Galil 20TEN: We Went Big

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This morning when we woke up Galil was fully of many sleepy chanichim (campers) and tzevet (staff). It's a different kind of sleepy than the mid afternoon siesta time, it's the kind of sleepy where you begin to just let go because you are closer to the finish line than ever before. Some of us have been running since the second week in June, and as hackneyed is it is, all good things must come to an end. We get lots of crying on the last days of machaneh (camp). The tears are not just for saying bye to friends new and old, and it's not just about leaving this place for the next year, it's about the end of a process. A parent said to us as

she signed out her crying child, "It's like she lived a whole life in three weeks."

Here, more than in most places, we pay tribute to the process. We recognize the importance of the beginning, the middle, the end, and everything in between. The kids get it too. Sure they may not love all of their peulot (programs) but they understand what an integral role our

collective learning plays in the success of our community.

During lunch today, the Bogrim staffed toranut

(kitchen duty) and played us the soundtrack of

the summer as we ate. It wasn't that intentional, but that's just how it played out. Each song stirred a memory of a different part of of the summer and brought us back to the place where we spontaneously stood and sang "Waving Flag" on world cup night or "Cecilia" when we wanted people to be energetic at breakfast. Each shicvah (age group) sang with more ruach (spirit) than the average day, because what they brought today needed to last them through the year.

And lastly, in honor of the process, I felt the need

to write one last post to conclude the summer.

I got the opportunity to experience this summer by living it here and then translating the experience with all of you. Hopefully there is a better understanding of what happens at Galil and now, when our campers share their experience with you, they'll be shocked that you know what they're talking about. Thanks for all of your support and your feedback, writing the blog has been one of the highlights of the summer.

...Check out and thanks for a great summer

Merakezet Chinuch (Educational Director), Molly Wernick

Final Mesiba: A Trip to Bollywood and Back

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When applying to work at Galil we aren't just appling to be madrichim (counselors). We also accept that being here means being kind of a jack of all trades. We go from wait staff to programmers to nurturers to rule-enforcers from teams to coaches to chefs and party planners. The madrichim part is a constant, but every day multiple other variables are thrown in and we need to be able to play with whatever gets tossed our way.

Last night for example, we had to transform the chadar ochel (dining hall) into a Bollywood Party for the Final Mesiba (party) that

happens at the end of each session. We pushed our imaginations to the limit in projecting Bollywood films on the ceiling of the chadar while we danced to Slumdog Millionaire's Jai Ho. We made curried popcorn on the front mirpeset (porch) of the chadar ochel and henna painted kids arms. And then just as we had Bollwood tossed to us, we tossed it away to become the next thing: the audience at the last medurah (bonfire) of the summer. Jokes were told, acts were heckled, two Bogrim were covered in shaving cream by the time the fire went out, and torches were passed from one person to another for who will be joking and heckling in the summer

of 2011. Definitely both sad and exciting at the same time. And we, the Jack of all Trades madrichim tell the chanichim (campers) that it will all be okay, and that they will see their friends at Fall Seminar, our weekend-overnight in early fall.

And then, just like with any other Saturday night at machaneh, all of the chanichim headed up to the chadar ochel to get glida (ice cream). The madatz transformed into ice cream scoopers, and the chadar ochel like an ice cream parlor, contrary to the Bollywood that existed there just 90 minuts before. You would have never known that anything else was there, and it was as if the

chanichim had already forgotten and were ready for the next thing. The Bonim tried to weasel their way into getting the largest scoops possible and the Chalutzim created their best sundae for a Saturday night.

Tonight the mayhem proceeds with a trip to Las Vegas and performances and presentations guaranteed to make everyone laugh and cry. Guaranteed.

...Check out

M.C. SHMOLLY

Welcome to the last (INSERT WEEKLY TRADITION HERE) of Machaneh Galil 2010

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With a little less than 70 hours left in Galil's 2010 summer, every hour and minute start to count. Big time. Some chanichim (campers) have started to filter out for sports pre-season or family vacation, leaving the rest of us bracing ourselves until the end for the end. We tend to start our weekly traditional programming with a welcome, "Welcome to the first Musicale of summer 2o1o," which at the start of the summer fills us with all of the excitement to come. However, when we have just completed "The last Hyde Park of Galil 2010" and madrichim

(counselors) making announcements about how many hours we have left in the summer, the chanichim tend to respond angrily, but really it's because they are incredibly sad to leave.

Chanichim send their last slew of letters home to their families that may possibly arrive on the days that they all get home. Strange to think about. And yet, these last three days will feel like an eternity and fly by all at the same time. During the last shira (song time) before our last pizza lunch, va'ada shira (the song committee) teaches the song Hahamerosh about welcoming the Sabbath Queen, as if they were teaching it for any

other week. In the meantime, the Madatz (CITs) worked in the chadar ochel (dining hall) making the challot for shabbat for the last time. They cover the tops with cinnamon sugar for a sweet shabbat and they braid the last of their dough. They chat with their kvutzah (group) mates about not just running their last peulat shicvah (age-group program) for their chanichim, but also about what appears to be an end to their growing up process at machaneh (camp). Little do they know, as well as the rest of the chanichim, that the growing from here never really stops.

Last night tzevet mitbach (the kitchen staff), had

dinner with a former rosh mitbach (head of the kitchen) from over ten summers ago who shared with the group that he tries very hard to run his business with the same practices that we use here; everyone sitting in a circle with a time to share their piece and establish equal playing ground. For the parents, families, and friends out there it may be easy to quantify how a summer here has impacted the life of your friends, children, families, etc... but for us in the inside, it's impact gains clarity over time. Whatever it is though, whatever we do here touches everybody who crosses our bridge.

*The sentimental and nostalgic nature of this post was only to make way for all of the excitement and mayhem to take place over the next three days. Deepest apologies for the sappiness.

...Check out until Sunday and Shabbat Shalom!

M.C. SHMOLLY

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KALI S, ROBYN P, BEN H, and HANNAH B!

Not Revolution Evolution but a Real Bocoup

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We have a tendency to downplay the success and effectiveness of our leadership training at Galil, mainly because we often forget that it's happening. We forget it's happening because of how naturally it all comes about. Leadership training, or hadracha as we call it, is not something that begins once you hit madatz, our CIT summer, it begins so much earlier than that. The Tzofim (post 7th grade) realize that the Chalutzim (Elementary school-age) will act more engaged if they act more engaged themselves. That's the first rule of hadracha: enthusiasm generates enthusiasm.

What comes later on is when we put our hadracha training to the test. Twice a summer the Madatz revolt against tzevet (staff) and run a day of special programming for the chanichim (campers), conveniently called "Revolution." The Bonim (post 8th grade) plan and run a reenactment of illegally transporting Eastern European Jews to what was then Palestine on the rise of antisemitism and persecution in the 1930-40's (a.k.a. Aliyah Bet). Though they run and plan the night they also heavily depend on help from the tzevet, the madatz, and most importantly, the Bogrim, (post 9th grade) our oldest campers.

The Bogrim get to test the waters of Hadracha as well. It happens twice a summer, once in planning a tochnit erev (evening program) and the second was getting to plan and run a half-day of programming in what they call the "Bogrim Coup" or really Bocoup. The Bogrim get to run the mitbach (kitchen), delegate the tasks, and most importantly make sure that all of the chanichim are having a fantastic time.

These leadership skills are hard to come by and it's not very common in the average high school life that a group of 9-10th graders embrace such an undertaking. One of the best things that we do

here is inspire the next generation of leaders in high school, college, and Jewish and local communities. We give our chanichim real, applicable skills that they can take into their home lives and make a real difference wherever they go. And yet, we manage to do this while supporting their creativity and letting them dream. If we don't let them dream here and now, how will they realize they can achieve great things. And to put that very special spin on, it was in fact Theodore Hertzl, the founder of modern-day zionism who said "If you will it, it is no dream"

...Check out

M.C. SHMOLLY

I'll be riding right there!

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There is no big surprise that our education about equality translates into our advocacy of social justice inside of our lives at machaneh (camp) and into the real world back at home. Some of our practices are pretty covert, like making

sure that all of our conversations are in a circle so that nobody feels talked down to.Other practices are much more out there, like the way that we incorporate Civil Rights songs into our regular shira (song/singing time) rotation each session. One of the examples of this is the song that

goes, "If you miss me at the back of the bus and you can't find me nowhere. Come on over to the front of the bus, I'll be riding right there"

We teach equality as a a Jewish value--to love thy neighbor as thyself. Then we connect it to doing Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). From this point there are a thousand

offshoots that eventually make up some great

summer programming. For example, for peulat shicvah (age group progams) today, the Sayarim (post 6th graders), traveled back in time to Selma and prepared for a Civil Rights march. In "Selma", regularly known here as Hyde Park, the Sayarim were met by Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Jewish scholar, activist, and Rabbi Abraham Joshuah Heschl, and singer/song writer, Bob

Dylan. The Sayarim and their madrichim (counselors) read the quote from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel that said "When I marched on Selma, my feet were praying"

From then, the Sayarim marched with signs of equality in hand, they marched around Galil

singing "Oh Freedom Over Me" to "We Shall Overcome" to "If you miss me at the back of the bus." They marched all the way to the Eitz ha Shira (The Song Tree) where they proceeded to have a conversation about the involvement that the American Jewish

Community played in the Civil Rights Movement, education

as a form of activism, and why

we

practice Tikkun Olam at machaneh. It was a very simple method to convey a very important message about an issue very relevant to all of our lives. So

circle-up and peace out.

...Check out

M.C. SHMOLLY

Breaking Ground and Looking Back to Look Forward

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Yesterday we did something monumental and groundbreaking, literally. We hosted our First Annual Alumni Day where we broke ground for our new Moadon Machaneh (central camp building) Beit Tzevet (staff building), named in the memory of Galil alumnus, Amy Adina Schulman. Our old moadon machaneh was condemned and the knocked down before the summer of 2004. We didn't just lose the building, we lost a pivotal part of our childhood and the memories that came along with it. All of the chanchim (campers) who are here now don't know Galil with a moadon, that's how quickly generations at Galil turn over.

It takes about three summers for something to become "the way it's always been."

When the groundbreaking ceremony commenced, speeches were given, tears were shed, and Galil 2010 entered through the would-be doorway and claimed the new space as their own. Check out our dance on youtube! And then we transitioned into Alumni Day by singing the song, simply as it sounds, "We were here in 20TEN, 20TEN, 20Ten! We were here in 20Ten, where is '09." And from there we had Galil alumni chant the years they were here all the way back to 1948, where apparently it was so cold on Labor Day

people remember freezing their butt's off. Considering that Galil's first summer was in 1946 and we only missed those first two summers, that's pretty impressive. If that doesn't evoke nostalgia, it's hard to say what does.

After the ceremony we shmoozed through lunch as generations ate with generations and chatted about whatever "back in the day" meant to them. We snacked on fresh tomatoes from the gan (garden), went on tours where alumni found their signatures in the tzrifim (cabins), and looked at some of the oldest pictures in Galil's history. Without a doubt this was one of the most inspiring days that Galil has ever seen. This place

has made such a difference in the lives of so many people, giving us all the opportunity to share in that together just completes the cyclical nature of it all.

Thanks to all those who came and we look forward to seeing you, with our new buildings, next summer on our Second Annual Alumni Day!

...Check Out

M.C. SHMOLLY

Nitzanim: A Taste of Galil

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It was really only a matter of time before we piloted a program to integrate younger chanchim (campers) into life at machaneh (camp). It took a lot of work to create our pre-3rd graders here, but we finally managed to do it. On Wednesday morning Margot, Maya, Rachel, and Sophie arrived at Galil not knowing much about what they would encounter over the next four days. The goal of the program is to give younger campers a taste of life at machaneh (camp) including varied parts of our seder yom daily schedule and even get to see shabbat! As you can see by this picture, these girls and their madrichot (counselors), Molly and Talia, are taking their time at Galil very seriously. Just the way we like it.

Even though the program is technically called "Taste of Galil," we gave them a shicvah (age group) name to fit into the swing of Galil life. We are calling them Nitzanim, which is the hebrew word for buds or blooms. Makes sense, right? The Nitzanim will be here until Sunday morning, and we hope to leave nothing but a sweet taste in their mouths and an eager feeling for the summer to come.

...Check out until Sunday and Shabbat Shalom

M.C. SHMOLLY

Second Session: The Time Whirlwind

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During second session at machaneh (camp) everything just kind of happens--days feel like weeks and weeks like days. The end sneaks up on all of us even though we know it's coming. There is something about life here where we are all present in the here and now and not really the past or the future. It's part of the bliss of summer, just to live each day for what it offers. It's actually quite calming, we don't have to deal with the hustles and bustles of home life so it's easy to forget that the rest of you do.

We definitely get reminders from time to time though that the outside world still exists, like

when we enter into it. Yesterday morning as the Bogrim (post 9th graders) finished breakfast and cleaning their tzrifim (cabins), they put on their Galil 2010 and they piled onto the bus to Camp JRF for a Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Chanichim from around the same age from Camp JRF, URJ Camp Harlem, and Young Judea's Camp Tel Yehudah and Galil played four Ultimate games against one another all throughout the afternoon. Though we try not to overly emphasize competition, there are a few ways to succeed at this tournament, aside from winning the tournament itself (We came in 3rd place, but that's not the point...for us).

One way to succeed at the tournament is

befriending your competitors, which our Bogrim did within 15 minutes of our arrival. They brought the trigger games/ice breakers that they use to start their peulot (programs) and then proceeded to play them throughout the day in conjunction with their Ultimate games. Also by doing this, we can't help but infuse parts of our culture within other Jewish camps. Another camper from Camp JRF said to some of our chanichim "I can't believe how much cooler than us you are" to which our chanichim responded "You guys are really great too, and it's not cooler or better or worse, we're just different"

This leads to another way to succeed in the tournament, in which each camp rates one another after their initial games on a scale of 1-10 for "The Spirit of the Game Award." This is rated by support for one another and the other team, great ruach (spirit), and the way that they approach the game. So Galil, for a fourth year in a row, got the Spirit of the Game Award! So we didn't win the actual game, but by the end of the day it just didn't matter that much. We all had a great time, made new friends, and spread some of our fantastic ruach throughout some Jewish Camps in our area. Great success!

...Check out

M.C. SHMOLLY

Kupa Trip: The Day the Zag Swag Was Born

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After a rough night of zombie survival we made it to the morning with nothing but a few scratches on us. And little did the chanichim (campers) know, they were in for another adventure--another day, another plot, and another opportunity to be quite silly. It all began like this: when sports was called on the ram kol (loudspeaker), the chanichim were informed that we were having special sports today in honor of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth coming to the throne. Okay, so we made up a holiday, but it

helped explain everything

that would follow.

We ran a series of special sports: knitting, strolling, croquet, tea party, and cards where everybody acted with the utmost propriety and a certain swagger (if you will). Then, following sports we sent everybody back to their their tzrifim (cabins) to put on their queen's best for lunch. And upon the end of lunch, each of the kids were invited to a carriage ride in the parking lot where they boarded the buses and headed off to "tour the bridges of bucks county" or so they thought.

About an hour later, three buses pulled into to Pine Creek Mini Golf Course in Ringoes, NJ. This was not your ordinary Mini Golf course, it was much more...extravagant. It looked more like a challenge course, which we were surprisingly up for. Around 36 groups traveled the 36 holes of the upper and lower course, assessing and creating strategy for each and every stop. Some got two on a par four and some got a six on a par three, but just like these three fine gentlemen,

Ben, Ben, and Dan learned, it's not just about the skill, but it's also about the strategy and the support.

At the end of the day, when the course had been conquered, we had all bonded sufficiently, and Dan Zager putted on par or under for each hole (hence the Zag Swag), we loaded back on to the buses to head back to machaneh (camp). JUST KIDDING! We had one more stop before heading home: to Mamma D's, a local Ottsville Italian restaurant that cooks using nothing less than the food they grow in their own back yard. Good eats, no doubt.

We happily ate and digested Ottsville's best while reflecting on a day well spent. And now as tochnit erev (the evening program) winds down, we will all sleep soundly and brace ourselves for another day and another adventure.

...Check out

M.C. SHMOLLY

Zombie Survival Guide: Galil Style

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A little over two weeks ago Galil's tzevet (staff) gathered for a very serious peulah (program) to

discuss if we could seriously handle a zombie invasion while protecting machaneh (camp), the chanichim (campers), and ourselves. The verdict in our optimistic nature is that, yes, we could.

It is important to note that just because we are in the Galil bubble, it doesn't exempt us from the New Moon and tales from beyond media hype. Also, a zombie invasion serves as a great metaphor for what motivates us to take responsibility for one another and ourselves. In case you missed it, that's the take-home message: we need to do what it takes to protect and care for our community.

And so, the tzevet gathered to devise a real plan for real considerations of a real zombie invasion. So when it came time to plan a yom meuchad (special day) that is educationally based in an intensely creative way, putting our zombie plan to the test seemed like a totally viable option.

Last night the zombies came to machaneh, gushing

with the best stage make-up tzevet can offer.

And now in the most pacifistic way possible, we are training an army to fight the zombies. Of course we will fight the good fight and of course we will win and goodness will prevail, but not without

some crazy stunts between now and then. For serious training we have rented a forty-foot inflatable obstacle course to test speed and agility of our community (this may just be the highlight of everyone's summer). Currently, we are all testing out the use of massive amounts of shaving cream as a zombie repellent, and it may just take a visit from the Ottsville Fire Department (yes we went there) to use their hoses, flashy lights, and maybe the sirens to finish off the last of the zombies. Good triumphs over evil

yet again.

...Check out and beware of zombies

M.C. SHMOLLY

Smells like Shabbas Up in Here (Up in Here, Up in Here)

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Every Friday morning the chanichim (campers) nearly race to the chadar ochel (dining hall) because they know what's awaiting them at the breakfast table, MUFFINS! First round muffin picks go to the chocolate chip and blueberry, next round pick goes to the poppy seed, and the third round pick goes to the corn muffin. So as we enjoyed the sweetness of the muffin to taste, our noses enjoyed the aromas wafting from the mitbach (kitchen)--the smell oh so familiar and

the closest thing to the smell of home; shabbas dinner.

The exact scent is hard to describe, it's some combination of roasted onions and baked potatoes with rosemary. It is definitely enough to excite a room for what comes later in the day.

We do spend our Fridays getting ready for Shabbat, or as we call it hachanot l'shabat. An extended avodah is part of that. We send the ashpa (trash) truck to go around and collect the garbage from all of the buildings and tzrifim (cabins) around machaneh, we mop the floors of the chadar ochel, and among other things we harvest the fresh vegetables and herbs from the gan and we live the difference between a week of work and a day of rest.

...Shabbat Shalom and Check Out until Sunday

M.C. SHMOLLY

This is the Remix Edition of a Song About Pishin'

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It may come as a surprise to families and chanichim (campers) alike the amount of actual

learning that goes on here. It's not that we try to hide it by any means, we just get that every opportunity is a learning opportunity, and just like we expression we throw around the...office: chinuch (education) is kef (fun). Though it may seem easier to find an interesting article, make copies, and distribute them to an entire shicvah (age group) to read and then talk about, it definitely isn't the most effective way to get a message across.

Around these parts, we call ourselves "informal educators" regardless of the tafkid (job) an individual holds. We plan peulot (programs) each day that teach a lesson related to the themes and the process of the summer during

peulat shicvah (a program by age group), which we refer to as pish. During this time, aside from the method of the peulah, there is also a latent learning function where the kids in each shicvah bond with one another by sharing in the same learning frame and process. Today, the Sayarim (post 6th graders) went on a scavenger hunt to familiarize themselves with the locations at machaneh and find their "missing kvutzah (group) member" to recognize the contribution of each individual to the group. And in a similar vein, the Bonim (post 8th grade) discussed inequality through exploring varying access to resources by breaking the chanichim into groups and giving each group different amounts of materials to make a raft that floats.

We learn by learning together. See, chinuch is kef!

...Check out

M.C. SHMOLLY

Intersession it's in between the sessions, it's after first session and before second session.

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Sending our four-weekers away can't help but be a little emotional, considering the measurable growth (both physical and emotional) we see in one another in just a month's time. It's quite possible that life-long bonds have been made in a this ripple of time, and the second you leave, it's only 11 months until you can come back again. Sarah in Chotrot (on the right) started to cry when she said bye to Julie our matzilah (life guard), and then Julie couldn't hold back her tears when they hugged. Shiah found the whole thing amusing, hence the two thumbs up. We say that generations here last about five years, roughly from one year's Amelim (age 9-10) to one year's Bogrim (age 15). It's

crazy to think that this summer's Bogrim will be the madrichim (counselors) for the 2010 Amelim when it's 2015 and they are in Bogrim. Confusing, but oh so cyclical. Shiah is 22, Julie is 19, and Sarah is 11, and yet they have all impacted one another's lives.

Now, welcome to Intersession, the hang time between first and second session. For chanichim (campers) intersession serves as a great time to catch up on sleep, euchre and other card playing, and trips to the movies to see summer blockbusters like Toy Story 3. We even bring in a special tzevet (staff) to help out themadatz (CITs) with running intersession programming. The intersession tzevet is normally

comprised of former Galil tzevet members and vets to the summer process. This year we brought in former Rosh Galil, Ben Profeta, former madricha, Gan specialist, and Driver, Ilana "Woosie" Goldfus, former madriach, Brian Cohen, and former madricha, administrative assistant to the Eexecutive Director, and the one we call "Grams," Arielle Wernick. It's nice for all of us to bring in some back up so that we, the tzevet (staff), have about 48 hours break everything down, build it back up, and just generally do our thing. And now with about three hours until the second-sessioners roll up, and the final moves being made to prepare for their arrival, we are just about ready to get this whole thing started again.

Second session will bring a whole new slew of energy and excitement and we are all just bracing ourselves to bring it all on.

Thanks for all of your patience in the blog-gap. Even bloggers have to participate in the intersession madness. Don't worry, your kids and friends are safe and happy!

...Check out

M.C. SHMOLLY

Are YOU Ready for Ivrit Shimushit?

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Each morning at the end of Hitkansut Boker (the morning flag-raising) the chanichim (campers)

and madrichim (counselors) sit in front of the toran (flag pole) to enjoy a mini-hatsega (play/skit). This isn't just any ordinary hatsega, it may in fact be our punniest time of the day, we call it Ivrit Shimushit (useful Hebrew). Here's how it breaks down: At the start of each session three to four madrichim create a plot line, characters, and a theme song to frame each day based satirically on a movie or TV show. Then while following the plotline, the

characters make pun-based links to Hebrew words that may sound like other words in English. For example, the Hebrew word for "fork" is "mazleg." So the classic skit has two characters

talking about how "There is a fork in Ma's leg." Get it?

So this session's Ivrit Shimushit skit is based off of the late 90's teen film, Josie and the Pussy Cats. So on the pictures to the right, meet Shoshi veh Ha'Chatulot (Shoshi and the Cats), who have just reached rock stardom and are on a world tour playing their music. As the skit comes to an end and the Hebrew word is revealed, the madrichim call out the word in English and have

the chanichim call out the Hebrew in a call-and-response manner. The theme song for Shoshi veh Ha'Chatulot also incorporates some

ivrit shumushit, the song goes:

Take a good look and remember us baby
Nichbosh ta'Olam (taking over the world) and it's gonna be crazy.

Top of the charts have a number one hit

We'll rock Galil while you learn some some ivrit

ooooooh ooooooooh

Shabbat shalom and see you on Sunday!

M.C. SHMOLLY

Tisha B'Av: A Day to Remember

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With the end of all of our good-deeding yesterday evening, we quickly transitioned into the reflective mood of the Jewish Holiday, Tisha B'Av (The 9th of the month of Av on the Hebrew Calendar). Tisha B'Av historically has been a day to commemorate the destruction of the second temple and being a people in national exile. Throughout history, however, the day has come to symbolize Jewish hardship and tragedy. Last night before the Tzofim, Bonim, and Bogrim watched the film, Life is Beautiful, they engaged in a discussion about the contrast between spending a day healing our community and then reflecting on how tragedy has impacted our history. What is the link you may wonder? Two of our Bogrot made a spot-on point about the two days. They pointed out that Tisha B'Av puts our lives in the context that frames the experience of Tikkun Olam's importance.

We have a responsibility to make the world better because of the hardships we have faced. So as we spend the day in conversation about good versus evil, the differences between tolerance and advocacy, and the role that events like liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto and the BP spill in the Gulf have to do with us today, it shows us that we learn about the past so that we can fix the future.

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M.C. SHMOLLY

Going Back to Our Roots

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After a full day of bringing Philadelphia to the chanichim (campers) for visitors day, we decided that it was only fair to bring the chanichim to Philadelphia. Each summer we reserve a day in the calendar for tikkun olam, the Jewish value of repairing the world, that manifests itself in a service project. This year we went for the classic "connecting to our roots" but oh so literally.

Starting this morning as the storm clouds cleared, we sent three bus-loads of tzevet (staff) and chanichim to four locations throughout Philadelphia to work with urban farming initiatives and

cooperatives.

The Amelim and Chotrim made their way to North Philadelphia to clean up vacant lots and do some community gardening with The Urban Tree Connection. The Sayarim were sent to the farm associated with the Weavers Way Cooperative in Mt. Airy, to lend their farming hands and greening thumbs. The Tzofim and the Bogrim merged two Galil values - environment and education - to work with Foundations and City Harvest to farm and weed along side with Philadelphia high school students, beautifying the growing gardens on their urban sites.

As the chanichim weeded their way through the greater Philadelphia area, our tzevet heard

more positive feedback from the kids than we ever do during our usual avodah (daily job) block. The chotrim called it "super avodah,"

the tzofim lamented about how it was essential to make our gan (garden) larger and self-sustaining, and as the Bogrim walked off of the bus they asked "Why can't we do this every day?" Something about today seemed to light at least a tiny spark under the hearts and actions of our excited and empowered community. We have taken this rooted reconnection to heart and it seems like now we are ready for the next step. We started as a learning farm to train for life on the kibbutz, so would it be retroactive to move back to a time where we were not just leaders in the Jewish community but in the agricultural community as well? All feedback is welcome.

Another day. Another adventure.

...Check out and ground-up

M.C. SHMOLLY