We welcome you to Camp Tawonga, mighty glad you’re here!

As the Taste of Camp campers, In-Training teens, and Taste of Quest campers piled out of the buses, our enthusiastic staff members welcomed them with open arms singing an age old Camp Tawonga classic:

“We welcome you to Camp Tawonga, mighty glad you’re here. Send the air reverberating with a mighty cheer. We’ll sing you in, we’ll sing you out! For you we’ll raise a mighty shout! Hail, hail, the gang’s all here, Camp Tawonga welcomes you. One, a-two, a-one, two, three, four!”

The first day of camp is all about getting the kids settled in with their counselors and bunk-mates. Over the last week, our incredible staff has been training for this very moment, and we are so excited! At camp, our bunks are organized by five units, all named after connections to Israel: Carmel, Galil, Haifa, Eilat, and Chalutzim. Four of the five units are locations in Israel — Carmel, Galil, Haifa, and Eilat. Carmel is comprised of the youngest campers while our oldest campers are in the unit of Chalutzim, (often referred to as Chalutz), which translates to “pioneer” in Hebrew.

Following a balanced dinner of chicken, rice, salad, and broccoli served family style, our song leaders led everyone in a rendition of the classic Tawonga song, Country Roads,

“Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
Camp Tawonga, California. Take me home, down country roads.”

Traditionally, campers sing this song year after year as the buses make their way into camp. For anyone who has been to Camp Tawonga, hearing these words can evoke a sweet nostalgia. We are so thrilled to welcome a whole new generations of Tawongans this session. Below are a few photos of kids arriving at camp, our first song session, and our opening campfire. Lila tov everyone!