Celebrating 90 Years of Camp Gilboa with Stories Under the Sukkah

Camp Gilboa
11 minutes ago
3 min read

What a night! Our hearts are still full from L’dor V’dor: 90 Years of Stories Under the Stars —

an unforgettable evening of laughter, music, and the kind of storytelling only Gilboa can spark. On Saturday, October 11th, 2025, alumni, campers, parents, and friends gathered to honor nine decades of shared values, friendship, youth empowerment, and radical joy.

Our Performers

Michelle Azar — Actor, singer, and lifelong Habonik; from chanicha (camper) to national program leader to professional performer, Michelle shared how camp shaped her voice — on stage and off.
Ben Kelman, June Palitskie, & Zoe Moore — Habo friends since MBI (HDNA Summer Israel Program) now living in Southern California and building Gilboa’s year-round Tzedek Program.
Ziv Bard — Camper since 2018 and fresh off the Madatz (counselor in training) program, a pianist/composer who’s grown up with Gilboa’s music, community, and leadership. Watch Ziv’s musical performance here!
Natasha Marder — From chanicha to Madatz, tzevet (counselor), Melavah (camper care director), and Rosh (youth head of camp) twice!, Natasha is now a Gilboa board member who still tells the best Shabbat-at-the-dam stories.
Avo Pack-Soltes — '90s-era camper turned Madrich (Counselor) and Rosh, now a proud Abba (father), back to celebrate the community that raised him.
Mathis Chazanov — '60s-era Madrich (Counselor) and retired journalist who still keeps our grounds (and our stories) grounded as chair of Gilboa’s Facilities Committee.
Livvy Mullen — Gilboa alumna and former Techni (youth technical director); Livvy is a crowd favorite whose storytelling helped launch the original “Stories in the Sukkah” three years ago.

Stories That Lit Up the Night

One story by Avo Pack-Soltes in particular captured the spirit of the evening:

“My wish is for continued freedom — the kind that sings, dances, and laughs its way toward love and hope in a strange and fearful world.”

That longing to carry courage, creativity, and community forward echoed through every tale we heard.

Another storyteller, Natasha Marder, had the crowd in stitches and reminded us that even the most unexpected moments can reveal Gilboa’s heart:

“For years, my biggest fear was that I’d go to the marp (camp health center) and everyone would forget about me. But when I finally did, instead of being isolated, everyone rallied around me. If there’s a moral to this story, it’s that if you’re gonna get a shot in the butt, you might as well do it at Gilboa — and if you’re lucky, you’ll get a cool nickname.”

That blend of humor and connection — finding joy and community even in the absurd — is pure Gilboa.

Gratitude & Naches

Endless thanks to the volunteers, storytellers, and committees who made the night shine:

Maya Paz for months of masterful organizing.
Sheva Gross for the gorgeous shira (songbook) cover art.
Development Committee (Chair Lara Dutta, Dani Lainer-Vos, Yun Woo, Tyson Roberts, Rebecca Green, Kit Colorado).
Sukkot Planning Committee (the Development Committee plus Natasha Marder and Quinn Tassin), with Quinn as our joyful emcee.
All our volunteers who showed up to transform the space and create the magical evening!

A Weekend of Connection

In addition to the storytelling event on Saturday, Gilboa families hosted campers for Shabbat dinners on Friday night and gathered at Pan Pacific Park for a picnic ken event on Sunday.

Relive the Magic

See all the smiles, songs, and sparkle:

Take a look at event photos and slideshows here.
Watch the full event recording here.
Keep your eye on our social media for more individual performance clips in the coming weeks!

Have your own Gilboa photos from any decade? Upload & Share → here.

View the Gilboa 90-year timeline here.

Keep the Gilboa Spirit Going

You can help ensure that every child who wants to come to Gilboa gets to experience the kessem (magic). Give to support Gilboa’s programming here!

Donate here to our Capital Campaign to help Gilboa continue growing by expanding and revitalizing our Chadar Ochel (dining hall) and Mitbach (kitchen). Capital donations will be matched up to $100,000 by Gilboa family Ari and Nicole Gesher! Contact Tyson at chair@campgilboa.org for more info.

We have an online store now! Purchase Gilboa merch here.