Session II prepares to bring in the sabbath!

It’s Friday which means Camp is getting ready to bring in the Sabbath! After an awesome day filled with activities like Unit Swim (when all bunks can head to the pool), candle-making at A&C, and sports on the Girls Side field, campers are sprucing up  for a Tawonga Shabbat, which is an amazing experience and includes making Shabbat blessings as a community and enjoying a family-style dinner followed by a special song session. Tonight we will be welcoming back all of our bunks who were out backpacking in beautiful Yosemite National Forest.  Shabbat is truly a sacred time where we take a moment as a community to reflect on the past week and bring in the new week with a clear head. The evening begins with what we call the “Shabbat Stroll” where song leaders, staff supervisors, and camp directors walk through camp picking up campers as they go. While a staff member holds our historic Holocaust-era camp Torah (learn more here), our song leaders serenade the procession with classic camp tunes to set the tone for the night.

Once the Shabbat Stroll makes its way through camp, everyone enters a dressed-up dining hall decked out in white table cloths with fresh baked challah  (made with love from our bakery department) and grape juice. Before enjoying a delicious shabbat meal of chicken, vegetables, potatoes, and pie for dessert, we sing Shabbat blessings as a community. We are so excited to celebrate  this beautiful tradition with all of our Session II campers! Below check out photos from throughout the day. We will post photos of Shabbat at a later time. Shabbat Shalom!