Volume 11 - Issue 2 - July 6, 2012 - Gesher Summer Camp

The Gesher Gazette
Happy Birthday
Itai Merlin 7/2
Aiden Haase 7/3
Max Kelner 7/4
Haley Kosovitz 7/4
Alexa Loventhal 7/4
Chanukah
In July
July 9th
July 10th
A Message From the Directors
We are frequently asked what makes us different or unique from all the many other camps that serve our community. While
we often point to our convenient location in Livingston, our indoor air conditioned facility, our flexible weeks and all-inclusive rates that
are lower than most other camps, and our resident camp level ruach (spirit), it is really the fact that we are Essex County’s only Jewish
American Camp Association accredited camp and our dedication to Jewish values that sets us apart.
Each week Rabbi Rich introduces a “Mitzvah of the Week,” and camper’s behaviors are positively reinforced with mitzvah
tickets being awarded in recognition of their thoughtful efforts in camp. Hold a door open for your friends without being asked?
Mitzvah ticket! Help clean the table? Mitzvah ticket! Assist the counselors to get from one activity to another quickly? Mitzvah ticket!
Pick up trash around camp? Mitzvah ticket!
Jewish tradition roughly defines a mitzvah as a commandment to bring goodness into the world. Today at camp we focused
all day on doing mitzvoth. We started off at Boker Tov filming a video for a camper who has been hospitalized for the past week
(and is scheduled to hopefully be released sometime this weekend). Throughout the day bunks each participated in a “Mitzvah Hunt,”
having to do such tasks as saying good morning to 3 people from another bunk, and saying “please” and “thank you” to the kitchen
staff at lunch. Our day culminated with every camper adding their own personalized mitzvah link on a giant paper mitzvah chain that
stretched around the entire auditorium at Kabbalat Shabbat. It was truly a sight to behold!
Tying into our mitzvah theme, today we sent home our swim-a-thon information. For our eleventh summer Gesher has
partnered with Chai Lifeline’s Camp Simcha to raise thousands of dollars to enable children with serious life threatening diseases to
attend this wonderful, medically supervised, Jewish camp program. During this oasis in time, children are able to briefly put their
diseases out of their mind and have a true child camp experience.
Many of us take our health and well being for granted, not realizing how fortunate we truly are. In another week and a
half, Gesher campers will swim their hearts out to raise awareness and money
in support of these special children at Camp Simcha. When your child comes
home with their swim-a-thon forms today, please encourage them to raise
money in support of this worthy cause. At a cost of $8000 to send a single
child to camp for a week, our aim is to raise $16,000; if every camper raises
at least $50, we will have no problem achieving this goal, and at $75, we will
surely surpass it. To make the fund raising as easy as possible, family and
friends can sponsor your child online after you create a profile for your child
at: http://www.chailifeline.org/chai-a-thon.
So let’s keep those mitzvot going! Have a great weekend and
Shabbat Shalom,
~ Scott, Marla & Amy
Negev & Galil Visiting Day
9:30 - 11:30
July 11th
Kinneret
Visiting Day
Galil Dorney Park Trip
and Overnight
July 12th July 13th
Volume 11, Issue 2
July 6, 2012
Tammuz 16, 5772
Scott Lantzman, Director
(973) - 597 - 3699
All Star Staff
Director’s Choice
Zack Kessel
Kinneret
Noni Benisty
Diana Cohen
Jessica Glasser
Zak Glennon
Sammi Jay
Negev
Lior Fusman
Joey Kirsch
Jackie Loeshelle
Noah Shechter
Galil
Emily Beneroff
Ben Lewinter
Carly Pancer
Laura Slifer
Specialists
Amit Amsallem
Sean Coxon
Jenny Fitzsimmons
Loraine Langer
Erika Schwartz
Aquatics
Alyssa Kranz
Talia Rosenstrauch
Amy Ventura

Page 2
Gesher Gazette
Kinneret
We had such a great time during Week Number 2
And are excited to share some highlights with you.
Wild Water Day was an awesome time for everyone
We played on water slides and dried off in the sun
So much fun was had on the slides, kid carwash, and pool
An amazing Wild Water Day kept the entire camp cool.
We also enjoyed Clown Dress Up and Red White and
Blue Day,
Campers dressed up and showed off their ruach in the
Gesher way.
Mitzvah Day was also a great success
It was a special day of extraordinary kindness!
Campers enjoyed being extra kind to counselors, staff,
and friends
We hope this will continue to be a trend.
Of things to come, here’s a sneak peek :
Visiting Day, dress up days, and Chanukah in July
Kinneret’s Week 3 is sure to be unique.
~ Michelle, Debbie & Audra
Division News!
Galil
The second week of Gesher has come and gone and Galil keeps going strong! After an amazing wild
water day followed by our celebration of our nations independence Galil topped off the week with a
clown dress up day! Next week is an exciting one for Galil as it is the first trip of the summer to amazing
Dorney Park in Allentown Pennsylvania followed by the first of our two Galil over nights! If you have not
sent in your permission slip for the trips please send it in on Monday (you can download the form from our
website). We are looking forward to meeting all of you on Visiting Day next Wednesday! See you there!
~ Karen, Shai, and the Galil Staff
Negev
July 6, 2012
Tammuz 16, 5772
The week started off with Red, White and Blue day.
We were so patriotic here at Gesher! On Tuesday
afternoon we all had so much fun during Wild Water
Day. It felt great to slide down the water based
inflatables, run through the “car wash” and even
enjoy some pool time. We hope everyone had a
wonderful 4 th of July. Not only was Thursday Clown
dress up day, but more importantly our first
undernight. We had an extra swim, with the pool all
to ourselves, some fun and games, and a delicious
dinner followed by a game show. What a night!
Please check your camper's backpacks on Friday
when they come home. For those that had sculpture
or Omanut, their masterpieces should be coming
home in their backpacks (please check all pockets).
We can’t believe that two weeks of camp have
already gone by. We look forward to seeing all of
you next week on visiting day.
~ Gail, Sharon, & Lyndsey

Staff Spotlight
Page 3
Gesher Gazette
Hebrew Word
Of The Day
Interviews by
The Newspaper
Chug
Interviews By:
Eve Askin
Ava Bachman
Yarden Dachut
Aiden Ehrenreich
Spencer Kessler
Jessica Reizan
Emma Rosenberg
Ella Weisberger
Drama
Mitz = Juice
“When our group
meets, we always
drink juice.”
This year’s musical is Disney’s The Aristocats Kids which
will be performed on August 15 th with one
performance during the day for the campers and one in
the evening for families. This is truly a special day
where campers stay for dinner with a pizza party and
cake. The Galil children who have selected drama as
their chugim for the entire summer met last week for a
true theatrical experience. The children had a real
audition where they sang and read lines from the script
in order to help me determine the best role for them in
the play. Rehearsals are underway as everyone is
learning the songs, dances, and their lines in the show.
Please remember to send your child’s script in their
backpack each day. Also-it’s very helpful to highlight
your child’s lines at home and review difficult
vocabulary with them. You will receive letters home
regarding costumes in a few weeks. We will be
asking for basic pieces of clothing that you can find in
your closet. We look forward to a great show!
~ Ellen
Discovery
July 6, 2012
Tammuz 16, 5772
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Dov = Bear
“When I saw the bear, I
dove into the woods!”
No Camp
:(
Laura Slifer is a caring, helpful counselor for G3A. We
decided to interview her because she is such an influential
person! Even though she has been at Gesher for 5 years, this
is her first interview. When we asked her what her favorite
part of being a counselor is, she said that all of the kids are.
Her favorite movies are Happy Feet and Finding Nemo and
her favorite TV show is Modern Family. Laura loves making
new friends and meeting new campers. Her favorite color is
red and her favorite dress up day is Israel Day. We had so
much fun interviewing her. Gesher is awesome!
This summer, we have been having so much fun in Discovery! My goal
is to have fun with the kids and educate them about Science, without
them even realizing they are learning. Whether it’s making fabulous
FLUBBER and OOBLECK, awesome airplanes or mini explosions, the
kids have been having an amazing time. They have been learning how
to measure, mix and create. They have begun to understand and use
words like dissolve, absorb, react as well as other scientific concepts.
We will continue making interesting, mind teasing, gooey and even
gross experiments as the summer
continues!
~ Ben
Mastik = Gum
“If you step on gum it
must stick to your
shoe.”
Dag = Fish
“Hey Doug! Can you
feed my fish please?
Carly Pancer, a nice counselor of G3B, is awesome.
Her favorite bunk is G3B, her favorite food is pasta and her
favorite activity is swim. She said this is the best camp
she’s ever been to. She said her favorite part of Gesher is
the fun activities. We asked her what her favorite song
was and she said “Firework” by Katy Perry. When asked
if she was fun, she replied yes. Her favorite thing about
kids is that they are so much fun. Carly has been here for
two years. We were so happy that Carly agreed to
interview with us. Her answers were amazing!

Page 4
Gesher Gazette
Jokes of the Day Tevah
From Deep Deep Down in
the Archives of Jokedom!
Monday:
How do you know the American Flag
is friendly?
Tuesday:
How are fireworks like breakfast
cereal? Because they go snap,
crackle, and pop!
Wednesday:
No Camp
Because it’s always
waving!
Thursday:
Why did the clown go to the doctor?
Because he was
feeling funny
Friday:
When is a car not a car?
When it turns into a
garage!
Candle Lighting: 8:13 pm
Torah Portion: Balak
Rabbi Rich
Week 2 Mitzvah Award Winners: KB2, B1A, Senior Boys
July 6, 2012
Tammuz 16, 5772
The first week in Tevah was spent getting the
Gesher Garden together. The bunks have created their
own beautiful garden box, added the dirt and seeds and
placed it out in the sun. The campers worked hard on
shaping the layout and adding mulch. We cannot wait to
wait to watch our garden grow!
The Tevah cabin is full of awesome new critters.
Shoko, our camp bunny, is happy to see all of the
campers! We also have 3 adorable turtles and 6
tadpoles on their way to become frogs. The campers
can also come in to check out the “web wall” that is full
of great things found in nature such as bird eggs, snake
skins, bones, feathers, pretty rocks and seashells.
Campers are always invited to hang up their findings!
Looking forward to the spectacular weeks ahead!
TEVAH ROCKS!!!
~ Heather
Shabbat Ends: 9:13 pm
Gesher Mitzvah of the Week: Ahava (love)
What are the "3 weeks"?
This Sunday is a Fast Day, the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz. It marks the beginning of a period of time called "the three
weeks".
On the 17th of Tamuz, five calamitous events occurred in our history: 1) Moses broke the first Tablets of the Ten
Commandments when he descended from Mt. Sinai and saw the worshipping of the Golden Calf 2) The Daily Sacrificial
Offerings ceased in the First Temple due to lack of sheep 3) The walls of Jerusalem were breached during the siege of
the Second Temple 4) Apustumus-the-Wicked burned a Torah and 5) An idol was placed in the Sanctuary of the Second
Temple.
The first "2 weeks" of Gesher have been awesome. The ruach and dancing have been remarkable!. Your children have
shared with me so many examples of the mitzvot they perform on a daily basis. The mitzvah of the week ("ahava"- which
means love) is shown throughout the course of the day.
As we are about to enter into the 3 weeks period, let us remember that the our future is in very good hands.
Have a Shabbat Shalom and an easy fast!
~ Rabbi Rich

Page 5
Gesher Gazette
Madrichim
Things have been warming up for
Gesher's hottest new unit! Last week we went
to the gravity defying "Tree Top Adventure"
outside of the famous Turtleback Zoo. This
week we went to the "Brushes and Bisque"
pottery shop in Denville, NJ. We also worked
really hard at making Mitzvah Day a great
success. We set a record at Gesher with the
largest paper chain ever! Also, we have been
starting to work on our video projects and
began to get some great hands-on
experience interacting with the pre-school
campers here at Gesher. Coming up we
have our long awaited trips to Dorney Park
and Sno Cove water park. We can't wait for
another great week at Gesher!
~ Mike
Pool News
Who can believe that 2 full weeks of
swimming Instruction have come to a
close? We are very proud of so many of
our campers who have changed levels
over the past two weeks!
July 6, 2012
Tammuz 16, 5772
Coming home with your child this week
are the first of our bi-weekly swimming progress reports for your children. Please note their progress, and accomplishments this
session. We have many campers getting over their fears, and many more working hard on perfecting their swimming skills.
Parents, please encourage your children to swim every day, twice a day! If there is an issue preventing
them from being completely happy with swim, please let me know, and I will address it with my staff.
Please do not simply send in a note excusing them from swimming, as this will not help us get to the root
of the problem.
Keep swimming! We look forward to the next two weeks.
Jeff Reiss, Aquatics Director
Zack Abramowitz & Gabe Rozenwasser, Head Lifeguards
Cooking Corner
Week 2 had the whole camp going Red, White and Blue for Chex Mix Dessert Parfaits. So quick,
easy and delicious to make, and it’s gluten free! In Cooking Chug it was “Two-Bite Treasure”
Week. We made Mini Blini’s, S’mores Cups, Mini Trifles (with a Microwave Chocolate Cake); and
Chocolate Chip Dip and Dessert Chips.
Ingredients
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine
½ cup Corn Chex cereal
Crunchy Cinnamon Snack Mix
½ cup Rice Chex cereal
½ cup Quick Oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries, blueberries and raisins
Directions
In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. In a large microwave safe
bowl, microwave butter or margarine until melted. Stir in cereal and
oats until well covered and microwave again for 2 minutes, stirring
after 1 minute. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture and
microwave for another 1 minute. Stir in the dried fruit. Cool on wax
paper. We served in a cup with a dollop of either whipped cream or
Rich’s rich whip.

GAMES
Page 6
Gesher Gazette
FUN
&
BBQ
SUMMER
WATER
HOT
SUN
SLIDE SWIM
Fun in the Sun
July 6, 2012
Tammuz 16, 5772

Page 7
Gesher Gazette
Our camp photos are now online!
The website is: http://gesher.smugmug.com Password: ilovegesher
July 6, 2012
Tammuz 16, 5772
110 South Orange Avenue Livingston, NJ 07039 Phone: (973) 597 3344
Email: info@gesherfun.org Website: www.gesherfun.org