This activity meshes "gadna"-style training with examination of the ethos of the IDF. It includes physical army "training," discussion of life in the army, and personal stories and anecdotes from your Israeli staff who have been through their own army experiences.
"Guess Who is Coming to Camp" allows campers to learn about specific Israeli figures by having them "visit" camp one day each week. Counselors can choose between political and historical leaders, artists, sports stars, and other important figures.
This activity provides opportunities for high-school-aged campers to delve into the reality of the military challenges facing Israel. Starting with a late-night sneak-out, progressing to a campfire and a military mission, the program culminates with the Goodman Educator and shlichim sharing stories from Israel's wars.
It's a talent show! It's a beauty pageant! It's Mr. and Mrs. Israel, where camper teams representing places in Israel compete for recognition and bragging rights. With costumes, songs, cheers, and the like, campers won't even realize how much they are learning in the process.
This is ideally a multi-period activity, with campers preparing earlier in the day for the evening competition. However, the entire program could be as big or small as you'd like.
This activity is the re-enactment of the quest for votes that effectively created the State of Israel. Campers will have to do Israel-related activities and challenges in order to collect the necessary "votes" such that the United Nations votes in favor of the Partition Plan.
The Israel Lens is a unique method of looking at photographs as entry points into understanding Israeli history and culture. This session primarily uses photographs of people of Israel who came from various countries and periods in history and is an excellent program for a photography specialty.
Based off of the hit TV show 'Shark Tank,' this program gives campers the opportunity to champion an Israeli social cause. Campers will work together to choose a cause that they feel passionately about and compete through presentations for a 'grand prize.'
This activity encourages campers to explore their own leadership qualities through a discussion about the Israeli army. By reading a story about a young commander in the IDF, campers will reflect on their own capabilities to be a leader at camp and in their communities by discovering similarities between their own leadership qualities and the commander's leadership qualities.
This session addresses the complicated sentiments that the Israeli people felt about Israeli soldiers who fought and died during the 1948 War of Independence and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
