Dear Families,

This past week has been packed full of excitement! Our time at camp is moving so quickly! The community that is built here in such a short time is truly a testament to our amazing campers and staff. I know I say it often on the road but – WE HAVE THE BEST CAMPERS! I know we will all remain connected throughout the year, but I keep telling the campers to really treasure every moment they have here with one another. When they get home, please encourage them to talk about their experiences, show you the skills they learned, encourage them to make plans to visit friends, and never lose the amazing camp spirit! Now, a little bit more about our jam-packed week!

Last Shabbat, we had the opportunity to host another amazing musician, Billy Jonas, who performed concerts for each unit inviting campers to join him on the stage. After Shabbat, Olim spent their last couple of days with us, and then headed home eager to come back again next summer. It was wonderful having Olim with us, and I look forward to them being lifelong members of our Jacobs Camp family.

Sunday was Israel day! Everybody got to experience aspects of Israeli culture. With the help of our Israeli staff members, campers cooked their own pita, went through IDF obstacle courses, and prayed at our model of the Western Wall. Rather than talk about what the news usually covers on Israel, we came together as a camp in support of the culture and people of our Jewish homeland.

Garin had a week full of campouts and bunk nights, as well as an amazing program that taught Gariners how to make colorful AND nutritious meals! We hope they all go home and share these skills with all of you!

Maskilim also had a week full of campouts and bunk nights! Maskilim enjoyed their much-anticipated big night out to see the Mississippi Braves Baseball Team! The campers loved experiencing America’s pastime. Maskilimers also became superheroes and had some awesome games of laser tag after celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of one of their own – wow what a week!

Building off the bonds created on their trip, Talmidim spent this week having fun as a cohesive unit! Talmidimers ran their own program where campers in different specialty camps were able to teach their fellow campers some of their new skills. On Wednesday, Talmidim got really messy while fighting off zombies that had come to Jacobs Camp! Last night, they had their bunk nights strengthening the connections that have been formed. We are so proud of the way Talmidim has come together as a unit and served as role models for younger campers.

This week has been absolutely remarkable, and with the arrival of Chalutzim yesterday I know we have another extraordinary week to come! Don’t forget to watch our third week in review video displaying some of the great things that we did this week, and make sure to stay connected by reading the Jacobs Journal, and following us on social media.

Love,

Anna