts to the greater whole, each taking pride in our personal contributions.  What is Torah v'Avodah ?  It's the synthesis of Torah values into all that we do; it's choosing to integrate Torah into how we live, and making choices as reflections of those Torah values.  This is the message to our tzevet (staff) and chanachim (campers): conveying the idealism of who it's possible to become and the grandeur of what K'lal Yisrael can be .

Each summer, it's my hope that with Hashem's help and the strength He gives me, I can leave a piece of this idealism with the campers and staff.  It's said, "When you have a child, there's a person in the world that carries a piece of your heart within them."  The nachat in seeing "my children", the chanachim and tzevet , grow in their values both this summer already, and hopefully over many summers to come , is like having the privilege of being a bit like Choni HaMa'agel , who slept for 70 years, and upon awakening saw the fruits of his labor in bloom.

Here at camp we're in for a summer of growth, of magic and of inspiration, because Moshava is a magical place; it can change people's lives!
  
    B'Shalom ,

Channah

This week within our broader monthly theme of Yerushalyim , we're focusing on the era in Yerushalayim from the end of Tanach to 1948 , during which time it was ruled by other rulers and we carried inside ourselves the wish, the longing for Yerushalayim to be ours once again.  To bring this time period alive, the campers on the main campus and at Machal , (after their trips this week to Minnewaska State Park situated on the dramatic Shawangunk Mountain Ridge, Colton Park and Little Pine State Park in the Appalachian mountain region), had a taste through a ' Ramban Adventure' to experience life in Eretz Yisrael when it was completely barren and of what so many before us had to face.

The start of the Three Weeks begins with Shiv'ah Asar B'Tamuz , the 17th of Tamuz , a fast day, commemorating the fall of Jerusalem prior to the destruction of both the first and second Batei Mikdash on Tisha B'Av .  The Temple was destroyed because of sinat chinam , baseless hatred, and our programming and activities at camp on Shiv'ah Asar B'Tamuz and throughout the Three Weeks focus us on keeping the mitzvot of bein adam l'chaveiro at the forefront of our consciousness.

Dramatic presentations depicted biblical episodes in which people didn't stand up for the right thing.  In buzz-groups following the presentation, we explored parallel, real-life situations that could occur within a bunk, for example, and how to stand up for what is right.

 

As a further extension of developing commitment to standing up for what we believe in, we watched a multi-media presentation about Sderot and why we care.  The chanichim then made cards, wrote letters and designed friendship bracelets to send to a child in Sderot , sending along materials for them to make a bracelet of their own to give to someone else, continuing the chain of goodness, caring and love.

Jake, a dedicated Jewish educator , started as a chanich at Camp Moshava in 1985 and has been going to B'nei Akiva camps ever since.  Having grown up in Riverdale and attended schools many of our campers do, SAR Academy and Ramaz, he understands their culture and where they are coming from.  He and his wife Barbara, a Morah at camp, and their four adorable children live in Ramat Beit Shemesh .  In Israel, he teaches at the post High School yeshivah program, Lev HaTorah .

Jake is drawn back to Moshava summer after summer by many aspects of camp including, as he said, "being surrounded by great leaders among the tzevet : Alan, Channah, Chaim, and Dan from whom I learn something new each season, and I'm glad to be a part of their team; by the camp's being an organization that always challenges itself to improve whether it be in its physical structure or in its programming, which inspires me; the joy of seeing my staff participating in shaping the camp's lofty educational goals and being excited to make a difference in campers' lives ; and the excitement of my chanichim , getting to define themselves in ways other than just as a student- having different kinds of successes, and who experience Moshava as the greatest place on earth ."

In the many hundreds of interactions Jake has in a day, his commitment to Camp Moshava is apparent, as can be seen in the interchanges with Roshei Eidah who bring their initiatives to him, like wanting to include a glow-in-the-dark feature when playing Capture-The-Flag with their eidah.  With warmth and encouragement he facilitates their initiatives to create fun for our campers.

We at Moshava are very lucky to have Rabbi Jake as an integral part of our machane!

    
  - "Melechet Yad and choir, (which by the way sounds really good!).  At Melechet Yad we're painting a picture where Hashem watches over us day and night.  It's important because He watches over us everywhere we arefrom the walls of Jerusalem."   Amitai Miller

  
Over a handful of days this week, life at camp revolved around Maccabiah , Color War.  Blue and Yellow comprised the Team Chomah , wall, and Red and White made up Team Sha'ar, gate .  Each team represents a distinctive feature of Yerushalayim connecting Color War with this month's theme, Jerusalem.  Teams are grouped by bunks across the eidot getting the entire camp to interact with one another regardless of age differences and abilities.

Moshava Maccabiah is more than just about sports scores ; it's truly a differentiated experience allowing everyone to express their talent, ingenuity and thoughtfulness in a host of ways from composing creative cheers, best mascot, best wave, and most creative team introduction.  Not to be forgotten is that points are earned for most exciting Chadar Ochel decorations, great divrei Torah at mealtime, best stomp and more!

Moshava Maccabiah , held its exhilarating sports extravaganza at the Wallenpaupack High School sports fields.   The excitement and team spirit, heard in joyous and creative chants, emerged from the filled bleachers on a picture perfect day, Playing on regulation Astroturf fields and regulation-size basketball courts, and having upbeat music in the background, added to everyone's enthusiasm and fun.

- "everything's great, all the sports, especially basketball"   Aaron Litchman

With softball, kickball, football, soccer, basketball, long jump across a sand pit and track to choose from, the Blue, Yellow, Red and White teams all had a great time!

* Maccabiah Simon Says *

- "It's fun because even when you get out it's funny to find out your mistakes!"   Abby Levi

* Maccabiah Quiet Moments *

* Daglanut : Flag Ceremony *

It was a beautiful sight seeing 30 Israeli flags at once, against a backdrop of blue, blue sky and mountains.  It was possible to imagine being transported, by the camp's ruach, to somewhere in the Judean Hills or the Galil!

* Maccabiah Final Presentations *

At the end of a whirlwind of Color War activities, was the concluding Maccabiah event: the dramatic final presentations.  From the beautiful Sha'ar made by Team Sha'ar , representing a gate of Yerushalayim , to the divrei Torah about what makes Yerushalayim so special accompanying the chomot designed by Team Chomah , to original cheers, colorful sheletim - banners, to lively stomp bands who used objects found around camp in creative ways to create sound, and finally to the shir nosei - the end songs for each team, all of which made for a spectacular evening of camaraderie, fun and celebration.  Who won?  Find out on visiting day!

Shlomik Kum, our soup maker and chef extraordinaire , joins us with his wife Carmella- the Gan's music teacher, from Kibbutz Said, 3 miles from Gaza, for the past 30 years.  In 1969, he was the camp's music teacher but he wanted to make the food taste a little better to give campers more enjoyment, so just as he did at his kibbutz , he shared his avocation and talent, by cooking for Machane Moshava .  From then on, he's been stirring the pot with the sweet spices of Moshava.

Like any great cook, he cooks from his head and his heart.  He'll leave it up to you to adjust the amounts needed to create his delicious Cabbage-Tomato soup.
Enjoy at home, as our campers are doing up at camp!

   Shlomik's Cabbage-Tomato Soup
- "It was good!"  Megan Barban
- "I liked having warm soup on a cold camp night."  Ariana Shimoff
- "It was really good.  It reminded us of our Mom's cabbage soup- not in a homesick way, in a good way."  Shani Berg & Jordana Rotenberg

onion, sliced
shredded cabbage
shredded carrots
tomato sauce
crushed tomatoes, canned
black pepper, salt, garlic, dill & parsley (all optional)
water
soup base, a little
sugar, a little
rice (optional)

Saute the onion, shredded cabbage and carrots in a little oil.  When lightly browned add all the other ingredients, cook about 2 hours and add more spices as needed to suit your taste.  Enjoy!

A Kid's View
 
By: Yonah Rossman
Eidah: Daled
From: Monsey, NY
School: SAR Academy
Age: 14

This week in Machane Moshava the entire camp was busy with Color War.  This year the two teams were Sha'ar and Chomah .  However, in reality both teams were worthless unless working in unity.  On Har HaBayit there were walkways and under the walkways were walls.  These walls were not typical.  They were made out of arches, gates in order to get rid of tumah .  Rashi applies this concept to the human body: that one should not be ehad b'peh v'ehad b'lev , say one thing and mean another.  Camp Moshava tries to express this point especially when it comes to Zionism.  Judaism, as well, is not about just learning, rather learning to act on what you learn, and then teaching it to others. This way we will not just act as if we know everything and are only the gates or only the walls , but our body parts will work together to create a Kiddush Hashem .  Each and every Jew must also do so with his fellow Jews in order to bring about Moshiach bimheira b'yameinu , bring Moshiach speedily in our days.

  
Even a week later, Michal Emunah's presence and the song, 'Smile', that she wrote the lyrics for, have left a lasting impression.  Her words, "A smile from the heart, is a smile that I love; a smile, without seeing, is doing wonders."  And it did do wonders because campers are still talking about it at Machane Moshava a week later, from the youngest chanichim to the oldest campers.

As was so well said:

Come Into The Picture