Tell your friends and family! Camp Moshava Wild Rose is selling Mah Jongg cards again this year. Make checks payable to ‘Camp Moshava’ and send to the camp office (3740 W. Dempster, Skokie). Include your name, phone #, address and specify the number of ‘standard’ ($7) or ‘large print’ ($8) cards you want. For credit card orders, please call the camp office at 847-674-9733 x12. All orders must be received by Jan 15th. Questions? Call Rebecca Singer at (847) 673-3938.

Camp Moshava is proud to announce that Rachel Shandalov and Yitzi Matanky will be the Roshei Moshava for summer 2012. Both from Shevet Amitzur, Rachel and Yitzi are devoted to making this the very best summer in the 70+ years of Moshava history.

Rachel Shandalov’s comeback for summer 2011 has left everyone in the machaneh wanting more. As social worker first session and Rosh MIT second session, Rachel’s warmth and charisma has left an impression on all.

Although this will be Rachel’s first run as Rosh Mosh, she is coming in on a lot of summer camp leadership experience. Rachel spent seven years as assistant director and then director of the seven week girls day camp at the Bernard Horowitz JCC in Chicago. “We couldn’t believe how lucky we were when we found out that we would be working with Rachel” said Kadyn Gottesman, who will be a madricha first month. “We all had the best time on MIT with Rachel last year and we know that it will be even better now that we are finally tzevet.” There are few things more exciting at Moshava than the first year on tzevet and Rachel Shandalov is sharing in the enthusiasm. “It’s an excellent shevet – I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with both in and out of camp. Summer 2012 will be our most exciting escapade yet!”

Yitzi Matanky has become our veteran Rosh Moshava. With three years of Rosh Mosh experience under his belt, Yitzi is guaranteed to bring an exciting and well planned tochnit to machaneh where the chanichim can be assured that they will have the time of their lives. This summer, however, will have its own unique aspect of freshness with new surprises; “This is going to be my best summer yet” Yitzi told the website, “Even chanichim who have been coming to camp for a few summers won’t believe what we have planned.”

Yitzi will be working with shevet Dvir, who showed excellent leadership qualities in their tzevet debut last summer and are currently spending their year in Israel.  Yitzi will come to camp accompanied by his wife, Aviva, who has spent her last few summers in camp running our shekem (canteen) in 2011, Rosh MIT in ’10 and madricha for our Avodah tochnit in ‘09.

Keep your eyes on our website and Facebook page for updates regarding their sganim and nosim.

Moshava director Josh Zwelling recently returned back to Chicago after a successful recruiting trip to Los Angeles.  “The meetings in Los Angeles were fantastic” said Director Zwelling, “it was so nice seeing familiar faces and meeting new potential families.” The open house meeting took place at the Glouberman home in the Beverlywood neighborhood, where many chanichim shared in talking about what they loved most about the machaneh.

There were s’mores, but this was no ordinary day at camp.

Camp Moshava in Wild Rose, Wis. hosted a bar mitzvah for the first time.  The camp, which was teh scene of a bris last summer, was also the site of Sheva Brachot (celebration and festive meal for the week after a wedding).  Moshava, which is sponsored by the Religious Zionists of Chicago and Bnei Akiva, seems to be getting a reputation as a place to hold lifecycle events during the summer, camp director Josh Zwelling says. And that’s fine with him.

The bar mitzvah came about because the young soon-to-be man, Ben Kaplan of Skokie, “wanted to start doing things like putting on tefillin and reading his Torah portion on his real birthday,” his father, Ed Kaplan, said in a recent phone conversation. Ben has been a camper at Moshava for the last two years, so “we decided to have a little celebration there. That was his official bar mitzvah,” he said. Ben later had a more formal celebration back home for relatives and friends.

For the camp event, Ben’s parents brought food for a barbecue the night before the bar mitzvah, then treated the campers to a breakfast of doughnuts the next morning after the ceremony.  “The kids danced around, and it felt very real and wonderful. We didn’t have any fancy speeches or a fancy dinner, but we all really enjoyed it. Ben found it very meaningful as well,” his dad said.

Ben’s mother, Tammy Kaplan, noted that “there is a tradition to be called up (to the Torah) on your actual birthday, and his birthday happened to be while he was at camp. We brought food for a barbecue, had s’mores, the children danced around (Ben) and had a great time.  Josh (Zwelling) gave a speech, and it was very meaningful. It was simple and lovely.”

Ben’s sister Michelle Kaplan, 21, agreed. “It wasn’t a bar mitzvah like we know it. He just read the Torah and we had a little campfire. It was very nice,” she said.

Also during the summer, newlyweds Jack and Marnina Gottesman, on their way back from their wedding in Toronto, flew into a small airport near the camp and spent the evening and next day at Moshava. The campers had already left but all the staff was still there to celebrate with them, Zwelling explained. Jack Gottesman, who grew up in Lincolnwood, had been a camper and later a staff member at Moshava for many years, and the bride attended a similar camp in a different part of the country, he said. The couple now lives in Israel.

“When Jack got engaged and they picked the date, we said, is there any way we could help you celebrate?” Zwelling said. Having the Sheva Brachot at camp was the result.

Both events, as well as the bris (ritual circumcision) that took place last summer demonstrate how “the camp is a place for life cycle events,” Zwelling said. “Many times people talk about camp so fondly, like a home away from home, a place where they’ve grown up, and it really becomes like their second home.”

Now, he said, “camp takes on new meaning when you experience events like this. It’s the concept of Camp Moshava as a special place not just for the camping season. People continue to visit and celebrate happy occasions. It’s a unique place where the Jewish life cycle takes place on a daily basis.”

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<p>Enjoy one last summer evening with fellow chanichim, madrichim, tzevet, friends, and family. In both Chicago and Los Angeles, we'll share camp stories, sing, and enjoy some special activities led by madrichim and MITs.</p>

Maccabia is underway!

Excitement is in the air as the two teams, Ir (blue) and Kibbutz (white), continue in the second and final day of Maccabia. By tonight, after endless hours of cheering and competing, one team will be crowned victorious. Last night showed just how much effort has been given on each side with the outstanding Stomp competition; and that was after a whole day of basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, swimming, archery, colorful meals, and the scientific Egg Drop.

In store for each team today are the home run derby, flickerball, hockey, tennis, and sand castle making competitions, the Apache Race, and more creative meals. Everyone is working hard on the special projects, sports competitions, cheers and songs, Divrei Torah, and all-around ruach. Melechet Yad has been full, sports fields have been exciting, and meals have been spectacular. Can’t wait for the Final Presentations tonight and the announcement of the Maccabia winners of 2011!

Members of the Moshava Wild Rose family in the Chicago area gathered last night at Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School for a meaningful program intended to capture the experience  of Tisha B’Av at camp. The moving program included the reading of Eichah and Kinot by Moshava alum Jeremy Amster, an inspiring story told by Moshava alum Rabbi Philip Karesh, and slow shira led by Alan Sorscher. Thanks go out to Moshava alumni Ilana Karesh, Rivkie Lafer, and Dov Shandalov for helping to put the program together.