After a good night sleep the chanichim arose ready for fun. The morning got off to a slow start due to some weather complications but soon enough the sun came out and people were outside. All areas of machaneh were used today including archery, the gym and the blob!

Right now the chanichim are at their tzrifim preparing for their first shabbat in machaneh. The excitement in the air is evident and the songs of shabbat can already be heard.

Check the website on Sunday for updated pictures of the our virtual tour. Have a Shabbat Shalom!!

All the buses arrived safely at camp this afternoon, filled with excited chanichim (campers). Bus chaperones provided first hand testimony that chanichim let out cheers and loud shrieks of joy as the buses pulled in and the chanichim got their first view of the camp’s landscape.

The chanichim were equally excited as they learned their kvutzot (bunk) assignments. From the bus drop-off, chanichim headed to lice check and then tzrifim (cabins) to unpack.

As always, Camp Moshava considers the safety of your child priority number one. Having an experienced, well trained and dedicated staff is the first step in ensuring a safe environment. Therefore we require that each staff member in the Machaneh is CPR and first aid certified. In addition Moshava counselors and staff receive extensive training on how to efficiently handle various situations with sensitivity.   Although we hope your campers will never need medical attention, Moshava employs a qualified doctor or nurse on site at all times for immediate attention.

We are proud that parents can entrust their children to us with confidence. We are certain your child will have a wonderful and SAFE camp experience at Moshava.

To access the Kvutza (bunks) lists, click on Pictures and bunk notes, log in, and then click on Newsletter. Make sure to become our fan on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for privileged access to our daily Moshava Minutes. As always, be sure to check out the photo section of the website!

For the first time, formalized sports leagues were formed for first month’s chanichim.  Chanichim selected the league in which they wanted to participate.  The boys had a basketball league and a hockey league.  The girls had a basketball league and a volleyball league.

The teams were comprised of chanichim from across all ages and bunks.  This enabled chanichim to interact and become friends with chanichim not in their bunk or grade.  Three-weeks of regular season games concluded with playoffs and championship games open to all chanichim to watch and cheer for their favorite teams. The basketball championships were greatly enhanced by the use of our new scoreboards donated by Maury and Ora Aaron.

On the last Friday of camp, a trophy ceremony was held thanks to the support of Asta Healthcare and  S.J. Abrams & Co. At the trophy ceremony, championship teams received recognition and medals were awarded to All-Star teams from each league.  Additionally, individual awards were given for various sports skills competitions held throughout the summer as well as 16 sportsmanship awards.

Check out our Photos and Bunk Notes section for more pictures from the event.

Please join us on Sunday, August 1st between 1-5pm (Chicago time) for a fun filled day experiencing Camp Moshava!  Parent and prospective campers will have the opportunity to take a tour of the Machaneh and see what a typical day is like at Camp Moshava.

Don’t forget your bathing suits! We will provide the snacks and drinks.

For more information please contact our Director of Recruiting, Josh Zwelling at 937-681-2493.

Yesterday marked the eighth yahrtzeit of Yaakov Matanky z”l. Rabbi Leonard Matanky, Yaakov’s father and longtime member of the Moshava family, delivered a shiur to Machal, Avodah and tzevet in Beit Yaakov Levi, the outdoor Beit Knesset built in Yaakov’s memory.  Other members of the extended Matanky family joined us in Machaneh to mark the occasion.

Rabbi Matanky stressed the theme of mizmor (song) in the chapters of Tehillim (Psalms) which depict the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash.  Over the course of the shiur Rabbi Matanky spoke of the need to rejoice even during tragic times; despite the fact that the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed, the Jewish people were thankful that the nation was not destroyed.

Yaakov made an indelible mark on the lives of all who worked with him and especially influenced the lives of his chanichim. He was loved by all and his memory will be forever cherished by the entire Moshava family.

Camp Moshava invites all our Parents, Campers, Alumni and Friends to join us for Maariv and Eicha on Tisha B’Av.   While this is usually done up at camp, because Tisha B’Av falls in between sessions, we have the opportunity to be all together in Chicago.  Join us to continue this memorable tradition and hear inspirational stories from former camp director Rabbi Moshe Kushner.

We are pleased to announce that Jeremy Amster will be reading Eicha directly after Maariv. Also, because we will be outside on the lawn (adjacent to the basketball court), please feel free to bring blankets, flashlights, etc.

July 19, 2010
Maariv at 8:20 PM
Hillel Torah (outside in the back)
7120 Laramie Rd
Skokie, IL 60077

To RSVP email [email protected] or call 847-674-9733 ext. 12

This article originally appeared in the Chicago Jewish News

A former camper who is now a well-known architect has signed on to help with an ambitious long-term plan to renovate Camp Moshava in Wild Rose, Wis.

The architect, Phillip Katz, is based in Milwaukee but has Chicago family roots; both his parents were natives. As a youth, he attended Moshava himself for many years.

His firm, Phillip Katz Project Development, specializes in what he calls liturgical architecture – synagogues and other “sacred spaces.” He recently attracted national attention for a new sanctuary and complete remodel of Congregation Emanu-El B’nei Jeshurun in Milwaukee.

The Moshava project, while still in the embryonic stage, will involve renovation or reconstruction of many of the buildings, according to Rivkie Lafer, co-chair of the camp’s board along with Howard Braun. She is the first woman to hold that position in 72 years.

Camp Moshava is sponsored by Religious Zionists of Greater Chicago and Bnei Akiva.

“I feel lucky we got hold of Phillip,” she said. “We have big plans for him. He has done other camp projects…”

Lafer’s own involvement in Moshava is deep. Out of her and her husband’s blended family of five children, three are at the camp, and her husband, Evan Lafer, serves as the “rosh sports” – head of sports. Lafer’s parents and various aunts, uncles and cousins all attended Moshava camps in different parts of the country, as did she.
Among other projects, the camp needs a new dining hall and infirmary, Lafer says. “These are big, big structures, and there are lots of little buildings that need to be redone,” she says. “Our biggest hope is new guest housing, a special guest housing unit with apartments where people can come and spend Shabbos” and on other occasions during the year beyond the camp season.

Such a unit would help to provide income for the camp, Lafer says. Camp personnel are also working with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, a national foundation that funds Jewish projects.
Camp alumni, especially younger ones “were very excited” when they found out about Katz’s involvement, she says. “He’s got a fine reputation, people really like him, everybody’s heard great things about him. He does beautiful work and he’ll be a big asset to the camp,” Lafer says.

As for Katz, he says he considers “sacred architecture” “a primary vehicle for architects to make the world a better place. The Jewish soul has a desire to complete the world, to perform tikkun olam. Sacred architecture is a very powerful way to realize those goals,” he says.

Lafer says she believes Katz will help achieve her goal for Moshava: to make it “the most amazing camp in the world.”

Yesterday during lunch Uzi announced that the chanichim would have a special treat, a surprise dinner boat cruise! After a fun filled morning of regular activities everyone departed to the marina. As the chanichim boarded the authentic Princess K they learned a little bit about the history of the Wisconsin River.

We started the boat ride with light Hebrew music and snacks, and enjoyed a dinner of subs while overlooking the river. The chanichim played an exhilarating game of bingo, as well as cards, and thoroughly enjoyed this relaxing evening on the water.

The boat cruise helped tie together the loose ends in regards to the theme. After this long journey of Maccabiah, the chanichim thought they were ready to enter the promise land, but then they were faced with a new dilemma. The Yam Suf! (The Wisconsin River). Though they could not split the sea, they did travel across the river in the large paddle boat, and emerged as a nation ready to enter Eretz Yisroel.

For pictures of this metamorphosis and much, much more check out the BUNK1 site.

(Written by the toughest lifeguard employed by Machaneh and as always the hardworking Webmaster)

In conjunction with the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, Camp Moshava will be hosting a Bone Marrow Donor Drive on Visitors’ Day.  Sunday, July 11th from 12:00 to 5:00 PM Chicago Time.  Click here for more information

Camp Moshava is pleased to announce our latest project — the Camp Moshava of Wild Rose, WI cookbook.   This cookbook will contain all of the best recipes from the Moshava kitchens (including Shabbas cookies!!!) and we would also like to include some recipes from our families and alumni.

The cookbook categories are:

SuperSalami – creative ways to cook with salami

My Favorite Meal – last meal before going to camp

Cabin Treats – snacks and treats for sharing during camp

Camp Food ( Recipes will be shared by our Camp chefs  – even the yummy Shabbos cookies)

Chug Cooking and Baking (Simple recipes to share during chug time)

Home Cooking– favorite meal after returning home from camp

Send your recipes to [email protected] Make sure to include your name in the email so we can credit you for the recipe.