We walked into the Gym just like any other day, but this time it was a little different. This time we were traveling back in time to a world when Israel was not yet a State and was still just a dream.
Tonight, all the chanichim participated in a reenactment of the events of 1947 and 1948 that changed the history of the Jewish people forever. Each kvutza was given a different country to dress up as and take part in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181. The gym was decorated with flags and was set up like the real U.N. As the program continued, each kvutza (acting as a country) was asked their vote to determine whether the State of Israel should be established.
After the vote passed, we went over to the other half of the gym. There we saw David Ben Gurion declare the state. We learned about how the USA was among the first to recognize the state along with the former Soviet Union. The night ended with singing the Israeli Anthem, Hatikvah.
This event, along with other events from this past week, tied into our noseh of Moshevet Alo Na’aleh. We see the importance of living in land of Israel and the power of the Jewish people. It is through these historical events and their portrayal in camp that we really believe that Israel is our homeland and it continues to be a blessing for us each and every day.
We were also privileged to celebrate the Bar-Mitzvah of Ben Kaplan in camp today. Last night, the younger shevet boys had a special event by the lake. There was a campfire, where people made smores, and grilled salami for everyone to share. Ben’s parents joined and helped us all celebrate this momentous occasion.
This morning, Ben read from the Torah and received his first Aliyah as a Bar Mitzvah. Ben did a great job and is clearly destined to do great things. We wish the entire Kaplan family a Mazal Tov and continued Nachat. Camp is always a great place for celebrating a simcha and we look forward to many others this summer and in years to come.
