Shablog: A Friday in the Kitchen

A busy weekend at Camp Tawonga! All of Camp reunited on Friday for a beautiful Shabbat, and the fun continued into Saturday with Torah services and the talent show. Sunday was bittersweet — our Session 4 campers had a blast running around Camp for various activities in the all-Camp program, while TLI had a closing memory circle and “left on a jetbus” after a week enjoying classic Camp programming, giving back to the environment and community. We miss TLI and hope to see them back next summer as SCITs!

Session 4 is at the halfway point and is our closing session of the summer. We will be ending on a very high note with this incredible bunch of kids, who are so enthusiastic and eager to immerse into Camp life. Big hits this session include rock hammering at Stone Couch, Abandon Ship at the lake, making sponge buddies at A&C and singing songs under the stars with our song leaders, among many other programs.

There is a lot of excitement ahead with Session 4, with more Floats to come, the Tawonga Carnival and Closing Campfire. There are always more memories to be made and mission moments to experience!

Shablog: A Friday in the Kitchen

By Avi Paulson

All of camp is asleep. Even the geese are dozing. Camp is silent but for the sound of crickets singing and sprinklers hissing. The night owls and early risers are both confined to their beds. It’s 4 a.m. on Friday.

But two Tawongans are awake. Owen and Q, Camp Tawonga’s head bakers, are up early making challah for the night’s Shabbat celebration. After spending a few hours making all of the dough, they braid most of the challah, topping it with poppy and fennel seeds, and occasionally, sprinkles. They set aside some of the dough to be braided by Carmel campers a few hours later. The bakers are the first members of Camp Tawonga’s kitchen staff to start preparing for Shabbat, but they are soon joined by the rest of the staff, in a full day effort to make a special Shabbat meal. 

Outside of the bakery, after making breakfast and lunch for all of camp, the rest of the kitchen springs into action to focus on Shabbat dinner. Kitchen staff marinate the chicken, cook the rice and cut the vegetables for dinner. The alternative kitchen staff prepare the famous Shabbat tofu (sha-bofu) and bake gluten free and vegan challah for those with dietary restrictions. 

Meanwhile, campers do their part to help prepare for Shabbat. While Carmel campers braid challah, older campers harvest flowers from the garden for table centerpieces, and work at Arts & Crafts to design custom challah covers. In the afternoon, as the kitchen staff goes to work cooking the chicken, making the salad and baking the cobbler for dessert, campers set the tables, using special white tablecloths reserved for Shabbat.

By the time 6 o’clock rolls around and the Shabbat Stroll reaches the Dining Hall, the room is filled with the sweet aroma of challah and fresh flowers. The tables, filled with piping hot food and decorated with artwork made by campers match the beauty of all of the Tawongan’s who file in to enjoy their Shabbat meal. 

Following a raucous rendition of prayers, highlighted by Fiddler on the Roof’s “Sabbath Prayer,” camp digs in, enjoying the results of hours of labor. During the meal, the kitchen staff refill the dishes of campers, ensuring that in addition to spiritual fulfillment, their bellies are full as well. After dinner, the kitchen tackles a mountain of dishes to the chorus of Freilach, the most exciting song session of the week. “Freilach” is a Yiddish word that loosely translates to “cheerful,” and the joy from all of the campers permeates the wall to the kitchen and makes the dishes go by a little bit faster. 

After dancing to a myriad of Camp classics, from “Miriam’s Song,” “Mayim Mayim” and “Zemer Atik” to “Piano Man,” campers head off to Kabbalat Shabbat, where they sing prayers and sing songs to welcome in the Sabbath. Meanwhile, the kitchen staff finishes off the dishes and cleans the kitchen to prepare it for the next day — starting with sleep-in bagel bar breakfast. Kitchen staff members are able to clock out by around 8 p.m., where they are free to go outside, drink some grape juice, and look for the three stars that signify the start of the day of rest.