Which dots? Ma' Datz!

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Lunchtime today brought a few things. The first was the start of the yearly tradition of pizza on Fridays. During the summer, we serve pizza for lunch on Friday following a rigorous and energized Shira (Song) session. This shira, in preparation for shabbat, is the ultimate test of ruach (spirit) for all of our chanichim--for those with the most ruach are the first to receive the seven-day-coveted slice of homemade pizza from our very own mitbach (kitchen). The next thing that lunch brought was the end of a morning full of planning and brainstorming for all of out tzevet (staff) va'adot (committees), challah-braiding, and preparation for shabbat dinner with the Camp Committee, which for all intents and purposes serves as Galil's board of directors.

The final and most exciting thing that lunchtime brought today was the arrival of our muchloved Madatzim. The word Madatz is a combination of the two Hebrew words Madrachim (counselors) and Tz'irim (young), making Madatzim our junior counselors or counselors in training. The madatzim were greeted by their madrichim Kali and Amit, and an excited tzevet eager to meet the new comers. Everyone ate pizza, salad, and grapes as they caught up with the madatz and shared their excitement about the upcoming summer.

In this picture are three of our eleven madatzim (from left to right) Julia, Diana, and Jon getting familiarized with the new set up of our mitbach.

That's all for now and until the arrival of our chanichim on Sunday (!!!!!)

Shabbat shalom!

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M.C. SHMOLLY

Galil 2010: Finding our roots and growing big and strong

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After about a week of tzevet (staff) training and nearly four more days until our chanichim(campers) arrive, we are nearly ready to get this show on the road. Each year, tzevet at Galil takes on a new personality and a life of its own; this summer may have one of the most energized and excited tzvatim that Galil has seen! Our madrichim (counselors) and our tzevet techni (tech. staff) spend their days in intensive training, planning sessions, and peulot (informal education sessions) making sure that all the nuts and bolts are tightened to give our chanichim one of the best summers of their lives.

In creating fun and meaningful summers for our chanichim, our tzevet also goes through a learning process of their own. They have participated in hours of long conversations about what it means to be madrichim-- it means that they are not just the people who take chanichim from the chadar ochel (dining hall) to the migrash kadorsal (basketball court), but they are role models and educators for their chanichim and for one another. That is one of the things that makes this small community of ours so special and our summers so fantastic, it is the way we take care of one another and grow together to make each day the most fun, crazy, energized, meaningful, creative, active, engaging, and empowering day that it can be.

Meet Tzevet Galil 2010

Kvutzat Workshop 55

Left to Right

Dustin Hellinger (Tzevet Mitbach, Kitchen Staff)

Josh Waimberg (Merakez Techni, Technical Director)

Naomi "Bubbis" Rosen (Rosh Mitbach, Head of the kitchen)

Dave Combs (Rosh Machaneh, Camp Director)

Amit Bob (Madatz Madrich)

Across the front

Lev Horowitz (Tzevet Mitbach)

Kvutzat Workshop 56

(Left to Right)

Molly Wernick (Merakezet Chinuch, Educational Director)

Shiah Irgang Laden (Melaveh)

Zack Arnson-Serotta (Driver)
Josh Rofrano (Madrich)

Kvutzat Workshop 57

Left

Zac Lindenbaum-Grosbard (Melaveh)

Kali Silverman (Madatz Madricha)

Right

David Rosenberg "H Pot" (Madrich)

Lois Edlin (Madricha from Habonim Dror UK)

Kvutzat Workshop 58

Left

Elie Shane (Madrich)

Elissa Katz (Madricha)

Right

Levi Natkins (Madrich)

Anna Yankelev (Madricha)

Kvutzat Workshop 59

Top Row Left to Right

Julie Dancis (Matzilah, Lifeguard), Mikey Silberman (Madrich), Shira Landau (Madricha), Nathan Peretz (Madrich)

Middle Row

Carla Golden ( Melechet Yad, Arts/Crafts Specialist), Phil Ross (Tzevet Mitbach), Sara Zebo (Madricha), Dan Barkon (Madrich)

Bottom Row

Erez Bleicher (Madrich), Nuri Weitzman (Madricha), Max Weisman (Madrich), Shuli Carrol (Madricha)
Not in Picture: Molly Bernstein (Madricha) and Leora Paradise (Madricha)

Kvutzat Workshop 60

Left to Right

Top Row

Louis Abramson (Madrich), Adiv Paradise (Madrich), Gili "G Unit" Caspi (Tzevet Mitbach), Pele Irgang Laden (Madrich), Eli Silverman (Madrich), Shaun Plotnick (Madrich)

Middle Row

Hillary Kurland (Tzevet Mitbach), Shira Pik-Nathan (Madricha), Allie Amado (Madricha), Danielle Gross (Madricha)

Bottom Row

Yuval Yarden (Madricha), Shira Scott (Melechet Yad, Arts/Crafts Specialist), Shula Smith (Madricha)

Not in Picture: Talia Gottesman (Madricha) and Jodi Crossan (Madricha)

Mishlachat (Israeli Staff)

(Left to Right)

Tal Bavli (Madricha)

Yaron Panchak(Madrich)

Ronit Cohen (Shlicha, Israel/Hebrew Director)

Nitzan Frankel (Madricha)

Amit Karakow (Madrich)

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-M.C. SHMOLLY