The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

Tribe of Benjamin: Myra M., Zoe A., Raina W., Rebekah P., Eliana R., Rebecca S., Pippin, Macaroni

Tribe of Simeon: Emma B., Channah A., Ahavah M., Eliana R., Elisheva M., Sarah M., SH-Boom, Chip

Tribe of Ephraim: Talia W.,  Lily H., Shalom M., Bailey H., Claire C., Persaeus B., Mango. S’mores

Tribe of Naphtali: Isaac H., Lyrit M., Lev R., Ryan H., Joshua B., Ewok, Yamaha, Oofnik

Tribe of Levi: Etain R., Jonah M., Isaac P., Tyler H., Ari C., Heimlich, Gadget

Out-of-Cabin Staff: Snapple, Poppins, Esquire, Streetlight

By Eliana R. age 11

Tribe of Simeon

I was in the tribe of Simeon, it was really fun this year. By the way, Simeon means Sword. The tribe leaders of Simeon are Chip and Sh-Boom. Chip is fun and funny. She loves to swim. Sh-Boom is fun, easy breezy and caring. She loves to knit. The campers of this tribe are Ahavah, Channa, Emma, Ellie, Sarah, and me.

One thing we do as a tribe are water points. To you get a point you have to drink two cups of water. You have to get two water points to play games during F.O.B. I asked Ahavah if she likes doing water points. “No,” she replied, “because during F.O.B you’re supposed to rest.” During F.O.B we usually rest but sometimes we got to do games, if you get the right amount of water points. So I asked Channah. If she likes doing regular F.O.B instead of the other F.O.B where we play games. “It depends on if I’m tired or not, I’ll probably want the regular F.O.B.”

During Tabernacle we have to work on our memory verse and recited in front of everyone. The memory verse we have to memorize this year is John 10:7-11 & 14-18. I asked Ellie if she likes to memorize the memory verse. And she said “yeah it was fun.”

I liked the message of the verse.

Those are the basics of what you do in tribes and many other activities.

By Rebecca S., age 10

Tribe of Asher

Hebrew is one of the most fun activities at Camp Gilgal. We sing songs, play games, and write in booklets. It is super fun. Usually when we get to a time of day we do Hebrew. In Hebrew we write in booklets (one kind of booklet is the white one).

The white booklet is for the Aleph Bet. On each page you write the letter three times, write an English word that has the sound, and write the phrase for that letter five times then we go to a tribe leader, and they ask you questions about that letter and its phrase. You can also walk around the camp and find the phrase for the letters you can bring these books all around camp. I asked Esquire some questions about Hebrew I asked him this: “What is your favorite part about teaching Hebrew?” And he answered: “Seeing the campers learn Hebrew words.” Then I asked him: “What is one of your favorite Hebrew words?” So he said: “היננ, which means here I am.” Next I asked him: “What is your favorite booklet topic?” And he answered: “Family.” Last, but not least, I asked him to answer this: “What does your stamp look like?” ESQ.

The colored booklets are different from the white ones. These are the topics you can pick from! Family camp, words camp, animals, Hanukkah words and Passover words. First you write the Hebrew word once. Then write the translation five times and draw a picture about the word. Now you go around to the counselors and they will ask you how to say it and what it means in English. They will give you a picture or a stamp, if you get it right. You have to get 10 stamps or pictures. You’re not allowed to go to the same counselor twice or more in a row. you get prizes after 10 stamps or pictures. I really like Hebrew because you learn Hebrew and get prizes. It is so fun. I hope you enjoyed my article.

Zoe A. age 8

Tribe of Asher

I am Zoe and I speak for the trees, because we are the trees! We are the tribe of Asher. My tribe leaders are Macaroni and Pippin. Let’s go talk to them now.

First I’m going to interview Pippin. She mentioned that she’s had Hard Rock Mine as her very first cabin. She loves dressing up as a tribe for theme nights.

Next I talked with Macaroni who said that she’s been in Hard Rock Mine before too. And she loves hanging out with our cabin at Creek night. Mine and Raina’s favorite theme Night has been Stop and Go Night. Rebekah P. and Myra’s favorite team night was Feed Your Friend Night. Just like Macaroni. Rebecca S.’s favorite is Feed Your Friend Night.

This year our tribe has been great because it’s basically the same as last year. We had one more camper then last year and it was her first time at camp, and she said Camp Gilgal is awesome! One thing that stayed the same is that F.O.B is still crazy! Everyone agrees it can sometimes be very loud in our cabin.

On Animal Night we were butterflies and also for Cabin Decoration Day we had the theme of “new life” by showing the stages of a caterpillar in the jungle. One of my favorite tribe activities was skit night we performed the story of the Wizard of Oz mix with the prodigal son. It’s been a great year in the tribe of Asher, and I can’t wait for camp next year!

by Ellie R. age 9

Tribe of Asher

In Camp Gilgal, there is one game called Wells Fargo. On the fifth day of camp, we played Wells Fargo. Before we play the game, the tribe leaders and staff go down and change into their cowboy clothes and then they march out and talk weird. When the whistle blows, the game starts. It lasts a while, then when the whistle blows again the game ends. The side that has the most Gold wins the game. The outlaws tied with the faithful and loyal Wells Fargo agents for the first game. And then in the second game we lost. But the next two games the outlaws won meaning we won the entire game! That was very epic because the outlaws haven’t won in a long time. I asked Macaroni if it was fun chasing people and she said that “it was the best part of Wells Fargo, besides eating the watermelon during the game.” This year I was so close to getting a bag of gold but then Mango caught me. It was super fun and I can’t wait for Wells Fargo next year.

By Raina W. age 9

Tribe of Asher

Have you wondered what F.O.B Means? It means flat on bunk. Now that you know what F.O.B means I’ll tell you a little bit about my F.O.B. first we usually eat candy and sleep, and sometimes work on gazette articles. Let’s ask some people how they feel about F.O.B. Rebecca S. likes F.O.B because we can do whatever we want as long as it’s quiet. Rebecca P. likes F.O.B because she can pass notes. Macaroni said she likes F.O.B because it means she can nap.

Some people love F.O.B more than others. Sometimes at lunch we all chant for F.O.B because we are so excited that usually after F.O.B we have free time and get to swim in the pool! Some days we don’t have F.O.B like Men’s Day, when the ladies leave we don’t have F.O.B. or when we go to Columbia on those days it’s really easy to get tired. F.O.B is not always the most fun every day, but I still love it.

by Joshua B. age 10

Tribe of Naphtali

The names of the members of my tribe are Isaac, Lyrit, Ryan and Lev! My tribe leader’s names are Oofnick, Ewok, and Yamaha. We have a lot of fun together, eat together and play together. My favorite activity that we do together is swimming! My friend Isaac says his favorite part of being in the tribe was decorating the cabin. Wells Fargo was Lyrit’s favorite activity. In our tribe we help each other clean up and help each other do things together. My tribe leader Yamaha loves to sing with the campers. Every single day when we lineup we come up with a lot of things, something funny.  During FOB is when we have the most fun, we sit really quiet and do other things that are fun. Ewok and Oofnick are normally sleeping but Yamaha only sleeps sometimes. Ryan says his favorite part about the tribe is FOB! Because he gets to eat his candy. It is fun as we try to do the memory verse for points for the Tribe of the Year. It is fun to talk to my new friends after camp is done. We are family and we work together no matter what! And leave no man behind!

By Bailey H. age 12

Tribe of Ephraim

I am part of the tribe of Ephraim. We are the oldest ladies tribe, and we are a very entertaining tribe.

Would you like to say funny things at lineup? Well, Mango and S’mores are tribe leaders who do that best! We all contribute a lot to our tribe.

I’ll start with the famous Mango!!! She is a key part of our tribe. Mango is very funny, she thinks that all together our tribe would weigh 800 pounds!

I think she’s probably right. She has never been in the biggest cabin, even as a camper, so she is very happy she gets to stay there. I love Mango!

Our other tribe leader is S’mores. She is awesome she wears glasses and a nose ring. She is very stylish. S’mores is also caring and loves camp. I know S’mores very well because she’s been my tribe leader for three years in a row! I am ecstatic that she’s my tribe leader again!

Now that I’ve described my tribe leaders I will introduce the campers!

Persaeus is 12 years old. Her favorite color is blue and her favorite sport is soccer, her favorite activity that we do is Capture the Degel. Persaeus loves omelet day!

Another girl in my tribe is Lily. Lily’s favorite color is purple and she loves pasta. It’s her favorite food. At camp her favorite thing we do is horseback riding.

Next up is Shalom. Her favorite animal is a koala. She had her birthday at camp. So my tribe got the birthday table!

Another member of my tribe is Claire. Her favorite animal is a wolf, sometimes she even volunteers at a wolf sanctuary. Claire loves camp.

Next up is Talia her favorite food is hamburgers. Talia is very funny she is a cool camper.

Last but not least is Bailey. (That’s me!) My favorite thing at camp is ladies campfire and playing guitar in Tabernacle. I really love playing guitar. Heimlich and I wrote a song called “Summer Fun”, we have an album called “Bailey and the Boys.” I really, REALLY love camp! Now you know the tribe Ephraim.

By Talia age 11

Tribe of Ephraim

My Gazette is an amazing interview on S’mores. S’mores is my tribe leader this year with Mango. She is really nice and funny. S’mores says that she likes getting to know campers and other staff members, all the while learning about Yeshua at camp. Her favorite thing to do is hang out with campers. She liked the tribe of Reuben when she was younger because she got the degel, and had such a great time.

S’mores never won Tribe of the Year when she was a camper, but once as a staff member.

She really likes Such A Mensch night because she likes to say nice things to people. S’mores likes to dance, but that she can’t dance very well. (She can do a very weird dance moves). S’mores has a loving heart for others. She has had to put up with every person in her tribe for the past few years.

She is an amazing tribe leader, and a great friend I hope I can be in her tribe next year! The End.

By Lily H. age 12

Tribe of Ephraim

Animal Night is the dinner theme tonight. Each tribe has to come up with an animal related costume to wear for dinner, and a saying. You get told before tribe time that it’s Animal Night, then spend tribe time preparing for Animal Night. My tribe Ephraim did the Chick-Fil-A cows. The whole tribe dressed up in black and white and did their hair in buns like cow ears. Our tribe leader’s held Chick-Fil-A signs that said things like “eat more chicken.”

The other tribes did things like “fries… animal style” and butterflies. The out of cabin staff dressed up as animal crackers, each a different animal.

I asked Shalom: “What’s your favorite part of animal night?” She said: “I enjoy making the costumes the most.” I also asked: “What’s your favorite animal costume this year?” She thinks the youngest tribe, Asher, who were butterflies were her favorite.

I asked Sarah the same two questions, she liked the tribe of Ephraim (my tribe) who did Chick-Fil-A cows. And she likes dressing up the best.

This year Animal Night was on the first official day of camp, even though it can be on any day.

I like Animal Night because it’s fun to dress up as unusual or funny animals, and come up with fun puns and sayings. This year’s Animal Night was probably my favorite year because it was something new and different.

By Claire C. age 12

Tribe of Ephraim

Back in the 40s Mango was born on a tropical island, called Camp Gilgal where she mastered the art of puns and eating herself. From early on Mango was a happy, crazy camper. Still today her bad puns are contagious. Mango is better known as Mongo to the men tribes. But she still dominates being the co-tribe leader with S’mores. Mango is fun to be around and helpful in the cabin she is really kind and easy to talk to. Her crazy pants light up every Wednesday. Talia says: “Mango is nice.”

This is very true! Persaeus says: “She is super funny and awesome!”

Mango really is a great tribe leader, full of life and spirit. Mango makes the tribe of Ephraim whole. Mango now goes to Biola University, so she can get a degree in engineering. She loves math and science. At home, Mango grew up with multiple birds and now has two cats. Mango loves campers and will make the craziest jokes/ puns to lift the camper spirits during FOB. She lets you goof off at cabin cleanup. She sings “I hope I get my raisins from Texas” to lift us up.  Every time she is there if you need help doing bracelets. Mango shows all the Fruits of the Spirit.

by Claire C. age 12

tribe of Ephraim

Every night Esquire, and his trusty sidekick Baron von Toothy, venture to the men and ladies side so that Camp Gilgal campers can pass the test of Dental Inspection. Before bed all the campers are expected to brush their teeth.

To make sure your brushing is adequate, Esquire goes to each cabin and inspects teeth with a flashlight and Baron von Toothy (a hybrid dentist hello kitty.)

Depending on how well each cabin brushes their teeth more points will come at the end of camp.

There are two Tribes of the Year. You get Tribe of the Year by getting the most amount of points. Brushing your teeth can get your cabin lots of points. S’mores idea on Baron von Toothy is “He’s a very nice man who just wants to see clean teeth, he is on time every night, and he is cool.” S’mores is very right! Except that Baron von Toothy is a Hello Kitty toy.

Bailey says, “Dental Inspection is not really a theme this year I don’t get it.” However Dental Inspection is still jazzed up with Esquire and his sidekick. To get a proper brushing each camper must blob on toothpaste on the toothbrush and scrub your teeth for a few minutes.

Gum doesn’t work because the two men look inside of your mouth for food residue and yellowing.

So for protection of Dental Inspection,

Brush your teeth, so they don’t see that beef,

Dangling down from oral reef of teeth.

Laila Tov World! Bye.

By Persaueas B. age 12

Tribe of Ephraim

No No Night is a theme night where the staff give you one clothes pin. You can’t say no in any language or know. (Example I know or just straight up no) whoever catches you takes your pin. You can win pins back if you catch someone else saying no. At the end of the night whoever has the most pins wins! In this case, Yamaha won No No Night 2017. I asked him: “Was it hard to get someone to say no?” he responded: “I never asked questions they did. But I never said no, they would eventually slip up.” I also asked: “how many pins did you get in all?” He said “Oooh 14, ahhh yes 14!” That’s a lot! I asked a few other people, one of them is Bailey, I asked: “Is No No Night your favorite theme night? If not what is it?” She responded: “ No, No No Night is not my favorite theme night (no pun intended), but Such A Mensch Night is.”  I also asked: “Did you get anyone to say no?” she said: “Yes actually! It was Persaueas!”

Anyways No No Night is really fun, it’s not my favorite, but it sure brings smiles and laughs to people’s faces!

By Ahavah M. age 10

Tribe of Simeon

OK, here are I am telling you about the waterslide, which is, well, super fun. Now, first, here are some fun facts about the waterslide. (And also one day you could go on the water slide when you go to this awesome cool camp!) So first here is how the story started. So one day we all woke up, and we got dressed and then after that we cleaned our cabin and went down the hill for breakfast.

We ate and after we all got done we went to our cabins and cleaned them some more. We did Tabernacle and learned about God.  Then after that I did Hebrew and craft, it was so fun to do craft. Then we ate lunch, lunch is always super good!  We had F.O.B after lunch and then my favorite part! After F.O.B is free time!! And I went swimming, then we had dinner and after dinner we went to the waterslide. Everyone was super happy! Then we got to the waterslide and went on it and everyone went on it but Ewok, he said “the light is green, and remember don’t lose your gold!” He recorded it on the speaker so it kept saying that.

Then when I was on the slide it turned me around, and when I came down there was a bucket that pours a lot of water on you. Then I went to the snack shop that was there, and I bought shaved ice, cherry flavored.  It was so good!! Then I went on the slide again, then we had to leave but I really enjoyed it!! The end.

By Emma B. age 10

Tribe of Simeon

Dodgeball is a very intense activity/sport. You have to be very athletic to defeat your opponent. At camp there is one chance to play your heart out. This year, I was on team ”A”, our opponents were “the bruise for Jesus”.

Now I’ll explain the regulations and gameplay. First off, you must split into two teams. The teams must have equal amounts of players. Wise and fair. For example if one team had all of the tribe leaders it would be unfair. If for example there are around three tribe leaders on each team, that is fair. Now that you have divided your teams fairly, and you know the rules, you may begin playing.

If not, here is a full explanatory guide of dodgeball. The idea of the game, is to get all of the opponents’ team out. To get someone out you must throw ball, and hit below their neck. If you throw a ball at someone’s head purposefully, you are out. But if someone goes for the ball and gets hit in the head you’re not disqualified.

Now the regulations. Number one if you get touched by the ball, neck below, you’re out. Number two you can block yourself with the ball but if you drop it while blocking yourself, you are out. Number three, if you catch the ball the person who threw it is out. When you catch a ball someone that is on your team can come back in. Number four is very simple! You may not cross the line.  Number five, if the ball bounces and hits you are not out. Number six, if a ball touches you and another player without bouncing you are both out. Finally number seven, if only one person is standing and they catch the ball their entire team comes back in.

Now I will get opinions from fellow residents of camp. First I asked Ari, how he enjoyed dodgeball, and he replied a simple answer, “it was fun.” Then I asked Jonah and he said, “it is one of my favorite things at camp.” Then I went to Streetlight and asked her how was dodgeball. Streetlight was said, “Dodgeball is the most epic of games! Because it forces you to play your best.” Lastly I asked Persaeus and she replied, “It was fun! I’m glad I caught the miracle balls when they were most needed.” That concludes my article on dodgeball. I hope you enjoyed it and learned a little about dodgeball.

by Isaac P. age 11

Tribe of Levi

Free time is after FOB. During free time the camp store is open and you can get many treats and favorites. You have many options of what to do. You can play foursquare, carpet ball and swim in the pool. Here is an interview with Tyler. Tyler’s favorite thing is carpet ball and foursquare. Now I will interview Jonah. Jonah: my favorite thing is the pool or foursquare. My favorite thing to do in the pool is fight with the floaty’s. Sometimes there are special events like dodgeball or archery you can do crafts or basketball or play mafia. In the pool kids do many things during free time swim at the pool battle at foursquare fight champions in carpet ball and make crafts. I love free time at Camp Gilgal.

By Tyler H. age 11

Tribe of Levi

Hello! My name is Tyler and I’m in the tribe of Levi. Let me interview some people in the tribe of Levi and tell you what it is like. First of all, the tribe of Levi’s tribe leaders are Heimlich and Gadget. They are nice and I think anyone who is a boy should want them as leaders. Now I’m going to interview people in my cabin; right now I am asking Isaac about our cabin. He says he likes seeing out the window to the dining hall, being with all your friends, and how we have lots of candy to help each other not be bored also he says that we pass balls around her cabin during FOB and for fun in the days of camp. Now I will interview my tribe leaders they say they like playing the card game “dodak” with us during tribe time they also like thinking of ideas for skit night with us. Clearly the tribe of Levi is a great cabin because we hang out and play with each other by passing a ball.

by Jonah M. age 9

Tribe of Levi

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could go to a place and find everything you ever wanted for two dollars and less!? Now I’m going to interview some friends and tell you what they think of the Gilgal store!

Tyler, which do you like more: the candy store or toy store? The toy store. What’s your favorite thing to buy there? The nets and bug catchers. Tyler what’s your favorite part about the store? It’s that everything is under two dollars. This is true. And guess what! They have a fire sale at the candy store on skit night, the fire sale is where almost everything is $.25. Skit night is where different groups of people work together to make a play. The Gilgal store is open during free time the store also has swimming goodies, float toys, noodles, and goggles, etc. to Gilgal store is a great place to get the snacks and knickknacks you would need for camp.

By Emma B. age 10

Tribe of Simeon

At Camp, we do something called Men’s and Ladies Day. You might be wondering what the opposite gender does when we leave. Well, I’m here to explain what we do. Monday was Men’s Day. Since I am the opposite of a male, I left for Men’s Day. When we were in line, Yamaha and Ewok came out of the blue, and shouted “men’s day!” The ladies went to the cabins and prepared. When the whistle blew, and we were ready, we all hopped in the cars and drove to horseback riding. Once the long hour was past, you arrived.

As soon as we present ourselves at the stable, and odor floated towards her nostrils. It was disgusting. It gets better, don’t worry. For me, I was used to the smell, because I ride once a week at home. But for the others, the stank reached its limits. My tribe, Simeon, once we got there we went riding. We march to the place where we got our helmets, put them on and got in line by height order. After that, we got onto our horses and began on the trail.

My horses name was Blair, she was a female, and it was quite sweet. On the trails were trees, flowers, dirt and everything nice. The horse in front of me was pooping every step we took. It was pretty calming, I must admit. When the trail ride was over, we got off our horses and ate lunch. After we ate lunch, we were given the opportunity to go to the meadow and play. Before I did that, I enjoyed my time with four adorable dogs. After I played with the dogs, I went to the meadow. Sh-boom and I looked for toads. We failed to accomplish catching a toad, but we still had fun. Although I didn’t get it toad, I caught a massive ant. I showed the ant to everyone, and eventually released it. After all our fun, we ended up back at camp, having FOB (flat on bunk). That concludes my article on horseback riding I hope you enjoyed. Thanks!

By Sarah M. age 11

Tribe of Simeon

If you were ever wondering what is like to go on the SoCal vans, I will tell you. My experience has been great each time, and I have been going in the vans for five years. Every first day of camp all of the campers that live in Southern California meet at a public park near Los Angeles. When we arrive I say hi to all my SoCal friends and we remember funny old camp memories. After about 20 to 30 minutes of talking to my friends we put our luggage in the van, say goodbye to our parents, and we head off.

On the way up to camp this year I sat next to Bailey, Lily, and Ellie. The four of us led the whole van in camp songs such as “No You Can’t Get To Heaven” and “I am an M-E.”

At 12:30 PM all of the SoCal campers stop for lunch at Carl’s Jr. When I order at Carl’s Jr. I get the six piece chicken nugget meal. After all the campers have finished eating we play on the playground outside. After lunch we get back into the vans and take off heading for camp. About two hours later we take a break and we stop to use the restrooms. One hour later we arrive at camp and we unpack all of our stuff and move into our cabins. In conclusion, this So CAL drive was great and one of my favorites.

By Ellie M. age 11

Tribe of Simeon

One day after F.O.B in the dining hall there was a 20-foot sundae with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and red cherries. I’m going to ask Eliana what her favorite part about the sundae was. She said that “it was how delicious it was, and the mini dance party that we had at the end.” Eliana liked the vanilla ice cream… The best part of the sundae.” Ahavah also liked the dance party and she liked the cherries. I would say the same.  I asked Sarah ”if you were stuck on an island what type of ice cream would you want to eat?” she said “I would want to eat cotton candy ice cream.” I asked Ahavah if she would like to have the name Ice Cream if she was ever going to be a tribe leader. She said “No I would rather have the name to be Cupcake.” But Eliana said she would like the name Ice Cream if she would ever be a tribe leader. She said she would like to be a counselor.

But now going back to the Sundae. I am going to ask my cabin if they liked it or not… they give it a big yes! Thank you staff for making it!!

By Emma B. age 10

Tribe of Simeon

Columbia is an extraordinary place to go to. It has lots of fun activities to do, and lots of cool things to buy. Camp Gilgal goes on July 4th to march in the parade and do fun activities with your tribe. When we arrived at Columbia, we jumped out of the car and headed to the picnic tables. Once we were there, we assemble, go to the restroom, talk, etc. After that we go to the place where we practice our march and do our pictures. When it’s time to march and to sing in the parade we prepare ourselves, put on bandannas and get in our lines. When it’s time we sing our hearts out, to show the people of Columbia how good God is. Once we return to the tables, we eat lunch.

When we finished eating we get money from Bank Gilgal, then everyone in your tribe goes to do fun activities. For example you can go shopping, candle dipping, gold mining, bowling, egg tossing, egg relay, eating contest, etc. The tribe of Simeon (my tribe) went for ice cream, shopping, and we did the egg toss. My tribe leader (Chip) won 5^th Place in the egg toss. I got out in the middle of the game, my partner was Macaroni. We named our egg Greta. Before we do the egg toss, we watch our fellow campers do the grease pole. A camper, Ryan, of the youngest tribe Naphtali, won the small grease pole. After the tribes did their activities we went back to camp. The Day at Columbia was great! That concludes my article on Columbia.

By Channa A. age 10

Tribe of Simeon

At Camp Gilgal we have campfires. We sing fun songs and worship songs and a staff member gives a testimony.  We also makes s’mores it is so much fun. I asked Chip what her favorite thing was at the campfire and she said “camp songs.” Some of the camp songs are, “Once an Austrian Went Yodeling” and the “Banana Song.” This year’s testimony was given by Sh-Boom. I asked Sh-Boom what her favorite thing was at the campfire and she said “the worship.” I asked Emma from my cabin what she liked most about the campfire and she said “worship and prayer.”

There was also a ladies campfire where we could all pray with staff. Sarah said she liked the testimony. S’mores also gave her testimony at the ladies campfire. The men had a separate campfire too. I asked Chip what she liked most about the ladies campfire and she said “I liked praying with the campers.” Every campfire that we do is really fun! And it’s really good time to get closer to God. It’s one of the best parts about camp because the campfires are so much fun!!

By Rebekah P. age 9

Tribe of Asher

“Good morning ladies!” Macaroni said turning on the lights. No one moved, I had my head in the pillow. This is how the day usually starts. “We want to sleep.” Macaroni frowned “Do you want to make the best deco day cabin or not?” she said staring at us. I rubbed my eyes and got down from the warm comfy bunk. Myra leaped down and rushed to her suitcase. We pulled out our clothes and walk to the bathroom. When we got back it began.

Ellie and Raina were blowing up balloons. “What do we need that for?” Myra asked pointing to the balloon. “Those are for a caterpillar” Pippin smiled. “Cool!” Myra said running to the balloons. I followed her and she pulled out a balloon shaped like Mickey Mouse. “This is weird looking.” I said holding it up. “It’s green perfect for a caterpillar. The ears can be horns and we can drive face on it.” Pippin said grabbing it. “Can I help draw?” I pleaded Pippin. “Hmmm…,” she said drawing a nose. I plopped down next to her. “May I draw the mouth?” “OK” Pippin said handing me the marker. We made the caterpillar. We also folded puffballs and tied them to the bunks. Then we made curtains and put them on each bottom bunk, we also put verses on every bunk. We made it look like a green jungle in our cabin. We had a great Cabin Decoration Day.

by Claire C. age 12

tribe of Ephraim

Have you ever eaten a S’more?

And gotten to the sugary core?

Have you ate a Mango with an orange peel?

That sure seals the deal.

Imagine the two together, in one tasty delight.

The fruity, chocolaty dessert. You wouldn’t eat light.

It’s the perfect dessert too quickly inhale,

But afterwards you’d be green and pale.

Yet still the dessert is so sweet and bizarre,

Even the czar would get in a car,

And drive to get this delicious delight.

Even in the dead of night.

But now of course this is absurd,

Because the best dessert of all…

Is a hard boiled bird!

by Talia W. age 11

Tribe of Ephraim

This year for camp we are making belts. I will now tell you what Claire said about craft: “The idea is cool because it’s a normal craft but also has a level of usefulness.”

For my design, see picture below.

I like my design because it is simple. This is my first year doing belts. For craft we also made a couple of lanyards.

I will now interview Macaroni. She likes to pound the hammer to put the stamps into the belt.

Let’s see what Mango has to say about craft. “I never got to make the belts when I was a camper so I think they’re really cool.” I also think they are really fun.

Here’s what Oofnick says about craft. “I get a Sweet belt!”

It is amazing to make and fun. We also stain in our belts there is black and fudge brown.

My tribe is in Hebrew first and then craft.

The process of making belts is

• Design your belt.
• You get your belt.
• You size your belt.
• You soak your belt.
• You stamp your belt.
• You dry your belt.
• You dye your belt.
• You finish your belt.
• You dry your belt.
• You wear your belt.

By Shalom M. age 11

Tribe of Ephraim

Ladies Day was so amazing! The theme this year was science. We made slime, around Chex mix and handmade ice cream! But first we had to go to lunch.

We had to say something for the lineup, Mango suggested a science joke. I was wondering “why science?” but instead of asking I just said “OK.” After everyone said their things, Chip and Macaroni came out and were scientists! They had a clipboard that read “NO MEN.” After that we went and ate lunch. When we we’re done with lunch we had FOB (flat on bunk).

After FOB we were told to get in our swimsuits, a lot of ladies thought there was going to be dry ice in the pool, because the theme was science.

After we got in our swimsuits, we waiting for two minutes. When we got the OK to go down by Chip, everybody looked at the pool to see if there was any dry ice, but we were wrong. They didn’t set up the stuff so everybody was saying there’s nothing there etc. Chip sent us to the pool.

After an hour or two we were told to get out of the pool. When we got out of the pool we were off to do activities like making our own Chex Mix slime and handmade ice cream. It was really fun this year Lilly said that the “theme was science” and that she had “lots of fun!” I also had lots of fun and an amazing Ladies Day!!

by Etain R. age 9

Tribe of Levi

On Shabbat, my dad, Gilligan, came to camp to give a message. First, we had dinner with two types of chicken legs and broccoli, it was very good! And my dad sat with us! After dinner we had some free time. And after free time we went in the dining hall for Shabbat service. First we sing songs and then we listen to my dad’s message. Then we played a game called L’chiam. The point of the game is to give a compliment to someone. There is a song you sing for example: Eitan says L’chaim L’chaim L’chaim. Eitan says L’chaim to life! Then I would have to say a blessing to someone. In this case I said the same to Zoe. I said “you are a good sport and foursquare.” Now I’m going to interview some people. “Ari, what is your favorite part of Shabbat?” He replied, “I like the option of a chicken leg or regular chicken.” I then asked Ari, who did you give your chicken leg to? “Ari, I gave my leg to Isaac for his b-day.” Then I asked Jonah, what did he likes most about Shabbat service. Janis said, “I like l’chaim the best!” I then ask Jonah, “Who did you give you’re l’chaim to?” Jonah said, “I gave it to Tyler.”

By Ryan H. age 9

Tribe of Naphtali

Yamaha got a rubber spatula. Ewok got the worst thing a ladle, Lev also got a ladle. Isaac got salad tongs. And a ton of ladies got the impossible thing to use- a rubber spatula! Just like Yamaha. Lyrit got salad tongs, just like Isaac. Pippin got salad tongs. Raina got a ladle. Zoë got a spatula. Macaroni got salad tongs. Gadget got a spatula. Ka-Boom (Sh-Boom) got a ladle. Mongongo (Mango) got salad tongs.

Streetlight got a spatula. Myra got salad tongs. Sarah got a ladle, Sarah says that’s the worst thing she’s gotten in five years. Esquire got salad tongs. He likes to get salad tongs because it’s the best thing you can get. Pippin got salad tongs, she liked it because she didn’t want the rubber spatula. Utensil Night is something people don’t get to do at home.

If you try doing it at home it probably wouldn’t be as fun because at camp there are a lot more people.  You can see what other people got. It gets messy at Utensil Night because you have spaghetti. And if you get a ladle or a rubber spatula it gets SUPER messy. There are also people that sweep on Utensil Night and that’s messy too.

Everybody likes Utensil Night because you get to use a different utensil than usual. My favorite theme night is Utensil Night. The hardest part about eating with a spatula is when you try to get something on it, it just slides off. The easiest utensil to eat with is salad tongs. And the hardest utensil to eat with is a ladle. Every year I get better and better at eating with strange utensils, and next year I think I will be better.

by Myra M. age 8

Tribe of Asher

First we went to the creek, when we got to the creek after a little bit we found a turtle and crawdads, three or four big ones. And we got to eat sandwiches and chips and cold water. Yum! The waterfall was so cool and there was a cave. And people were playing Mafia. We had so much fun. The whole camp was there. I asked Ellie how much fun she had and she said, “It was amazing!” I loved it.

We found all kinds of things. I found a banana peel in the water and fish in the water. It was so pretty, but it was so deep and it was so dirty. I was mostly on the other side because of the big crawdads. They were so big and people were all like fishing with some sandwich pieces in the net. They went back and forth but it was still fun! It was kind of dark but mostly light. Then we had to leave the rocks. It was slippery, but still fun.

by Arie C. age 12

Tribe of Levi

At Camp Gilgal we clean our cabins every morning. Then during lunch is the cabin inspection report. Some evenings we clean our cabin because it becomes messy after the day. We clean our cabins first by putting our clothes away and organizing shelves. Then we finish by sweeping and picking up pieces of trash around the cabin. During lunch we watch as Yamaha and Streetlight enter the sheriff’s office and change clothes to become “Jeffery and Ida.” Then they enter the dining hall and give each tribe their scores for how clean their cabins were. I asked Eitan how he liked cabin inspection. He likes to get our tribe’s score and to watch Jeffrey and Ida perform. Tyler says cabin cleanup is fun because he can talk with friends while cleaning. He likes cabin inspection too. Isaac’s favorite part about cabin inspection is the song played before the scores are given. Jonah likes how they act silly when giving scores. Cabin inspection happens every day of camp so far no one has gotten more than 95 points for cabin inspection and we might be next to get 100 points.

By Lyrit M. age 7

Tribe of Naphtali

In Tabernacle we learned about God and how he saved the Israelites. And we talked about being slaves in Egypt and Moses leading his people out. Also at Tabernacle we learned a lot about God.

We learned about God’s faithfulness to his people the Jewish people throughout the Bible. It was so fun and interesting to learn about how God faithfully provided for his people even when they complain. God is faithful still today. Tabernacle is so fun because we start by worshiping God, then say the Shema, practice our verse, John 10, and hear a message from Streetlight.

By Isaac H. age 8

Tribe of Naphtali

This is the game of capture the Degel.

So we set our degel behind the dining hall, I was on defense, I was so close to the degel! After a while I tried to go on the ladies side. I could not get in the ladies side, because two of them named Ellie and Lily were blocking the ladies side. I tried to get in but I couldn’t, I kept on trying but then I saw that Mango had our degel. It was a good game but the ladies side won.

At the end of the game, Yamaha was with Isaac P. and Josh, Oofnick was in jail. And then Josh wasn’t with Yamaha anymore. While we were playing, Ewok was not playing. In Capture the Degel, Lyrit went on offense to capture the degel with Josh on defense. Then Yamaha went to guard the jail and Oofnick went on offense to capture the degel, Tyler got offense too.