Camp Simcha is outta this world! Despite the dreary, rainy weather, we still managed to have a smashing day! Our time inside was spent in workshops where we braided, painted, burned, hammered and hardened busting out some creative projects the likes of which can only be found in Camp Simcha. And while the rain was falling, we were too busy to notice because we were playing… laser tag! Our gym was turned into a maze with lights flashing and cool music blaring. Each girl received a laser gun to chase after her friends.

After dinner we had a special screening of ET— phone home? It was just like a real theater– we even had popcorn!

All in all, another great day in Camp Simcha… can’t wait for what’s next!

The last Camp Simcha Shabbat of the summer? Can it be? Well at least we can say that the last Shabbat ended with a bang-it was uplifting, entertaining, inspiring, and as always, all around awesome!

Friday night was a fantasy with singing, dancing, and beautiful speeches from Shayna and other campers. Rabbi Scholar joined us and it was clear that he was filled with pride as he watched the incredible time that his campers were having. Posts upon posts could be written describing the incredible food that was consumed: the delectable stuffed cabbage, the ever popular chicken salad, the beautifully cut fruit… but I won’t bore you.

Our Shabbat was filled with fun that included divisions games and our weekly round of Bingo. After ice cream, right before Shabbat ended, we were graced with the melodious voices of our campers who sang in a Shabbat Choir. Our night ended with some high energy dancing as we twirled and spun our campers to the beat of our favorite songs. Then, we headed off to sleep to prepare and look forward to an awesome rest-of-the week!

EVERYONE is talking about the Camp Simcha Girls NY Day…

NBC
JewPI
daylife
mcbrooklyn
The Yeshiva World

New York, are you ready for Camp Simcha?! Well ready or not, here we come! Our day began bright and early for breakfast, after which we went straight to the buses for our New York Trip! Our first activity was at the New Jersey Harbor where went on boat and yacht rides that took us to Manhattan. The ride was awesome–we had wind in our faces, sea spraying against our skin, and sun shining down on us. Camp Simcha flags waved as we sailed, and some boats even had dancing and karaoke!

Once we reached Manhattan, we were greeted by our waitresses and specialities who made a tunnel to welcome us to the greatest city in the world (after Glen Spey, of course). After loading the buses, we were immediately rushed to our very own private viewing of Stomp! We watched in awe as ordinary brooms and garbage cans were turned into cool musical arrangements complete with colorful lights and funny acting. We joined in the performance, clapping with Stomp and getting into the cacophony of clangs and bangs. 

After Stomp, we headed over to Cadman Plaza to prepare ourselves for meeting the King of New York, Mayor Bloomberg! We practiced our march and ate dinner as we waited for the Mayor to arrive. When the Mayor’s arrival was announced, we stood division by division, in four groups of two rows, to perform Seize the Day and King of New York– the Camp Simcha version (recorded by our awesome married staff guys). Then, Elisheva, Yachi, Elana, and Tzipora presented Mayor Bloomberg with The Key to Camp Simcha, a beautiful piece created in our wood and leather-making workshops.

Finally, the moment that we were all waiting for arrived… it was time to march across the Brooklyn Bridge in our March of Hope and Courage! With balloons tied to our wrists and Simcha flags waving high, we began our journey. We sang and cheered as we showed New York all that Camp Simcha stands for– joy, happiness, courage, and strength. Passersby joined in and cars below us honked in support. 

At the halfway point of the bridge, or as we dubbed it, the top of the world, we released our balloons into the sky. The hundreds of pink and blue balloons, carrying so much emotion and hope, was truly an inspiring and uplifting sight to see. We then finished our march and crossed to the end of the bridge where we danced some more and then loaded the buses back to camp…

Camp Simcha,
Is there any place in the world like you
You uplift us and guide us
And make dreams and wishes come true

You teach us courage and strength
But campers, you do the same
You spread love and joy to all
Proclaiming the Simcha name

In New York we saw more courage than ever before
You turned walls into wide open doors
We walked the Brooklyn Bridge with a passion so strong
It was a moment to remember, a memory that will go on and on

Campers of Camp Simcha, it’s for you that we’re here
To tell the world of your greatness that we all hold so dear
It’s empowering and beautiful how you fight each day
Our flag will always be waving, forever we shall stay

(Poem by Adina L.)

Today we had double the fun, double the excitement, and double the Simcha. Not only was today Wild West Day, but we were joined by our friends from Deal for another fantastic Deal Day! The Deal girls came to camp with abundant energy and love to share with our campers.

Our day started with a treasure hunt that lead us all the way down to the lake to find buried treasure. At our wild carnival, our friends from Deal helped man booths like the ring toss and dunking station. Some campers, including Bat-Chen and Mika, even allowed themselves to get dunked into the freezing water by their counselors! We jumped on trampolines and flipped in the sky, and some campers (like Batsheva) were even able to flip!

During our Carnival, our friends from Deal outdid themselves with tables full of presents, toys, and more for the greatest campers in the world.

Our WILD day ended with a BANG– Avraham Fried! He performed Simcha favorites and we danced our hearts out. After all the excitement, Camp Simcha got a chance to chill around a campfire cooking s’mores, corn, and marshmallows. Aviva played her guitar while the girls sang along…

Camp Simcha– you know how to show us a great time… Can’t wait for what’s next!

Bells are ringing, pots are clanging… Camp Simcha has been transported 100 years into the past! Our day began with an outdoor meal, complete with fire cooked potatoes, yodeling waitresses, and fresh baked loaves of bread. Despite the dreary weather, we were kept sunny and bright with our photographers lighting up the dining room with professional pictures of our campers dressed in their finest olden day garb. Our day was busy, busy, busy with a colonial fair. We made soap, cheese, and each camper baked her own pie! By the end of the day, there was an abundance of pie splattered around camp- cherry, blueberry and lemon meringue filling flew all over our staff and campers’ faces!

Back at our fair, we wove beautiful baskets, quilted, danced up a storm to a Camp Simcha favorite– Newsies!!– and designed corn husk dolls.

The rain didn’t stop us from having a pretty inventive night activity– old fashioned races! We shucked corn, raced in potato sacks and Waka Waka’d once more!

Whew, another super crazy day in Camp Simcha… and more fun is in store!!