Staff training week at Camp Judaea started Sunday evening. Between then and Monday, June 15 at 10am, the entire tzevet (staff) of Camp Judaea will have spent hours upon hours in peulot (activities) and lessons led by the Senior Staff and MASH team. Our goal during this week is to create an environment in which the staff feels bonded, enabled, and confident that they can provide the campers with a memorable, meaningful, fun, and safe summer! Here’s what we’ve been up to so far…
Sunday was filled with arrivals and greetings.Staff members were assigned temporary cabins in which to stay until eda (unit) placements are decided. Tours of camp were given to those who had never been to CJ—and to those who wanted to seeall of the new improvements and additions to camp! By dinner, we had a large group of excited andexhausted staff members, but that did not stop us from having our Sunday cookout! After dinner, we played icebreaker games to learn names and backgrounds. Then, just before dark, we made our way up to the Sayarim fire circle (behind the Ampikol near some of the horse trails) and had our first campfire as a full staff. During the fire, individuals took turns explaining how and why they came to work at Camp this summer and what they were most looking forward to. This activity is called “reverse keylog” because at the end of the summer, we will gatheragain and discuss our favorite parts of the summer.

Monday, we were joined by Valerie Mitrani and Benji Lovitt. In a peulah planned by Valerie and the MASH team, we discussededucation in camp. The staff got to participate in activities around camp that involved teamwork, quizzed us on Israel geography, introduced social barometers, and we played a human version of Hungry Hungry Hippos in order to spell “Israel” with Hebrew letters. The tzevet learned how to include elements of Zionism and education in activities that are fun and engaging for the chanichim. Benji’s comedic presentation addressed the non-political relationship between Americans and international staff. This topic was well received and extremely relevant since we have an Israeli mishlachat of 37 people in addition to about 15 staff members from Europe! In the late afternoon, the staff participated in problem-solving exercises which involved role-playing scenarios that may arise during their time as staff at CJ. The day concluded with a tochnit erev (evening activity) planned and executed by members of our tzevet who are Cornerstone Fellows which highlighted the importance of staff participation and enthusiasm in camp.

Tuesday’s morning schedule was not quite as lighthearted, as the staff had to learn about eliminating risks and risk management at camp. In these training courses, we make sure that every staff member understands that the emotional, mental, and physical safety of every single camper is of utmost importance and should always be the number one priority. The day lightened up, though, after lunch when we learned how to makeordinary moments extraordinary by turning them into “teachable moments.” Then, staff members had the opportunity to visit the omanut (art) shed and decorate coffee and tea mugs to use in the chadar ochel (dining hall).

Everyone is very excited because rumor has it that the eda placements will be announced tomorrow morning, and then we’re off on our staff overnights! There’s never a dull moment at Camp Judaea. We hope you all are getting packed and ready for your trip to 48 Camp Judaea Lane.
We’ll see you soon!