Summer 2026
News from Week 7
Hello from Lake Potanipo!
This week marked our last full week of camp, and we packed it with some very special Tevya moments. We spent our week enjoying Color War! Now that Color War has come to a close, we’re soaking up our last few days of regular programming before the duffels come out and packing begins.
On Saturday, we celebrated five Bat Mitzvahs—Miri Sharon, Carly LaKind, Sarah Fishman, Rebecca Hoffstein, and Claire Puffer. Thirteen years at camp is an incredible milestone, and we are so grateful for the many years of dedication, friendship, and Tevya spirit they have brought to our community.
We’re looking forward to making the most of these final few days together – there’s still plenty of fun to come!
Shabbat Shalom,
Lauren + Elissa
Staff Spotlight
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Aqaba
Staff Team for Color War || Color: Green
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A Message from Aqaba:
"We’ve loved having your kids at Tevya this summer and are so grateful for all the energy, laughter, and spirit they bring to camp each day!"
Bunk Highlight
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Older Tsofim
8th Grade Boys
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Enthusiastic Participation
Older Tsofim are absolutely crushing it around camp! They’ve been bringing so much creativity and enthusiasm to performance classes, A&C, and everything in between.
Value of the Week
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Gratitude
Grateful for our Tevya Bubble
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A Note from Us to You:
This week’s value was Gratitude, and wow, do we have so much to be grateful for! We feel incredibly lucky to have such an amazing camp community and are so grateful for every camper, family, counselor, and person who helps make Tevya such a special place for so many people.
Color War 2026
Early Sunday morning, Color War broke shortly after wake-up, complete with an announcement over the PA and Eye of the Tiger playing across camp. When campers made their way down to the beach, they were greeted by a boat carrying our brand-new Color War flag, a single flag featuring red, white, blue, yellow, and green, along with colorful smoke filling the sky.
We spent our morning digging for the heart and searching for the key! [The key was hidden under the step going into Callum, the Olim Head Counselor’s room!]
Our days were jam-packed with friendly competitions in basketball, dodgeball, relay races, swim meets, canoe races, and of course to end things, the all-camp Haesh Relay. Our favorite part of Color War is watching our oldest campers become the leaders of camp and be such amazing role models for campers of all ages.
Minn + Gordon Staff Awards
We recognized four of our exceptional counselors at Shabbat through the David Minn International Staff Leadership Award, and the Aaron and Blanche Gordon Award.
The David Minn Award is given in memory of David Minn, a beloved staff member and friend who lost his life in 2018. David had a tremendously positive impact on our community in his 3 years on staff.
He had a magnetic personality and was truly a connector of all people. The David Minn Award is presented each year to a returning international bunk counselor who emulates David’s positive leadership style.
The Aaron and Blanche Gordon Award is a scholarship given to “homegrown” Tevya counselors in honor of Aaron, a former Tevya director, and his wife, for their long-time dedication and contribution to both Tevya and the greater Jewish community. This award is given to two first year counselors entering their first year of college based on their exceptional leadership and strong character during their summer as a first year counselor. Thank you to Temple Israel of Boston and the Gordon family for allowing us to recognize our staff in celebration of young Jewish leaders.
This year’s David Minn Award recipients are Parker McCarthy and Sky Hynds and the Gordon Award recipients are Zeke Cohen and Eliana Berger. All of our counselors have been exceptional this summer, but these four counselors consistently go above and beyond for their campers and our Tevya family.
Evening Activities
Oles
- Saturday – Table Wars
- Sunday – Culture Bowl
- Monday – Minute to Win It
- Tuesday – Songfest
- Wednesday – Silent Disco
- Thursday – Trip Night to Chunky’s!
Tsofs
- Saturday – Table Wars
- Sunday – Culture Bowl
- Monday – Minute to Win It
- Tuesday – Songfest
- Wednesday – Trip Night to Chunky’s!
- Thursday – Bonfire
Bogs
- Saturday – Table Wars
- Sunday – Culture Bowl
- Monday – Minute to Win It
- Tuesday – Songfest
- Wednesday – Movie Night
- Thursday – KTY: Banquet Prep; BTC: Nailed It
