Shoshana, Julia, Allison and Danielle from G5 write about what they think makes Camp Poyntelle special, specifically relating to its Jewish foundations and values despite it being open to people from every religious background…

Here at Camp Poyntelle we think everyone and everything is awesome! From the the aspect of religion or the fun activities, everyone has a great experience. Every day at Poyntelle is a great day. Some days you’re just not feeling it but you will smile at least once.

Since Camp Poyntelle is a Jewish camp we do religious things. Here are some ways you can have fun:

In this camp we do a song called ha motzi. The camp does this song before every meal and this means we are thanking G-d for the food on the table. When the camp sings this song we do hand gestures to feel like part of the community.

Everyday in the morning we line up at the flagpole and Myra says the word of the day. The words of the days are significant to the Jewish culture because they show how we care about things like being kind and showing what Jewish people are like. There is also something called Mitzvah Monday where Myra asks us to do a mitzvah for someone – even though we should be doing a mitzvah everyday!

One thing that is really important are the Friday night services. We have fun and sing and dance. Most people think if you are not Jewish you don’t go to a Jewish camp but at Camp Poyntelle we take everyone. A lot of people at camp are not Jewish, but they all say they like the Friday night services (we interviewed people to find out).

By now you get the point Poyntelle is a pretty great place for a Jewish experience even if you’re not Jewish! Everyday attracts so much culture it’s impossible to go home not having learned one thing about Judaism. Poyntelle is a place where you feel at home with everything: the people, the food and, of course, the Jewish festivities and values.

• Uncategorized