KESHET JOINS CAMP MOSHAVA!
Our Dream Becomes a Reality
The Ruben Family Keshet Overnight Camp at Moshava.
In 1993, after many months of planning and preparation, Keshet’s dream of an integrated overnight summer program became a reality. For four weeks that summer and every summer since, Keshet children have joined Jewish children from around the world at Camp Moshava in Wild Rose, Wisconsin.
A special thanks to then Moshava Executive Director, Rabbi Moshe Kushner and the Moshava camp committee for the time and energy that was put into making this program a reality.
In 2004, Joyce and Dennis Ruben announced the establishment of The Ruben Family Keshet Overnight Camp at Moshava. This generous support has helped carry on the vision of Keshet of offering a fully integrated overnight experience for campers with special needs. Moshava provides this opportunity to participate in a four week overnight Jewish camp.
Overnight camp experience, while fun, is not a luxury for the Keshet campers. Play can be hard work. With the proper staff and supervision, the summer is a time of tremendous personal development. This four week program is customized to meet each individuals needs. Our staff members are hand- selected and trained as peer support. At Moshava, campers work, learn and play alongside their typically developing peers. It is wonderful and amazing to see the independence and confidence gained by the Keshet campers at Moshava.
Keshet campers participate in all the activities ranging from sports to arts and crafts, davening to canoeing, swimming to study groups, special trips, and a whole lot of socializing. The nights end late, but are filled with an exciting array of games, competitions, singing, dancing, and much more. Highlights of the summer are strawberry picking, the trip to the Wisconsin Dells, bowling and roller skating. The most popular of all is the “chutz”, the overnight camping trip, where blankets and rocks became tents, and meals are cooked over an open fire. The Maccabiah, or color wars, another favorite and eagerly awaiting tradition at Moshava, signals the end of the summer. For two days, the red and blue teams compete in athletics, banner-making, singing, and a final evening of moving presentations.
And, all of this is possible because Moshava opens their doors to Keshet.
– Sharon Frankel
Director of Special Events at Keshet
