Camp tel yehudah - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Camp Tel Yehudah is the official national senior camp of Young Judaea

Young Judaea

Young Judaea is a peer-led Zionist youth movement that runs programs throughout the United States for Jewish youth in grades 2-12. In Hebrew, Young Judaea is called Yehudah Hatzair or is sometimes referred to as Hashachar, which means the dawn....

, a Zionist youth group sponsored by Hadassah

Hadassah

Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America is an American Jewish volunteer women's organization. Founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, it is one of the largest international Jewish organizations, with around...

. It is located in Barryville, New York

Barryville, New York

Barryville is a hamlet in Highland, Sullivan County, New York. It is named for William T. Barry, postmaster general under President Andrew Jackson. The community grew up around the D&H Canal, which opened in 1828 and operated until 1898...

. It is for Jewish teenagers from ages 13–17 (going into high school up until college.) It is located on the banks of the Delaware River

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

.

There are two parts to camp, Aleph
Aleph
* Aleph or Alef is the first letter of the Semitic abjads descended from Proto-Canaanite, Arabic alphabet, Phoenician alphabet, Hebrew alphabet, Syriac alphabet-People:*Aleph , an Italo disco artist and alias of Dave Rodgers...

and Bet
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...

. Aleph is the older camp with cozy bunks that have bathrooms but not showers, and many apple trees. Discussions often take place under the apple trees. To shower, campers have to walk to the bathhouse.

Bet looks a bit like an army camp. The bunks are built in a horseshoe shape with the dining hall and beit ha'am at the opening of the horseshoe. There is a staff house in Bet, that is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Rebecca Quick.

Rebecca Quick is a woman who, after widowed by her husband, killed her three stepsons in a period of three years, all on August 22nd. The spirit or "ghost" of Rebecca Quick has in a few cases, disturbed the staff and campers. Rebecca Quick lived on the property of camp Tel Yehudah until her disappearance sometime in the late 19th century.

Tel Yehudah used to have four sessions: Regular (now called Alumim) - where first time campers learned about Jewish history. Ulpan
Ulpan
An ulpan is an institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew. Ulpan is a Hebrew word meaning basically studio or teaching, instruction....

- where campers learned Hebrew through songs, Israeli folk-dances, and conversation, Machon - leadership training, and Machoneh Avodah (affectionately called M.A.), where campers lived in the tents, prepared their own meals, grew vegetables, and milked cows. M.A. was supposed to simulate life on a kibbutz

Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...

. Later, M.A. was changed to "Machaneh Hachshira" (M.H.).

Currently, the different age groups are Alumim (rising 9th graders learn about general Jewish and Zionist history), Yachad (rising 10th graders take part in programs centered around the importance of togetherness and community), and Hadracha (rising 11th graders learn how to be successful leaders). Each group has different trips: Alumim goes rafting and to New York City, Yachad has Special Interest Week (campers (chanichim) choose to go biking, backpacking, kayaking, or to New York City, where they take part in social action), and Hadracha goes to Washington, D.C. for a "Day on the Hill."

In 2008, a British delegation from Young Judaea's sister-movement FZY attended Camp Tel Yehuda's second session. This group, which was called Hanhaga, consisted of thirty 16-17 year old teenagers from across the Atlantic Ocean. Despite conflicting patriotism between the British group and American hosts, the visiting delegation integrated with ease and are unlikely to be forgotten any time soon.

Seniors in high school can apply to work at camp. There are positions such as babysitters, kitchen help, logistics and office staff.

Each summer, campers put on plays. They say the ha-motzi before eating meals, and sing the Birkat Hamazon
Birkat Hamazon
Birkat Hamazon or Birkath Hammazon, , known in English as the Grace After Meals, , is a set of Hebrew blessings that Jewish Law prescribes following a meal that includes bread or matzoh made from one or all of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt...

afterwards. They often sing songs out of the Young Judaea shiron-a book of Jewish songs and prayers- and dance around the Hadar Ochel (dining hall).

See also

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