And the winner is…..Tie Dye!! That’s right, Tie Dye team won Trip II “Pokemon” Maccabiah in summer 2023! The Maccabiah (or color wars) competition is always one of campers’ favorite days at Camp Wise.  Even for those of us in camp leadership it’s is awe inspiring to witness the whole camp participating together in one complex, highly orchestrated day of activities: sports, arts, music and skit competitions; a massive camp wide relay race – and of course, cheering for healthy competition! Captains and Judges Sometimes I ask, “what’s the point of Maccabiah?” – why do we expend all of this e ..read more

Welcome to Trip II!  What a wonderful week of welcoming over 280 campers to the Home of Happiness for an energy packed 3-week session.  For those of us who spend all 7 weeks here at camp, it’s an adjustment as we move into Trip II where activities, surprises, and special events get scheduled back-to-back.  A similar experience to Trip I with trips, overnights, Maccabia, carnivals, and so much more, but faster!! One of the highlights of Camp Wise is that our program helps campers try new activities, sports and challenge themselves, while also giving each child multiple opportuni ..read more

As our last week wraps up, let’s take a moment and look back at the highlights from our craziest week yet. One of these highlights is our stay at the Bedouin tents, where we rode on camels, stargazed, and slept in a massive tent. The next morning we climbed up Masada for a sunrise summit at 5am and floated in the Dead Sea right after. 8 future shinshinim Israeli’s from the Beit Shean area join our bus and got the spend the whole week with us, sharing stories and perspectives on life in Israel/America. Another highlight was spending a night at Mitzpe Ramon, there we read our parents letters ..read more

ILS Campers Week 3: Sunday, July 2: The start of our third week was full of learning and adventure. Nativ HaAsara would be our first stop. There, we talked to the people living near the Gaza border. There, our group stuck pieces of clay on the border wall as part of an art project to make the wall look less threatening. We then journeyed our way to Dialogue in the Dark, where we experienced what it’s like to be blind by walking through exhibits in complete darkness. At the end of this long day, we were treated to a private screening of The Little Mermaid. Monday, July 3: We started at an Arab ..read more

from ILS Bloggers: Week 2: June 24: It was ILS’ first Shabbat in Israel! Shabbat is the day of rest — so that’s exactly what we did. We did have a few activities thrown in though, such as a stroll to the park where our group got even more familiar with our tour guide Itzik and our counselors Ryan, Yael, Kayla, Yossi, and Jake; a trip to Madatech where we got to play around with their exhibits; and finally after our havdalah ceremony we headed to the Haifa mall for a night out! June 25: We started off Sunday at AquaKef, a water park obstacle course on the Sea of Galilee, and after, we started ..read more

Live Wise – Our Guiding Value Praying for clean air with the wise and powerful, Rav Yoshi! Shabbat shalom from a sunnier and less hazy Camp Wise, today!  It’s been quite a week – three days of rain and cool temps followed by three days of wildfire smoke inversion. In spite of the weather challenges this week, we recognize how lucky we are to live and operate in a region where generally we are free of natural hazards and extreme weather. We commend our energetic and creative staff for keeping our campers in full spirit and smiling even as we adjusted each day’s schedules for health and wel ..read more

There are key turning points at camp that bring smiles to the faces of those of us who organize and lead summer camps or youth/teen group programs such as Camp Wise. One of my favorites is the moment where a group of people realize they’ve had a shared experience or overcome a challenge together – and they come through on the other side feeling more connected to one another and more proud of who they are as a community. This second week of Trip I was marked by trips off-camp for Noar and Solel and special schedules with surprise carnivals for Ohalim and Chalutzim/Rishon on-camp. As these progr ..read more

And just like that, camp is here!! What a joyful beginning… It never ceases to amaze me how quickly we transition from a stressful end of the school year to the joy, independence and “chill vibes” of camp! As we approach the first Shabbat of summer 2023 we are grateful to be here at the Home of Happiness. Our cabin groups jumped right into action this week, beginning with programs in sports, arts, horseback riding, mountain biking, nature, and Jewish values. Everyone has been engaged in cabin activities for Thursday and Friday as we head into Shabbat, the goal of these programs with cabin gro ..read more

“What are you doing for Seder?” As I traveled in Israel last week, the topic of Passover gatherings punctuated small talk between the Americans and the Israelis I visited. Our assistant director, Rebecca “B” Copeland and I just got back from Tel Aviv after meeting and training our summer Israeli staff – The “Mishalachat.”  THEY ARE AWESOME! Of course, we shared our hosting plans, but more meaningfully, we traded family traditions, descriptions of recipes, and memories of Seders past. We remembered how connected we really are as a Jewish people, even though at times, it may not feel so. Me ..read more

“The Maharal of Prague (Rabbi Yehudah Loeb, d. 1609) created a golem (a being from clay that came to life), and this was a great wonder. But how much more wonderful is it to transform a corporeal human being into a mensch!” – Rabbi Israel Salanter  I have spent the past eight summers teaching and reminding campers and staff that while we often define the Yiddish word “mensch” as a good or kind person, the actual translation is simply “person.” (Literally “man”, but we are going to be mensches and use the more inclusive “person”) When I ask them to ponder why in Judaism the word for a good ..read more