Dear Tevya Families,
It’s been a vibrant and memorable week at camp.
After much anticipation, Color War officially began with a dramatic break at Tuesday morning’s flag raising. The next three and a half days were filled with spirited competition, including digging for the heart and finding the key. Campers participated in relay races, swim meets, Culture Bowl, Songfest, and the culminating event, Meirotz Ha’Esh (Race to the Fire).
Our BTC campers led with strength and integrity, showing resilience, teamwork, and determination every step of the way. Throughout the week, they served as role models for the rest of camp, and we’re proud of the maturity, empathy, and confidence they brought to their leadership roles.
On Friday afternoon, we welcomed back our Dor L’Dor campers after their travels through Spain and Portugal. Their return completes our community just in time for our second Shabbat of the session, and we’re looking forward to hearing about their experiences and reflections.
During this weekend’s Shabbat services, we celebrated a special milestone: three B’nai Mitzvahs: Mindee Greenberg, Emma Goldfine, and Ben Resnick, who marked their 13th year at Tevya.
Each of them had an opportunity to share their reflections with our campers and staff. A common theme was how grateful they all are for the friendships and relationships camp has provided them, and the many lessons they’ve learned along the way. They all also spoke about how camp has made them the best versions of themselves. We’re grateful to have such longstanding, dedicated members of our community who could share such wise reflections with all of us.
Midat HaShavua: Leadership
The value of the week, introduced last Shabbat, is Leadership. At Tevya, leadership can take many forms. For campers, it might mean stepping up for a peer, showing kindness during a competition, or modeling a positive attitude during daily activities. For staff, it means creating space for each camper to feel seen and supported, while leading by example with integrity, empathy, and consistency. Whether quiet or bold, leadership here is about building a community where everyone is encouraged to grow. Our new value of the week for this upcoming week is Integrity.
Special Activities
Yesterday afternoon we began a new community art project with guidance from Jewish Studio Project. Campers rotated through three segments, led by our KTY campers: mindfulness and grounding practices, exploration of Jewish text, and hands-on mural design. The finished mural is a beautiful creation that each camper at camp had a hand in painting. The words on the mural are We Belong (Anachnu Shayechim) and will be hung in our newly renovated El Bess.
Last night marked the beginning of Tish B’Av, a day of mourning that commemorates the destruction of the Temples and other tragic moments in Jewish history. Biyra worked closely with Shachar, Head of Shira, to create a meaningful experience for all of camp.
Tomorrow, we’ll host the annual Tevya Invies, and on Tuesday, our Bogs will head to Camp Yavneh for Jewish Arts Fest (JAF)—a celebration of Jewish music, dance, and creativity centered around a shared theme: Shalom. We’re excited to see their work featured at our upcoming Tevya Night of the Arts and know they’ll represent our camp with pride.
It’s hard to believe how quickly the second session is moving. With major milestones, trips, and signature camp experiences still ahead, we’re looking forward to making the most of the next week and a half to come.
Sending you all of our ruach from 03033!
