"Lilmod Ve Noach" ("Let's Learn and Rest") - this was the name of the children's camp, organized for six days for young clients of the Hesed Besht Children's Foundation at the Thiya Community Center. It was a good opportunity for children who do not attend other camps this hot summer to relax, get healthy, learn something new, and communicate with each other. The camp was mainly designed for children from at-risk groups and low-income families, for whom rest is an expensive affair. But the Foundation's employees made every effort to make the camp memorable for the children for a long time.
For six busy days (from July 27 to August 1), a fun and useful program was implemented for children. In total, 30 of our clients took part in the camp. 2 age groups were formed: from 3 to 13 and from 13 to 16 years old, respectively. Employees of the “Thia” Center became the madrichs, who compiled and conducted all the planned activities. Each day had its own theme and corresponding name.
The camp began with a joint trip of children and their parents to the circus. For Khmelnytskyi, this phenomenon is quite rare, so both adults and children were interested in the trip. The audience liked the tightrope walkers, horse riders and, of course, the cheerful clowns, who were most associated with the holiday of Purim. After the circus, all the camp participants went for a walk together to the city park of culture and recreation named after M. Chekman, where the children had the opportunity to play and ride on attractions.
Since Monday, the camp program has already been diversified with developmental activities. The name of the second day is “Homeland in the Heart”. The program began with a story about the life of the Jewish community in Podillia from the arrival of the first Ashkenazi settlers to the present day. Then the children were told about the founding and development of the state of Israel, drawing parallels with Ukraine. The camp visitors that day learned (and most repeated) the anthems of both states to musical accompaniment. After lunch, classes were held in groups. The younger ones wrote letters to their peers in Israel, and the older ones studied the “Shema” prayer and looked at jellyfish. Classes with older children were conducted by a volunteer of the Foundation, Karina Epelfeld.
The third day was dedicated to the city of Khmelnytsky. It began with a quiz on interesting facts and the history of the city. Another volunteer of the Khmelnytskyi Children's Charity Foundation "Hesed Besht", a local historian Leonid Zapadenko, showed the children a video about the Proskurs and shared his wealth of knowledge. A visit to the city history museum was logical for this day. After lunch, a lesson on traditions was held: the children were shown and told about the talesh, kippah and tefillin. The "vitotherapy" event was interesting, unusual, and most importantly - delicious, and ended with the tasting of a really big watermelon.
The fourth day was called "Theater and Midrash". The lesson was based on the theme of fairy tales about a comedic and clever hero - Baron Munchausen. From the previous day, the children learned an interesting fact - our city is the second in the world where there is a monument to this extraordinary character. So on the fourth day, after the lesson, they all took a walk together to a cozy courtyard in the central part of the city, where they could see this strange monument. After the walk, the children were awaited by several lanes and a lot of fun in the bowling club.
The fifth day was dedicated to a healthy lifestyle. All together, the children visited the rehabilitation center "Health School" in the village of Pecheski. There is no need to talk about the advantages of a visit to this picturesque place: beautiful nature, wonderful recreational opportunities - all this is well known to our children and adult clients. During the holiday, the children held a quest "My Future Profession", which aimed to determine the aptitude of young people for certain areas of work.
The final day of the camp was called "Sanctuary of the Soul". Before the first star, a group of children managed to visit the grave of the tzaddik Baal Shem Tov in the village of Medzhibizh. In addition, they visited the Baha synagogue and the Medzhibizh fortress. A lesson dedicated to the commandment of Tzdaka was held at the holy places. Returning to the "Thiya" OC, the children took part in a culinary master class on baking challah for Shabbat. And finally, all the camp participants, having conducted individual preparation, gathered together for Kabbalat Shabbat. A festive meal ended a wonderful week of summer, spent with benefit and fun. Both the children, their parents, and the madrichs with volunteers were very satisfied with this time. Rest at "Lilmod Ve Noah" will remain in the hearts and memories of all its participants until the start of the new camp next summer.
