Check in...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
This is wonderful!
ReplyDelete