Chanichim - Nevatim Aleph

Nevatim Aleph Camp 2008

Sunday 10th August

The sun is shining on the last full day of machane. Since it is Tisha B'Av, the mood in camp is a little more somber than usual. During breakfast, those who have decided to fast, spent some time learning a few Talmudic texts including the story of Kamza and Bar Kamza. Madrichim re-enacted the story and the chanichim then analysed the underlying messages of the story. The morning peula looked at tikkun olam issues in the future and what we can do to help. For those still fasting, lunchtime was replaced with mincha. This afternoon will begin the wind down of machane. The chanichim will have their last kvutsa time in which they will process camp and talk about their best moments. Tonight the chanichim look forward to the 'last night party' which invloves a little show of things they have done in the past two weeks and the highly anticipated disco!

There are mixed feelings in camp. Everyone is torn between wanting to go home to see their parents, sleep in their own beds and eat meat and not wanting the fun of camp to end and having to say goodbye to their new friends. The bubble that has been created over the past two weeks has been amazing and we will all be sad to say goodbye to it.

This will be the last update. We hope you have enjoyed reading about what has been going on in Nevatim Alef 2008. For information about coach arrival times, please check the home page of the website.

Shabbat 9th August

Nevatim Alef had a wonderful Shabbat. Before the Kabbalat Shabbat service, the chanichim performed songs and skits about the past two weeks. An especially funny one acted invloved chanichim impersonating their madrichim and roshim. The Kabbalat Shabbat service was truly memorable. We put up transliterations around the room so that everyone could get involved. Dinner was filled with songs and chatter with the roshim serving everyone in the chader ochel! Shabbat day was chilled and relaxed with various activities going on around the site. In the afternoon preperation began for Tisha B'Av. There was a session led by the educators about what is said to have happened on Tisha B'Av and the things which we are not supposed to do. After seuda, we brought out Shabbat and listened to a beautiful reading of the Book of Lamentations in a dark room filled with candles. The atmosphere was really lovely. Everyone went straight off to bed in order to re-energise for the last day of machane.

Friday 8th August

This morning began with a very fun capture the flag game where all the chanichim had to form teams and strategically find and steal flags from the other teams. Luckily the weather held out! This afternoon will be spent preparing for Shabbat by either making challot, decorating the chader ochel (dining room) or learning zmirot to sing at dinner. As we come to the last few days of camp everyone is in a reflective mood with lots of talk about whathas been the best bit of machane. We all look forward to a Shabbat filled with lots of Noam love!

For information on how Shabbat went, check the update on Sunday

Thursday 7th August

Shacharit this morning was filled with ruach. We put up the transliterations of the service on the wall so that everyone could sing along now that they have grasped the tunes. In the morning nevatim alef went on a 'bear hunt' around the site. Along the way they met various senior people in Noam who talked to them about things that they were intersted in. To finish the bear was found and a specially composed song was sung! In the afternoon there was a big brother style programme. A diary room was created with a video linked up to the main hall. Everyone was really impressed. The evening was spent either taking part in a big wide game which involved running around the site completeing various tasks or watching a film.

It has been a bust but exciting day

Wednesday 6th August part 2

Today was another day where half the group did outdoor activities and half the group stayed on site for a peula. Today's peula was about tzedakah and the chanichim learnt the Jewish roots of giving to charity. Dinner today was the most ruach-filled meal with nevatim Alef compteting with nevatim bet for the best and loudest chants. Tonight the chanichim look forward to an exciting peula on kibbutzim learning about the pros and cons of living in a socialist community. The atmosphere in camp is really positive with the group acting more like a family than a bunch of individuals.

Wednesday 6th August

Apologies for the lack of an update yesterday.

Yesterday began with another round of outdoor activities despite the constant raining! Those who weren't on activities were taken on a journey to meet children from around the world and learn about their lives. Just before dinner the whole of Nevatim Alef participated in a sports day with egg and spoon races, sack races and obstacle courses. There was lots of bickering over who one but a lot of fun was had by all. In the evening all of the chanichim bundled into a cosy room with duvets and pillows for film night. For the first time on camp they went straight to bed without any fuss!

An update on today's activities will be sent out later on today.

Monday 4th August

Today is Yom Yisrael (Israel Day) on Nevatim Alef. The day has been themed around everything to do with Israel. The chanichim were told to dress in kahol v lavan (blue and white) and spent the morning making Israel flags and learning songs in Ivrit. They learnt some basic facts by watching a Noam quiz show which had asked various people on site what they know about the country. They then spent the afternoon 'travelling' around Israel, learning about the different parts and the people who live there. Meals were also Israeli themed with pita bread and falafel. The day has been a huge success and the chanichim have come away with an insight into Israeli life. The evening will be taken up with a kef (fun) peula where the chanichim have to walk around the site, completing various tasks in order to solve the mystery that they have been given. There is an excited feeling all around!

Sunday 3rd August

I hope you all had as lovely a Shabbat as we did on Nevatim Alef. Friday night began with some skits and songs about camp so far. There were some funny ones where the chanichim impersonated the madrichim. This was followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat service with the whole of the mega site. Having 350 chanichim singing and dancing to the prayers was an amazing sight to behold. Shabbat morning began with the Torah service where the chanichim learnt about the Parsha Massei in which it talks about camps of refuges that people could go to if they accidentally killed someone. After a ruach-filled lunch, the afternoon was spent doing various activities such as football, rounders, meditation, yoga, singing and story telling. Havdallah was done on a field outside a beautiful castle surrounded by tress. All 86 chanichim linked arms in a circle and brought out Shabbat together. The evening was spent drinking chai tea and relaxing in the tee pee.

With camp re-energised we began the second week with a group bonding programme where we considered what Noam love means and how we can try and include everyone. Tonight the chanichim look forward to separate boy girl chat which has become some what of a tradition on Noam camp!

I hope you enjoyed speaking to your children this afternoon, they have been very excited to tell their parents everything they have been up to!

Friday 1st July

The rain is pouring on Nevatim Alef machane today but spirits are still high. In order to get to breakfast today the chanichim had to make their way through 'border control'. After breakfast they were split into groups and taken to different countries where they learnt a bit about the problems facing the people who live there and why they try to migrate to other countries. Lunch was filled with ruach as the camp anticipates Shabbat. This afternoon the chanichim will prepare for Shabbat by making decorations, challot, havdallah candles and learning zmirot (Shabbat songs) for dinner tonight. This evening will begin with the chanichim and madrichim performing funny skits of what they have been up to this week. We will then go into the Kabalat Shabbat service before the chanichim are waited upon by their madrichim at dinner. The first 5 days of machane have been amazing and everyone is very much looking forward to a restful Shabbat in order to re-energise for next week.

The next update will be on Sunday

Thursday 31st July

The day began with a contemplative shacharit where the chanichim stood apart during the Ameda and thought about what they wanted from the day. After breakfast, half the group went on outward bounds activities. The kayakers have returned a little wet but full of energy and laughter. The other half of the group spent the morning learning about poverty. They were divided into the rich side and the poor side in order to understand the problems that arise when there is such a disparity amongst people. This was followed by a ruach(spirit)-filled sing song session with all the classics including 'Hotel California' and a 'Little Help from my Friends'. After lunch the two halves will swap over. Tonight the chanichim look forward to a chill out session where they will have a chance to find out as much as possible about everyone on nevatim alef camp.

Despite the grey weather the atmosphere in camp is filled with sunshine!

30th July 2008

Apologies for a late update today, we were having problems with our website.

Today has been another fantastic day on nevatim aleph. The morning began, as always, with shacharit and on this occasion the chanichim were given the space to think about what it means to pray. After another tasty breakfast of scrambled eggs, croissants, toast, cereal and fruit the chanichim were entertained with a peula entitled, 'Whose Bible Stories is it anyway?' This was followed by some structured free time on the field playing football, climbing on the adventure playground or just chatting with friends. This afternoon the chanichim have enjoyed a peula on the Jewish roots of the idea of healing the world followed by a ruach-filled sing song. This evening the chanichim will spend some time in their Kkvutsot (small groups) getting to know each other better and reflecting on the first few days of camp.

We hope you are enjoying the daily updates of nevatim aleph machine 2008.

29th July 2008

Good evening from Nevatim Aleph Machane day 2,

Everything is running smoothly today on Nevatim Aleph and there are smiling faces all round. The chanichim woke up for their first full day of camp with an aerobics themed shacharit. After a hearty breakfast half the group went on outdoor activities. Some practised their target skills through archery; others discovered hidden corners of the site with orientation and the remainder climbed their way to the top of a very high climbing wall. The other half of the group spent the morning in a peula (session) introducing them to what Noam is all about. After lunch the two halves swapped over so that everyone has done an outdoor activity today. Before dinner time has been dedicated to some much needed showering! Tonight the Chanichim look forward to an exciting peula on the global issues that we face in the world today. It is amazing to see how well everyone has settled in and are enjoying the Noam machane vibe.

More updates tomorrow

28th July 2008

Welcome to the first of the daily updates of Nevatim Alef Machaneh 2008:

All of Nevatim Alef have arrived safely.. The sun is shining and there is an excited atmosphere in camp. After dumping their bags, the Nevatim Alef chanichim (participants) were whisked away to play some 'get-to-know' you games. After a round of the donkey game, parakito and shlabadab and some time to put their bags away in their dorms, the chanichim are starting to settle in. Later this afternoon the chanichim will be taken on a site tour in order to familiarise themselves with their surroundings. Tonight they look forward to an intro peula (program/session) to the theme of their camp -Tikkun Olam (healing the world). After a year of planning, we are delighted to finally see everyone arriving to camp!

Log on to our website everyday for the daily update of what is going on in Nevatim Alef.

Dates:

28th July - 11th August