Camp Simcha & Camp Simcha Special
Simcha Magic: Feel It In The Air!
Cara was wearing a Cinderella gown and painting a purple bracelet in leather workshops.
“Is Cinderella your favorite princess?”
“She’s one of them. I really have two favorite princesses, Tiana and Belle. But I do like all of them. But mostly Tiana and Belle.”
-J
It was 5:30 AM on Shabbat morning when a fire broke out in Bunkhouse 5-6. When the counselors smelled smoke, the bunkhouses were evacuated immediately and efficiently.
Thank G-d no one was harmed in any way. Bunkhouse 5-6 has been moved to another beautifully decorated bunk, and the campers are already settled in with everything they need. Camp continues as scheduled, and we can’t wait for the next couple of fun-filled days in Camp Simcha!
Friday afternoon, campers prepped for Shabbat by visiting the Camp Simcha Shabbat Salon. Tons of colorful nail polish and makeup were available for the girls. After a delicious Friday night meal, Sienna gave an inspirational speech and put a smile on our faces.
After lunch on Shabbat Day we enjoyed a play performed our very own campers! Their rendition of Mary Poppins received a well deserved standing ovation. The afternoon was really relaxing, and while some spent time reading in the library, others practiced for the choir.
As we sat on the balcony outside the Dining Hall and waited for Shabbat to end, Dr. Caroline spoke to us about her experiences with childhood cancer. We danced and sang with Dr. Caroline in celebration of her son’s Bar Mitzva. Watching the sun set past the trees, we could feel the sense of unity that we achieved over Shabbat.
-J
After the enormous success of yesterday’s trip, Camp Simcha keeps pumping out the fun for all. Nearly ALL workshops are open today, and each camper can choose which they would like to attend. There is also a high energy Zumba class taking place right now!
In honor of Exploration Day, the Dining Hall now resembles what Columbus’ ships must have looked like – with the addition of quite a few pirates roaming around… If you look closely, you might find some loot! Across camp, the amazing Camp Simcha Shabbat Salon is gearing up what is sure to be a very busy, very exciting Friday afternoon! So stay tuned!
-J
We left camp at ten o’clock, clad in our blue Camp Simcha shirts and pink sweatshirts. The first stop was… a surprise visit to Lipa Schmeltzer’s house in Monsey! We were invited into his backyard for a rocking concert. We looked inside his synagogue, where almost everything was musical, from the musical notes on the walls to the flute mezuzah on the doorpost. After a pizza lunch and an enormous thank you to Lipa, we boarded the bus and continued our adventure.
The next stop was the New York Botanical Gardens. We were walking around, taking in the sight of the beautiful foliage, when the clock hit 4:45 and boom! Freeze flash mob! Three minutes later, we all carried on. We regrouped for dinner, then headed back to the buses for the drive to…Pennsylvania!
-T
The campers gathered in a huge circle in the social hall to a hysterical performance by The Twins From France (one of them, anyway). After a few unicycle warm-ups, he called up campers to lie down in the center of the circle, more than a foot apart, and he proceeded to jump over one, then two, then four of the campers in one shot. Then, on the unicycle, he bounced over each of them.
Next, he brought out a small high table, a cylinder and a small wooden board. Placing the cylinder atop the table and the board on the cylinder, he pulled a striped woolen hat over his face and stood on the shaky board. Then, he pulled out three gigantic sword-like knives and juggled them while comically maintaining his balance.
For the next act, he brought out an old-fashioned looking bike, with a very high, backed seat and ram-horn handlebars. He performed several bike tricks, such as riding on the back wheel with one hand, jumping on one pedal with only his hands on the handlebars, riding backwards with no hands and other fun stunts. Then, his bike “broke,” and he called up the campers to help him fix it, attaching the seat upside down and the pedals sticking up in the air – and then he rode the new-and-improved edition.
He went backstage, and then emerged from behind the black curtain in a colossal suit, at least six feet in diameter, with at least one hundred balloons stuffed inside. As he performed somersaults and cartwheels, the balloons popped nonstop. He somehow managed to mount his unicycle and he spun on it dizzyingly before jumping off.
Then he brought out a giant unicycle, at least ten feet tall. And after a few comical attempts to mount it, he rode around the room, almost in reach of the ceiling beams. Afterward, we turned off the lights and had a short dance party accompanied by a multihued pulsing strobe light. Then, the campers returned to their seats and the Twin lit and juggled three burning torches in the darkness. After letting campers fan the flames, he blew fire across the room as the heat danced across our faces, eliciting gasps from all sides. Thank you Twins from France for the riveting performance!
-T
As one camper quipped, “Shooting was an incredible experience that definitely hit the target.” Today, the older bunks went to the Tri States Rod & Gun Club where the instructors, along with some members and volunteer shooters who drove up to Camp Simcha, showed them how to shoot. During the preliminary safety overview, the instructor said that once given the green-light, they should “shoot at will.” Then he added, “There actually is a guy named Will here. So when I say ‘fire at will,’ take your hands – ” he shaped his into a pistol – “and go boomboomboom.”
After the initial safety lecture, lunch, and a second safety run-through, the campers split up into 4 groups: rifles, military rifles, shotguns, and a photo station. Every girl received protective glasses, earplugs, and red headphones (except Shayna, who somehow managed to find pink ones…). They each stood in little compartments, where they were individually assisted by the amazing instructors and volunteer shooters.
The campers shot at still targets, targets that spun when hit, and floating balloons. They were able to put words to shoot at on poster-targets, such as “cancer sucks,” and all the things they hate about cancer. At the end, all that was left of the targets were shreds. When asked about the experience, one girl said, “It was really nice to reciprocate what cancer did to me, and give it back to cancer.”
For some of the campers, this was their first time shooting, while others were already pros, (Rachel R hit one of the spinning targets so many times it broke!), but they all had an incredible time, raving about the trip. “I loved shooting things!”; “It was awesome.”; “I loved holding a gun like Angelina Jolie – it was like I was in a movie, shooting things!” A huge shout out to the instructors and volunteers who made this unforgettable experience possible.
-T
Camp Simcha Girls 2013 would simply by incomplete without Camp Simcha’s famous Color Run! And sure enough, the unforgettable activity completely lived up to it’s reputation. As both staff and campers – all wearing white T shirts – raced through a the Color Run, they were sprayed with colorful powder, resulting in a wonderful, rainbow of a mess – and tons of fun!
Other special activities today included Olympics in honor of Greco-Roman day. The older bunks also went to a shooting range off campus.
And scheduled for tomorrow: Major Trip y’all!!
-J
In honor of Greco Roman Day, the Dining Hall today was decked out with stone busts, and all kinds of Greek and Roman ruins. There were even white living statues serving food in place of our familiar waitresses. There were awesome costumes worn by all, including wreathes made of golden leaves, flowing white togas, and Jessica and her counselor creatively dressed as Percy Jackson.
While this morning was packed with fun workshops, everyone is revving up for the Camp Simcha Olympic games scheduled for later today. There will be medals, there will be fun, so get ready Camp Simcha…
-J
The room held at least ten tables covered with all types of gifts. There were rows of makeup kits, colorful pyramids of assorted towels, piles of cute bags, and tables of nail polish, One Direction pajamas, pillows, stuffed animals, crocheted hats and more. Campers traveled excitedly around the room, receiving one of every single gift and having an amazing time. Thank you Deal volunteers so much for making this experience so memorable for all of us!
-T
