A Special Shabbat

July 31, 2021

Our last Shabbat of Session B was a special one. Just as we did for Session A campers, Jewish programmer, Jay, organized an LGBTQ+ Shabbat service to celebrate those in our community who fall under the umbrella of LGBTQ+. Anyone who identifies in this way was welcomed up to the bimah during Torah services at our “Place of Peace,” Makom Shalom.

Campers and staff went to gather around the Torah for the first aliyah, a Hebrew word that means “going up.” An aliyah involves a person or group of people reciting the blessing before and after the Torah reading. The group got to look at the Torah up close and personal as Torah reader Jay chanted the verses.

The service also featured a Mourner’s Kaddish in dedication to openly gay civil rights activist, Harvey Milk and a unique rendition of Adon Olam sung to the tune of “We’ll Be Back” from the popular musical Hamilton. Arm in arm, we closed out the service with love in the air as we joined together in the signature Beatles song, “All You Need is Love.”

🍳 Today’s Kitchen Menu

Breakfast

🥯 Bagel bar with cream cheese, cucumber, tomato, red onions, avocado and fruit salad

Lunch

🥪 Sandwich bar with turkey, pastrami, roast beef, toppings plus leftovers

🍏 Fruit: Apples

Dinner

🌭 BBQ burgers, hot dogs, chicken, potato chips and pasta salad with lemonade

🍉 Dessert: Watermelon and rice krispie treats

A Note on Alternative Foods
🥑 Tasty vegetarian and vegan options are available for every meal, in addition to a “middle table” with alternative meal options to meet every camper’s needs.

🥣 During breakfast, the middle table offers a wide selection of cold cereal and milk (dairy-free options too), in addition to hot cereal with toppings. Each lunch and dinner, campers can choose from options at the middle table, like sun-butter and jelly sandwiches, tuna sandwiches and hummus.

🏕 Backpacking Trips and Challenge Course

Today

All campers are in Camp for Shabbat.

Tomorrow

Bunks of Carmel unit (G-1, G-2, B-1 and B-2) will leave Camp for their car camping trip.

No campers on the Challenge Course

🎂 Birthdays

What’s so special about today? We’re celebrating the birthdays of Driver Jack R. and Kitchen Staff Megan S.! Happy Birthday Jack and Megan – enjoy your birthday treats!

Curious what celebrating a birthday at Camp Tawonga looks like? Check out this post.

🌤 How’s the Weather?

Partly cloudy with a high of 93, low of 65

During the hottest time of the day, campers relax in the shade of their cabins for Rest Hour. Our counselors also support every camper to reapply sunscreen and refill water bottles throughout the day. In case you missed it, check out what a typical day at Tawonga looks like, including our daily schedule.

🎧 In Case You Missed It…

Last year we published a series of Tawonga Radio interviews called “Journeys to Tawonga” about how different folks stumble upon Camp Tawonga in unconventional ways. Click here to listen to Associate Director Aaron Mandel interview Challenge Course Manager Brenton “Big Fiji” Seeto about his journey from the island of Fiji to the the tall, tall trees of Tawonga.

The Tawonga Tidbit provides a daily dose of Camp with our kitchen menu, Camp birthdays and more. We hope this series brings you a bit closer to Tawonga!

Photos from today

Enjoy photos of shabbat services and shabbat floats.