This year’s shlichim at Camp J, Noa Berko (left) and Stav Pliscov, are teaching music and culture to the latest class of campers, passing on a taste of the Jewish state. (Community photo by William Beasley)
Camp J’s Summer of Superheroes kicked off on June 4 through 8 with new friends and new faces, including two new emissaries from Israel.
Camp Director Mindye Mannel said the first week’s superheroes were the X-Men, and the weekly theme was friendship.
“We had beautiful weather and spent time getting to know each other,” she said. “With the theme being friendship, we had activities that revolved around the theme, so campers were making friends and building friendships to last a lifetime.”
Some of the older campers spent time off campus. Trek campers took field trips to Schimpff’s Confectionary in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the waterfront and to Renaissance Fun Park. The Young Leaders visited Cherokee Park and an art museum.
On campus, the bubble truck offered a fun experience to the younger campers, and the entire camp community participated in silly sock day on Friday.
Once again this summer, two shlichim (emissaries) from Israel have joined the camp staff. Noa Berko and Stav Pliscov are teaching campers Israeli music and culture. They also participated in a color run in the first week.
Berko, who is from Modi’in and served as a social worker in the Israeli army, teaches culture. During the first week, she had campers make their own Israeli passports.
“Every time they come to my class I give them another stamp,” she said.
Pliscov, a former fighter in the Israeli army from Kochav Yair, is teaching music. She spent the first week of camp teaching campers Israeli songs.
Keff Supervisor Rachael Harris said campers “learned a lot of new camp songs in the music room,” many of which were in Hebrew.
“‘Happy Birthday,’ I learned how to sing in Hebrew,” Harris said, “which I thought was pretty cool.”
Pliscov said she is excited to get to know both the counselors and the campers. “We came to teach and learn from you,” she said.