We are so excited to welcome all of our Session IV campers! The session started off yesterday with a Havurah Hike around camp to get everyone acquainted with their bunkmates, counselors and with camp. Then after dinner was an all camp campfire in which each bunk introduced themselves in a short skit. Here are some highlights from the campfire:

Did your camper come home with lots of great digital photographs? If so, we want to see them! You can send us your camper's best photos by e-mailing them to alli@tawonga.org. You're also welcome to send us a short comment of approx. 75 words or less about your camper's favorite camp memory or your impressions of his or her experience.

A few hints on what makes a good photo:

• Pictures must be in focus with good lighting- not too dark and not overexposed
• Send shots of individuals and small groups, no big groups
  
• Pictures should be in .gif or .jpg format. Unfortuantely, we cannot post videos
  
• We love smiles and campers being goofy!
• Please send a maximum of 5 pictures- choose your favorites!

We know you all have amazing photos, but please know that we can only post a limited amount, which means we can't post everything we get. Likewise, by sending us your photos, you are giving us your permission to post them on the internet in our blog.

We can't wait to see your pictures!

Tuesday was the Bagel Run, an elective hike for campers who love a good, challenging hike. The boys from the units of Haifa and Chalutzim who signed up woke up at 5am and began hiking at 7:45 at Tenaya Lake. The seven boys, along with their two wilderness leaders then hiked 22 miles around Cloud's Rest, up to the top of Half Dome, and down the Mist Trail into the Yosemite Valley. The boys were super strong hikers and made the trek in record time! They themed the trip "Lord of the Rings-esque," with one Bagel to rule them all. True to its name, the hikers enjoyed lox and bagels in the valley before returning to camp for showers and a good night's sleep.

It was such a great day! Here are some picture highlights.

On Tuesday morning, a helicopter made an emergency landing on our girls' side field because of difficulty with its hydraulic system. While a repairman made his way to Tawonga (from Red Bluff - near Mt. Shasta!), the pilot and other officials were welcomed and given plenty of ice water to cool off on the almost 100 degree day. At rest hour, the campers were thrilled to be able to check out the helicopter, sit in the pilot's seat, and hear about all the various buttons and controls! It was exciting for the kids, and Tawonga was glad to help out.

But the excitement of the helicopter certainly didn't slow down any normal camp acivities. The Olympics came to Camp Tawonga! Different bunks represented different countries as they participated in events like swimming, indoor hockey, and of course, sack races!








We also took a moment to sit down and talk with our eldest campers about the events happening in Israel. Although camp's beautiful location can sometimes make it feel cut-off from the events of the outside world, the situation in Israel is very important to our community. We have so many well informed staff members and Israelis at camp that it is an excellent venue in which to learn about and discuss such events. Ken Kramarz, Camp Tawonga's immediate past Executive Director led the discussion with unit heads and Schlichim. He commented afterwards that it was extremely gratifying to see just how many campers actively participated in a conversation about such a serious topic.

Sometimes at Camp Tawonga, we can get pretty silly. Yesterday the kitchen staff sponsored "Mustache Monday" and both campers and staff got really into it! And who knew there were so many different kinds of mustaches. There's the imperial mustache, the Dalí mustache, the handlebar mustache, and you can't forget the walrus mustache!

Later in the evening, G-3 and B-4 headed up to Inspiration Point, an amazing place to bond with the bunk and watch the sun set.



Also today was the famous "Bagel Run," an intense and long but exciting elective hike in Yosemite National Park offered for those 3-week campers who want to challenge themselves in the outdoors.

This time of year camp gets very hot, but yesterday we were lucky enough to have a mid-summer rain storm! For the past two days it rained on and off, but the kids loved playing in the warm summer rain. Today it's back to sun and drinking lots and lots of water to stay hydrated, but the rain storms were a nice break from the heat.

Yesterday was an excellent day, particularly for Chalutzim campers. After eating "choco tacos" they were chauffeured by our wonderful drivers up to the wilderness building for open mic night. They watched and participated in skits and songs while munching on tea and muffins.

It was a busy but fun filled day for all of our campers! Carmel girls along with all of Galil headed out on their backpacking trip while other bunks made t-shirts, swam in the river, enjoyed copper enameling at arts and crafts, and baked cookies at camp.
Speaking of cooking, some campers are making s'mores in the freedom forrest tonight. mmm...sounds good!
What else is on the menu for today?

This morning the boys of B-10B woke up bright and early at 5am to watch the sunrise from Rainbow Pools. Rainbow Pools, about 15 minutes outside of camp, is a favorite swimming spot with stunning views. Though the wake-up time may have been early, the boys would surely agree that it was worth it to watch the sunrise and swim in such a beautiful spot.

The unit of Eilat will also see some fantastic views today. Later this evening they will be driving to Inspiration Point, a favorite spot to watch the sun go down over a valley. Our song leader, Gal, will accompany the group so that they may sing songs and share stories as they watch the sun slip behind mountains.

Last night was Hard Rock Cafe night! Staff spent lots of time decorating the dining hall with their personal "memorabilia" like yankees hats, paint splattered pants, and even demo tapes! When the campers arrived for their pizza and punch dinner, rock music was playing in the background.

And speaking of rocking, later that night we had a "Rage on the Stage". Aaron, Rafie, and Nama were our fabulous MC trio. One bunk sang "Girls just want to have fun" to kick off the celebration. Some bunks performed lip syncs of their favorite songs, others wrote their own songs. B-10B did a lip sync of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," which earned them a standing ovation.



Sing on happy campers!

Camp Tawonga's Schlichim present Israel Day! Despite the turbulance currently going on in Israel, camp still found a lot to celebrate. Today was a fantastic day, full of programming designed by our Israeli staff to teach campers about all different aspects of Israel. The campers split into many different groups, each of which worked on different parts of the production for the campfire. Campers learned Israeli dances, cooking, and art which all came together in "The Muppets go to Israel," a production full of singing, dancing, guitar playing, great scenary, and even snacks before the show! Here's a behind the scenes look at all the fun that went into making the play happen.

Shabbat at Camp Tawonga is always a truly amazing experience. Friday nights are filled with a scrumptious Shabbat dinner, tons of singing and dancing in the dining hall, and a moment to relax and reflect on the week during Kabbalat Shabbat. Saturday morning everyone gets an extra hour to sleep in, and then the buffet style breakfast is followed by a Torah service at Camp Tawonga's own Makom Shalom. "Makom Shalom" means "Place of Peace" and our outside temple, surrounded by tall trees and sunshine truly is a beautiful, restful place.

This weekend Shabbat has been made especially special because the Camp Tawonga Board of Directors has come to celebrate with us. Here are some highlights from this morning's Torah service.



A camper stands and joins in singing Adon Olam


Guy leads the camp in an Aliya as Tama, our Jewish Programmer, guides him



A scene from the Parashat Players skit. The Parashat Players, who have become a lively and wonderful part of our weekly Torah service, act out different parts of the Torah. Not only are they entertaining, but they make the stories and teachings of the Torah more understandable and accessible.




Another scene from the Parashat Players



Johnathan and Gal are our amazing song leaders. Johnathan has been coming to Tawonga for the last 14 summers. Gal is one of our fantastic Schlichim, or staff memebers who come all the way from Israel to spend the summer with Tawonga.




A group of campers stand for the singing of "Tall Tall Trees." This is a beloved song that celebrates the natural beauty and glory of the trees and of nature.




Our Hagbah, Gregg, presents the Torah to the community