Our last Shabbat in camp was beautiful. We began Friday night with heart-warming prayers. Campers Miriam and Shilat spoke during the meal. Both shared their love for Camp Simcha. The meal was followed by a motivating speech from our camp Rabbi, Rabbi Finer, and some Jewish chulent. Today, the Israeli and English speakers put on a bi-lingual skit.  After the laughs, the whole camp enjoyed a game of Bingo. Throughout the day, campers stocked up on goodies from the canteen. Ayelet, an Israeli, said that her favorite part of the day was “chilling on the grass, and making friends with the American campers”. The campers mesmerized us with their voices, during the Simcha Choir. Annie, Avishag, Shayna, Sarale, and Miriam all had solos. This is Esther’s last summer here at Camp Simcha. Estehr told us that even if you feel sick, you are never too sick to attend Camp Simcha. Tonight, we will dance until we can’t feel our feet. That’s how we do it here at Camp Simcha.

Welcome Deal friends to the Camp Simcha family! Today we were fortunate to have the Deal community visit, and they sure did pick a great day to come. The theme of the day was cards. Our dining hall was decorated like a Las Vegas casino. Girls dressed up like the queen of hearts, wearing giant cards and crowns. During lunch we taught our Game On and Waka Waka dances to our new friends. The dancing was followed by even more dancing at an Avraham Fried concert! Some campers got up on stage to join. After the concert, each girl got to choose from a large variety of presents donated by our Deal friends. Presents included flip cameras, makeup, clothes, and more. To follow the Las Vegas theme, campers participated in a game show, The Wild’N Wacky Challenge! Tzippora said that her favorite part of the show was pie-ing her counselor. At dinner, we celebrated the Bat Mitzvahs of a few of our campers. Bat Mitzvah cake flew through the air as campers smashed slices in their counselors’ faces.

Night activity ended the day with a bang. The social hall was transformed into a casino with slot machines, poker tables, and blackjack. Strawberry daiquiris were served with cherries and olives. Sari said her favorite part of the day was playing blackjack. Reagan said  “getting a flip camera.” We all say “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” I say, “what happens in Camp Simcha, stays in Camp Simcha.” You must experience it for yourself!

Today’s game…clue! Big glasses, blazers, magnifying glasses, camp is full of detectives. Inspector Specty’s study is set up in the dining hall. This morning the girls had to use clues to find their breakfast. Our great detectives all found their food and no one went hungry. They were asked to solve the mystery of why all the campers are so happy. Dina Sarah replied that it is because Camp Simcha is the best camp in the world. In the afternoon, the girls had to find magnifying glasses which were hidden all over camp. The scoring method went according to the color of the magnifying glass. The Chumee Checkers division won! Water sports today were a blast. The girls went scuba diving and jet skiing. After dinner, Rivka Chaya Yitty, Mushka and Leora all competed in a game of set. To conclude the fun-packed day we had a bonfire. Hot dogs, smores, and songs galore! Camper Dana played the ukulele while Aviva, a staff member, played the guitar. The fire flames rose up into the night sky, and after today so did our spirits.

I love New York! An unbelievable amount of energy combined with an incredible amount of smiles, New York trip was a day to remember. The day began with a double-decker bus tour of the city. The campers held up signs and cheered to all the city goers below. Following the rides, we marched through times square until our destination, Bowlmor Lanes. During the march, campers chanted “We can-cer vive”. Fellow sightseers and city residents joined in on the cheers, and held up “I love Camp Simcha” signs. In Bowlmor Lanes our girls had their hair, makeup, and nails done. They also each chose from tons of beautiful gowns. Wigs were donated to girls who did not already own one. Two of our Israelis, Shilat and Yifah, received brand new wigs. They could not hide their smiles as they brushed each others new hair. The girls went bowling while waiting for their makeovers. After everyone was ready, we headed down to watch the broadway show Newsies! The girls all loved the show. With all of our energy, Camp Simcha lit up the city of lights!

Right hand on red, left foot on yellow!  All of camp participated in a giant game of twister. Following the game, we watched a performance by the hilarious ventriloquist, Jonathan Geffner. His captivating cast included puppets Shmendrick, Chippy the monkey, Aunt Sarah, and Ezra. Shmendrick even remembered one of our campers, Miriam, from last summer! The puppets delighted us with their voices, each unique and funny. Besides for singing, the campers asked puppet Aunt Sarah all types of questions. She invited one camper over for some classic Jewish gefilte fish. Judging by everyone’s laughs, Angry Birds day ended with some very happy birds!

Today’s theme is GameStop. Costumes include video games Angry Birds, Mario, and more. We had a live Angry Birds game, where campers shot Angry Birds from a slingshot at stacked boxes. Throughout the day, campers have been playing virtual video games  in the dining hall. Our older division had a trip to a shooting range. Campers decorated signs with anti-cancer slogans and used them as targets. Whether it’s with bullets or it’s with love, here at Camp Simcha we kill cancer one day at a time.

Tonight’s show was literally Cirque-tacular! We got to watch aerial acrobats and a contortionist, or as I like to call him, a bendy-man. The acrobats performed all kinds of acrobatics while swinging from purple velvet ribbons. One acrobat put his whole body into a ginormous balloon. The contortionist performed the classic pretzel and a bunch of other mind-boggling acts including bending and twisting himself out of a straitjacket. Kids, don’t try this at home. As always, the night ended in smiles.

The battlefield is raging here at Camp Simcha. Our campers march in their navy and army uniforms, as they cheer the American and Israeli anthems. With activities such as rock climbing and archery, our soldiers sure have a busy day ahead of them. During boot camp, we crawled under trenches, ran through mud, walked on balance beams, and raced through a tires-obstacle. Daniele, one of our campers in a wheelchair, was ecstatic on ropes course. As she flew in the air, smiling wide, she sang “I believe I can fly”. Our soldiers also enjoyed a concert with Baruch Levine! Some tears were shed, when he sang “Rifaeinu”, “Heal us”, yet the tears were ones of hope and joy. Fighting the battle of cancer, our campers are the biggest troopers I know. United we stand!