Camp Blog

Camp Simcha’s got the rhythm… Camp Simcha’s got the beat… Camp Simcha’s got the boogie woogie in their feet!!! uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh!!!!!!!!

After a delicious breakfast, the arrivals of the most amazing campers in the world began!!! Campers traveled from across the US, Canada, South Africa, Austria, England, Argentina & Israel.

The rain did not stop us from dancing and singing in Uber Uproar 2010. We put up tents and eventually our singing was so loud that the rain stopped. Yup, at Simcha we can stop it from raining.

Afterwards, we had a scrumptious dinner, and then a special night activity in the social hall: a magic show! The show was amazing and the campers loved it. It was truly a magical experience.

The night ended with yet anther round of Uber Uproar: singing, dancing and having a great time.

Check out our gallery for amazing pictures!

Over 200 CSB2010 staff “rained” in on our beautiful, luxurious, and comfortable camp grounds on Tuesday, July 13th, for CSB2010 for orientation. After a delicious lunch and some general bonding time, meeting new and greeting old, we went to the Social Hall to hear orientation speeches from Dembi, Rabbi K, Rochel Katz (our Head Nurse), and Pee Wee, one of our resident MURSES. We were inspired, informed, interested, uplifted, and UPROARed. Following the orientation speeches we followed Sergeant Dembi for a tour of the camp grounds, during which we were introduced to the staff hotel, dining room, bunkhouses, lake, etc. We sang, chanted, and slacked.

We were all Uber psyched to see what came next. On the enormous hill in front of the bunkhouses near the mini-golf course, there was a huge Slip n’ Slide set up for the staff to get a little wet n’ wild. It was truly a Slip n’ Slide like no other, because we don’t just put regular water on our Slip n’ Slides, we go all out, with soapy water, chocolate syrup, and all sorts of other slippery and crazy concoctions. It took a while to get fully recovered from the intensity of the Slip n’ Slide, but once we managed to recover ourselves, we all split in our respective divisions and had our first meeting get the down-low on this years theme “Imagine If?’, and plot and plan the most amazing Camp Simcha boys session ever!!!!

We then had a tasty dinner served by our Head Chef Ruevin.

After dinner, we had a speech by Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Chai Lifeline’s Executive Vice President, He inspired us to work together as one heart, and one soul, to make this summer amazing for our campers.

A day full of glorious uproaring, über-ness (über is a cognate of both Latin super and Greek meaning hyper, as well as the English over and above), orientation has come to an end. Our campers arrive tomorrow. Can you imagine?

Now that all the girls from CSS 2010 are safely home, we would just like to say that we miss you all tons! Here’s a recap of our fantastic summer:

(Sung to the tune “Simcha Magic”, written by Shaindy & Avital)

Simcha magic feel it in the air
Can’t explain it just know that it’s there
Simcha magic what a feeling it’s hard to believe
I’m gonna take it home with me

Simcha Magic Feel it in the Air
From the moment each of you came here
Imagine if you were in a Land of Make Believe
Disney dancers, magic was achieved!

Dazzled by Jabali Acrobats
We were on the Moon- Imagine that!
Laser tag and Carnival, Helicopter rides,
Avraham Fried’s concert put us on a high

Imagine that you were a Millionaire
Game shows galore to win our share
Steve Max the Simon Says Man had us laugh and follow
Imagine the World made of Chocolate tomorrow.

Chocolate creations, competitions, Chocolate slide,
The Bas Mitzvah with chocolate fountains on the side
Imagine if you were in the Wild Wild West
Square dance, Bonfires, horse back rides- the best.

Imagine if you were a Super Hero
On to Garrity’s Magic Show
The pre-Shabbos Simcha Spa made us look beautiful
We love Shabbos in Simcha Special!

Imagine if you lived in the olden days
Outdoors breakfast- in the morning haze
Eli Gerstner, petting zoo and colonial fair
We watched our staff get eggs in their hair!

Imagine if you were a Super-star
Laughing with Improv -it was bizarre
Simcha’s Got Talent was a great hit
We loved seeing our campers do the splits!

Underwater with Scuba science we swam
Sushi making was filled with lots of glam
With the trampoline show, we reached great heights
The jumpers almost touched the ceiling lights!

Imagine if you lived in a haunted house
The dining room decorations had a mouse
Excitement filled the Freaky Fotos scavenger hunt
The solo circus included scary stunts.

Imagine if life was a Fairy Tale
Was it champagne or was it ginger ale?
A Fairytale ball with Shloime Dachs was a blast
Finally Ever After and fireworks last.

The new infirmary we appreciate
To all those who toiled to make it so great
Going bowling was so much fun, we’d like to go again
As twins and in the spa with our friends.

Swim – Lake and Workshops 2010 were so amazing!
Arts and Crafts, Dark Room, Leather, Candles and Baking
Creative Memories, Swoosh, Teambuilding, Sweet Shop, Roofy Roofy,
Ropes, Wood, Mosaics, Scrapbooking, Pottery, and Karaoke.

Intensive Workshops were top grade,
Embroidery, Drums, Keyboards, Drama, Pottery and First Aid.
A few short trips gave us all the thrill that we did need
Horseback riding and Bowling at great speed.

Rabbi K, Bency, Avi, Rivka and Estie made things run,
Rivky, Zahava, Chumy, Sara, Goldy, YC and Shana made it fun,
The Doctors, medics, Rachael and the nurses made us safe,
Ruvain, Shaindy and Tzippy had us gain weight.

Simcha magic feel it in the air,
You all contributed to bring the magic here,
Summer 2010 was a slice of heaven
We can’t wait for summer 2011!

One thing, two thing, red thing, blue thing
After Breakfast get your belongings
Open workshops to retrieve them all
Wrap them well, big and small
Motorcycles here to give you rides
Then swim and lake and water slides
Come to lunch and be on time
This is getting hard to rhyme!
Off to see the doctors in the gym
As they play volleyball and get slim.
Pack your bags, don’t forget a thing,
Tag them, put them out and give us a ring.
Pack your clothes, your shoes and jewelry too
Your shirts and skirts and pj’s, by FIVE, bless you.
See you at the banquet, promptly at six
For a wide array of Ruvain’s finest tricks.
On to the social hall where you will see
The greatest Camp Simcha video in history.
A few thank you’s and tears we will all share,
We can’t wait to see you in Camp Simcha next year!

You’re not seeing double. Today is twin day in CSS! At lunch, our real twins were called up to the stage for a presentation. Esti and Malki, our parent trap twins, did a dance. Mollie and Samara (triplets), and Frannie and Rebecca (not really twins, but dressed so you would think that they were…)  played sister-sister to see who knew their “twin” better. Questions included “what is your twin’s favorite food in canteen?” and “what is your twin’s favorite song?”

Right before Shabbat, the Simcha Spa opened once again. Jess got her nails painted purple because it’s her favorite color. Elana got her hair half up, and Bethany got an up-do. Other campers got their makeup done or massages. Then, our beautiful campers took some pre-Shabbat pictures in preparation for another beautiful Shabbat at Camp Simcha Special!

Once upon a time there was a camp where all princesses could go to have the very best summer that they could imagine. This camp was located in Glen Spey, NY and its initials were CSS. Some say that CSS stood Cool Stupendous Sanctuary, and others say that it stood for Camp Simcha Special.

On July 8, 2010, all the princesses at CSS dressed up in their tiaras and ball gowns for a magical day. In the first activity of the day, the youngest princesses got to play a game called princess power. Winners won a variety of prizes including princess puzzles, scrunchies, stickers, and jewelry.

After lunch, princesses from Shana and Sarah’s divisions left for a trip to the bowling alley. Though bowling is not exactly a royal-like activity, the princesses enjoyed the experience nonetheless.

At dinner, Shloime Dachs came to sing at CSS’s grand ball. The princesses danced and sang until they were exhausted, at which point it was time for the three princesses of CSS: Princess Emily, Princess Nechama, and Princess Rivky to perform. Emily wrote a speech saying that though CSS is undoubtably the best camp for princesses in the world, if she were to be elected princess of CSS, she would have a transport limousine for each bunk and breakfast in bed. Nechama composed a beautiful poem detailing why she should be elected princess of CSS. Finally, Rivky sang a song with a chorus of: “vote Rivky D!” All princesses were winners, and were crowned princesses of CSS!

After CSS’s grand ball, the Silbers joined the CSS royalty for the ribbon cutting ceremony of CSS’s brand new infirmary. CSS’s new infirmary was rumored to be a large, technically advanced, and welcoming facility complete with the most top of the line medical equipment. The younger princesses especially liked how the rooms were decorated to look like a farm, though some could not understand why there were stuffed animal heads on the walls. On behalf of all the princesses of CSS, we would like to publicly thank the Silbers for our infirmary. THANK YOU!!!!

The princesses were treated to yet another activity when some fellow princesses put on a play called “Finally Ever After.” The play centered around the storyline of some famous princesses including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Jasmine, and Ariel. The CSS princesses that performed were Evelin, Gavriela, Leah, Chani, Frannie, Chumie, Miriam, Rebecca, Ahuva, Rina, Shterna, Rachel, Malka, Rebecca, Ziva, Liat, Rachel, and Alexis. The play was phenomenal!

The princesses capped off their night with a fireworks show in the field at CSS. After a long night, the princesses headed off to their royal bunkhouses to get some sleep in preparation for another exciting day at the one and only camp for princesses in Glen Spey…

Good morning Camp Simcha Special! I’m really glad that it’s morning because if it was night, I’d be pretty scared in the dining room. There are zombies, skeletons, ghosts, and cobwebs. Most campers agree that it is “pretty gross,” but I’d like to focus on the “pretty” and say that though it looks scary over here, it does looks “pretty awesome.”

At lunch today, we had a screaming competition between Samara and Mara to see who could do the best spooky house shriek. There were no winners because everyone was just too excited that our hearing was still intact. We also called up a couple of campers who got blindfolded and had to guess what they were feeling inside of a bowl. Rivky got ketchup and Chaya got cottage cheese. A little later in the day we got to see some division heads and counselors in their zombie best perform their rendition of thriller!

For night activity, we had a one man circus by Michael Dubov. We were really impressed with his juggling skills and Rachel W. only had to pick up the balls that he dropped a couple of times. Then, Rachel L. was called up to help with a card trick. When Michael pulled her card out of his mouth, Rachel was impressed, but she decided not to take it back. Then, Chumie and Krak were called up and Michael tried to guess what word they were thinking of. We were astounded when he guessed that Krak’s word was newspaper! For the finale, Mr. Dubov juggled machetes on a tightrope. After a most entertaining show, our campers headed to their bunkhouses to rest up for whatever CSS will bring us tomorrow. Have a great night!

(Sung to the tune “Under the Sea” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid)

The seaweed is always greener
By Simcha Special, it’s true
You dream about going up there
But this blog will just have to do
Today the whole world around us
Looked just like an ocean floor
Imagine you’re under the sea; that’s where you’ll find us
What more could we have hoped for?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it’s better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me
On today’s hottest summer day
With tons of water we kept the heat away
While we devotin’
Full time to floatin’
Under the sea

Scuba divers came to make our campers happy
‘Cuz they got to do scuba in our pool
Water fights and sprinklers also made us happy
And there were mist tents to keep us cool
We had some activities out on the lake
Sarah B. loved the motor boat
And some Sushi our campers did make
And in the pool we did float

Under the sea
Under the sea
Our counselors got dressed
In their underwater best
Like Nemo and Dory
We had quite a lot of sponge bobs running around
Our dining room had seaweed on the ground
We got no troubles
We even had bubbles
Under the sea
Under the sea
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Everyone in Simcha Special shout Hooray
We always got the urge ‘n’ start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea

For night activity tonight
The Sky Riders came
They did a professional trampoline show
But our Meira put them to shame
When she got on the trampoline and had a go
She did some flips too
(But they were still awesomely cool)
(Yeah)
The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin’ out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it’s at
An’ oh that blowfish blow

Under the sea
Under the sea
Our counselors got dressed
In their underwater best
Like Nemo and Dory
We had quite a lot of sponge bobs running around
Our dining room had seaweed on the ground
We got no troubles
We even had bubbles
Under the sea
Under the sea
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Everyone in Simcha Special shout Hooray
We always got the urge ‘n’ start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea

Get out your autograph books; this place is swarming with superstars! We have Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber, and even Madonna lookalikes walking around camp. The paparazzi is blinding as their flashes click in front of our eyes. Campers are (as always) getting red carpet treatment. Welcome to Simchallywood!

Today marked the first day of intensive workshops, in which our two oldest divisions got to choose from a range of activities that they would like to master. For the rest of this week, our campers will concentrate on those skills so that they could become professionals by the time they leave camp. The workshops include drums, keyboard, first aid, embroidery, ceramics, and drama. Emily chose embroidery because it is a skill that she never tried before. She really enjoys it and is working on making a towel. I just saw it and it is GORGEOUS! Ziva chose drama because she is a talented actress and singer. She was given the role of Snow White. Can’t wait to see the play this Thursday!

After lunch, we had a show by Improv in the social hall. Girls got called up from the audience to help competing actors in an improv acting competition! Lea got interviewed and told the camp that she is a professional dancer. Libby pretended to be a bumblebee tuna. After the show, our actresses began to prepare for the talent show.

Our highlight for the day was the annual Simcha’s got Talent in the social hall!  And let me just tell you that Simcha has most definitely got Talent! There were way too many amazing acts to get into, but here were a couple: Katie played guitar while Rachel sang, Gavriela and Stephanie sang solos, Franny, Rebecca, and Sarah sang a trio, Mara showed us an amazing charcoal painting, Samara showed us how to scream really loud and then sang us a solo, Ahuva and Shaindy did some gymnastics, and Ashira walked for us. There were so so many others but writing doesn’t do it justice. You have to see this stuff to believe it. So I will stop here…