On June 5-7, Netzer FSU hosted a three-day, online summer camp extravaganza, conceived as a sea-faring voyage through Jewish culture for 35 passengers, ages 8-12, with the coolest crew – Netzer FSU madrichim, educators, volunteers and more – at the helm.
They set sail on Friday from the “Port of Netzer,” once all participants were on board, the day was spent getting to know each other with games and chat sessions. The day concluded with a warm and welcoming Kabbalat Shabbat.
On their second day ‘at sea,’ campers kicked off their day with morning dances to get their energy flowing before joining Shacharit services and Torah reading. The afternoon was spent exploring Jewish Shabbat traditions, and the day culminated in a “decktop” disco for all.
On their final day, participants learned to cook “Shakshuka” a popular dish in Israel and discussed the richness and diversity of Jewish cuisine. That final evening, all participants navigated their cruise ship to its final destination, playing an exciting game with team challenges.
Julija Orlova, Coordinator of FSU Netzer, shared these thoughts upon the camp’s completion:
“It almost sounds like a fictional story. During our lockdown we dreamed of being able to meet with each other physically again and enjoy camp. And while things had to change, we still had a fantastic time with everyone. It felt like we were together again, sharing what’s so special to all of us – Netzer!
We are grateful for the coordinated work of the Netzer FSU madrichim team, their earnest desire to support our campers and our movement as a whole, help us bring to life a real Netzer camp this summer! We are so proud of what we have accomplished and we know it was a great experience for everyone involved. It was different, but we are excited to plan even more projects in the future like these – or even better!”
Click here to learn more about Netzer Olami, the international Reform Zionist Youth Movement is a platform for Progressive Jewish education and leadership training in Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Holand, Israle, North America, Panama, Russia, South Africa, the UK, and Ukraine.