Over the long weekend, Gilboa friends far and wide gathered by way of planes, vans, and automobiles to celebrate an opportunity to be with one another. On Saturday after drop-off, chanichimot (kids/campers) reconnected with their age groups after months apart - or for some, the first time! We were tired on Monday from our jam-packed weekend, but still managed to do a thorough clean up of Camp Nawakwa and say our goodbyes - for now!
Here are some highlights of Winter Seminar 2024:
Arrival was about 2:30pm on Saturday, when campers settled into snowy Nawakwa with a lunch of sandwiches and snacks. We took some time to unpack in our tzrifim (cabins) and had our “Opening Ceremony.” This weekend was Olympic-themed, which means chanichimot (campers) split up into countries (Suriname, Luxembourg, Lesetho, and Senegal). That afternoon, the countries gathered to create team flags and compete in challenges together.
After an exciting afternoon, we gathered for dinner of pasta with pesto, tomato sauce, broccoli, garlic bread, and salad. We took a little chofesh (free time) to digest, then met up to watch the classic Olympics movie Cool Runnings and have some dessert. What a day! After teeth brushing and pajamas, it was off to bed.
Sunday was jam-packed too! We woke up and had bagels for breakfast with all the fix-ins, then went for a hike around the beautiful campsite. Of course, the hike was followed by TONS of playtime in the snow! Snowball fights, sledding, snowman building, the list goes on. It was time for a mid-morning snack, then off to pish (age group activity) where each kvutsa (age group) broke off and spent some time learning together. Followed by some more chofesh (free time) to recharge, we met up for grilled cheeses, salad, and tomato soup for lunch. We then split up into chuggim (electives) for a while--with options like sledding, music making, art, and games. Some of us got a lot of snow time, so we decided to take a few minutes to change socks and get cozy! Then we had another peulah, but this time all chanichimot (campers) discussed the topic of Jewish, Israeli, and Palestinian identity. We had some inspiring conversations! To end our afternoon, we all sat down for a medurah (campfire, only this time without the fire!) where chanichimot (campers) performed songs and sketches in front of all of camp. We have such talent here in the Gilboa community!
Finally, it was time for dinner, which was an amazing Mediterranean inspired assortment of rice, Israeli salad, olives, roasted chickpeas, hummus, and some veggie nuggets. After one last bit of chofesh it was time for French Jeopardy, or, “Jeu Parti” where the winner of the Olympics was announced! Then, we all had a quick snack and went to sleep.
Monday morning, we woke up, cleaned our tzrifim, brought our belongings to the front of camp and had a pancake breakfast with eggs and veggie sausage together before saying our last goodbyes. We had such a blast this weekend! It was a great little slice of summer in Big Bear, only, with a lot more snow!
Thanks for reading! Check out more photos below.