• NHC's Summer Institute: July 29- August 4, 2024. Registration opens April 25th

    This year’s theme of עִיר מִקְלָט “Ir Miklat: City of Refuge” can be found in a small corner of parshat Matot-Masei (Numbers 30:2 - 36:13). It epitomizes how we want this year’s institute to feel: a space where both the individual and the community at the heart of the Havurah ethos can come together in a safe space to create something meaningful, where our connections are welcoming and inclusive, fun and exciting, relaxing and energizing, and insightful and spiritually significant for our diverse community of participants.

    The Core Team envisions Institute as our City of Refuge--a place that’s safe--this year more than ever. What is it YOU need refuge from? We welcome you to join us at Pearlstone Center for sanctuary and refuge, to renew and refresh, and to play, rest, create and learn with us!

NHC New England Winter Retreat 2015 Courses

QUESTIONS & EMERGENCY INFO

Accommodations Institute Office
Daytime Camp Kids Camp Director (Talia Apkon)
Evening Childcare Evening Childcare Coordinator (Ilana Streit)
Allergies/Medical Issues Kids Camp Coordinator (Talia Apkon)
Medical Emergencies Franklin Pierce Security
Shabbat Program Children’s Shabbat Coordinator (Talia Apkon)

If you have questions or concerns about the Kids Camp, ambulance please tell your child’s counselor or speak directly with the camp director during camp hours. Daytime camp staff and evening childcare providers will contact FPU Security in case of medical emergencies. Camp staff are also members of our community and deserve to enjoy their “down time” with the rest of us.  Office staff is available to receive and relay any concerns during office hours. Unless there is an emergency, patient please do not approach Kids Camp staff with business during meal times, viagra here evening programs or on Shabbat. 

Please respect our need to stay on schedule. Be aware that it is important to staff and even more important to your child(ren) that you are prompt in picking them up. Our partnership makes this week a safe, fun and enriching experience for the youngest members of our community.

WHAT TO BRING TO CAMP EACH DAY:

PLEASE MARK ALL ITEMS so they won’t be lost.  Please also bring a permanent marker with you to label things once on site.

  • BACKPACK/TOTE – Each child should have a small backpack or tote that is clearly labeled with their name that they will bring to camp each day.  It should include the SUMMER ESSENTIALS – WATER BOTTLE, HAT, BATHING SUIT, SUNSCREEN, TOWEL and CHANGE OF CLOTHES.
  • SUNSCREEN – Apply sunscreen thickly to your child each morning prior to drop-off and reapply the sunscreen each day at lunch time.
  • SWEATER/JACKET – The building where Kids Camp meets can be chilly.  Please make sure you child has a sweater or jacket to leave at Camp.
  • CLOSED-TOE SHOES – Children in the oldest group should wear or bring closed-toe shoes every day.
  • SCOOTERS/BIKES – While campers may ride to camp, scooters and bicycles must remain parked during camp hours, unless otherwise instructed by a counselor.  As a reminder, ANYONE RIDING A SCOOTER OR BIKE at FPU must wear a helmet at all times.
  • CHILDREN UNDER 3 YEARS OLD – Please bring baby food, formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, plastic bags (for dirty diapers), a few favorite toys and stuffed animals daily.  Please fill out this form to provide information about your child’s food/diaper/nap specifics.
  • DIAPERS–  Please send children who are not toilet trained to camp each morning in a clean diaper and change them during the lunch break.  This makes caring for many little ones at one time much easier on our staff.

LUNCH BREAK:

You are responsible for your child(ren) during lunch. Because Kids Camp runs all day, the counselors need the lunch hour each day to meet and regroup. Plus, many of the younger campers particularly appreciate some time with their parents in the middle of the day.

  • Seating and supervision.  Kids in the oldest groups may eat unsupervised, provided they behave appropriately.  However, children in the younger groups must be seated with an adult or teen or parent buddy who is responsible for them.  Individual arrangements are the responsibility of parents
  • Lunch line flow. There will be a dedicated line for families and Kids Camp staff during lunch. Please politely move in front of other participants to make the lunch rush easier. Trays will be provided for families assisting children. Additionally, there will be an option for early seating.
  • Kid-friendly food.  Each day peanut butter, jelly, bread, plain pasta, pizza, carrot sticks or baby carrots, celery sticks and more will be available at every meal.

Camp reopens at 1:30 pm and ends promptly at 4:40 pm

Signing in and out:

Each group of children will have a sign-in and sign-out sheet with the counselor or work-study assistant.  Please be diligent in signing in/out your child with the group leader, so that we always know where your child is.

Children ages 11 and 12 are allowed to sign themselves in and out with parent permission–please notify your child’s counselor and complete a release form if this is an option for your child. All other campers must be brought to camp and picked up by an approved adult.

Snacks:

We will provide snack each day. If you child is not eating solids please send baby food/formula as needed. Please list on the Children’s Program Consent form any food allergies and your child’s reactions.

SHARING SUPPLIES & RESOURCES:

We are renting space in college classrooms that are not equipped for children.  The camp staff does a wonderful job of making the space kid-friendly and safe.  You can be of enormous help by bringing age-appropriate toys, materials and books (especially with Jewish content) to donate or for everyone to share.  Bubbles/wands, balls of all sizes, blocks, and popular board games are always helpful.

THIS YEAR WE ESPECIALLY NEED A BABY GATE, CHANGING TABLE, AND PACK AND PLAYS. If you are driving to Institute and have any of these things at home that you will not need in the dorm and you are willing to lend to Kids Camp, please contact Talia ASAP at kidscamp@havurah.org.

If you are not donating the items, please label everything with your child’s name and pick it up by 3:30 pm on Friday.  

DONATIONS OF CRAFT MATERIALS & TOYS:

We do a lot of arts and crafts projects with the children throughout the week, including preparing special decorations for the entire community for Shabbat.  If you are able to donate any of the following, please let Talia know as soon as possible and bring the materials with you to the camp orientation.

  • Crayons/Markers
  • Fabric markers or paints
  • Modeling clay, model magic
  • Glue sticks
  • Tie-dye paints
  • White t-shirts in various kid sizes
  • Tissue paper
  • Pipe Cleaners

Kids Camp is subsidized by a generous grant from Frances Zeitler


2015 Courses
COMING HOME (RAYZL FEUER)
Reb Shlomo Carlebach used to sing “Return to the home of your soul.”

What does home mean to you? Is it a place? Is it a person? Is it simply a memory? Have you yet to find your home? How do you create a home that’s right for you? How have you tried to arrive at home?

Employing movement and writing, drugstore
Rayzl will introduce you to new tools that might help you arrive at a “home” place that feels “family-ar.”

Rayzl Feuer is a Mashpiah Ruchanit (Spiritual Counselor) who leads the “PNAI shORe” Havurah on the shoreline of Connecticut.

JEWISH POWER AND SOCIAL JUSTICE (TALIA LASTER)
A Discussion of Jewish power, internalized anti-Semitism, and Jews in social justice movements over the years.

Talia Laster is a past board member of the NHC. She has a degree in Judaic Studies, is active in Social Justice organizations, and has taught at the NHC Summer Institute.

LEARNING FROM JEWISH AGRARIAN PRACTICES: PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE (ANDREA COHEN KIENER)
Originally, the Jewish people were agrarian, and we can study the Israelite temple rituals of holidays and offerings as a window into the ancient regional Judean food system. Fast forward to the deeply influential if little-known rural resettlement program for European Jews, funded by Baron Maurice DeHirsch in the early 1900’s. And finally – looking forward: What lessons can we draw from these former periods to strengthen regional food security and develop vibrant resilient communities.

Andrea Cohen Kiener is the rabbi in Greenfield, MA.

A SENSE OF WONDER: JOURNEYING WITH RABBI HESCHEL AND RACHEL CARSON (DAVID ARFA)
Rabbi Heschel and Rachel Carson are two giants who were both filled with wonder. They are respective pillars in the Jewish community and the environmental community. During the first half of our workshop, through textual reading, we will explore their nuanced understandings about wonder and awe and find relevance for us today. During the second half, we will take the time to remember and share our wondrous encounters with the natural world. Through this process, we will place wonder in a Jewish context and deepen our personal sense of awe.

David Arfa is a Maggid (a Jewish Storyteller) from western Mass. He is the Director of Education for Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams. More information on David is available at: http://www.maggiddavid.net

LIVING IN EGYPT/MITZRAYIM (CARL WOOLF)
In our Torah portion for Shabbat afternoon, Jacob goes to live with Joseph in Egypt. What is the symbolism of following one’s legacy from the “promised” land into a land whose name means “narrowness?” How does life emerge from such a move? We will explore some Hasidic texts, along with our own wisdom, about Jacob’s adventure.

Carl Woolf teaches mystic meditation and is an ALEPH rabbinical student.

RESTORING THE TREE OF LIFE: GAIA AND THE MISSION OF KABBALAH (DAVID SEIDENBERG)
Kabbalah has important teachings for renewal in an age of ecological crisis. Learn what makes Kabbalah so relevant for our time, and taste some extraordinary teachings that speak of a living universe created in God’s image

David Seidenberg is a Rabbi and author of Kabbalah and Ecology: God’s Image in the More-Than-Human World and creator of neohasid.org. He loves all kinds of dance and lives in Northampton MA.

BIBLE STORIES YOU DIDN’T LEARN IN HEBREW SCHOOL (RONNIE LEVIN)
Blood, sex, murder, rape, incest, and risque’ Jewish texts. We will read several totally compromising texts from the Torah and the Prophets. English versions will be provided, and Hebrew knowledge is not required.

Ronnie Levin holds a graduate degree in Bible and Tefilah, and is a popular Havurah teacher.

THE ART OF THE USEFUL QUESTION (ANDREA COHEN KIENER)
If we are honest, we realize that we use questions sometimes to gain information… and other times we use questions to judge, to prove we are smart, to shut down opposing views… you get the idea. This session on The Art of the Useful Question will present attitudes and practices that help us stay curious, open and learning – that is, to keep our questions useful, especially when we are in tense and factional situations. With plenty of real time practice exercises, this workshop can help you bring wisdom to your self, families, boards and workplaces.

Andrea Cohen Kiener is the rabbi in Greenfield, MA.

ASHREI – BE HAPPY (ALIZA ARZT)
“Ashrei” the title of one of our familiar morning and afternoon prayers is usually translated as “happy are they”. What does the word really mean? We’ll look at some biblical quotes to find out all the interesting things that the root of this word can mean, and to see what that says about the Jewish view of happiness.

Aliza Arzt is a member of Havurat Shalom, and a long-time teacher at NHC retreats.

RESTORYING JEWISH LIFE (DAVID ARFA)
We start with one image- the flash of light that began the beginning. What was this light that was created before the sun, moon and stars? Together we will enter Midrashim (Rabbinic stories), Hasidic teachings and our own hearts to explore this image. This workshop will introduce Judaism’s creative storytelling imagination and, through a group midrash exercise, give a taste of the exciting work of being a Jewish storyteller.

David Arfa is a Maggid (a Jewish Storyteller) from western Mass. He is the Director of Education for Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams. More information on David is available at: http://www.maggiddavid.net

RELIGIONS SHAPE OUR WORLD VIEW BY ANSWERING THESE FIVE QUESTIONS (SUSAN GULACK)
These 5 questions are answered differently by Christians, Muslims and Jews. Come figure out what your answers are, and what that means for how you deal with life.

Susan Gulack is a long term Havurahnic who works as a chaplain in many interfaith settings.

THIS WHOLE REALITY IS LOVE: MAIMONIDES ON THE FOUNDATION AND GOAL OF SCIENCE, ETHICS, AND JUDAISM (DAVID SEIDENBERG)
Come discover the real Maimonides! As a Jewish philosopher, he rejected the idea that humanity is the center, ruler, or purpose of the universe. From these ideas, he derived his views on our relationship with God, and helped form the foundations of Western science and the basis for animal rights.

David Seidenberg is a Rabbi and author of Kabbalah and Ecology: God’s Image in the More-Than-Human World and creator of neohasid.org. He loves all kinds of dance and lives in Northampton MA.

THE POWER OF OUR JEWISH STORIES (CARL WOOLF)
Our tradition is rich with stories, often about Rabbis or other religious characters. Many of these stories can teach and inspire, in addition to entertaining us. We’ll share some “homiletical” stories, with instruction and emphasis on eliciting, experiencing and appreciating their ‘higher’ powers.

Carl Woolf teaches mystic meditation and is an ALEPH rabbinical student.

DANCE SIMCHA (RONIT ZIV-KREGER)
Dance yourself back to The Source. Join a joyful, transformative exploration of forgiveness through dance and mystical teachings to open the mind, relax the body, and awaken the soul. No previous dance experience is necessary.

Ronit Ziv-Kreger, a graduate of the Pardes Educators Program, has taught at ADAMAH, Me’ah, Ma’ayan and many others. A teacher of Iyangar Yoga and meditation for decades, she supports participants in her Yoga-Le’chaim classes to embody Jewish learning.

YOGA SIMCHA (RONIT ZIV-KREGER)
Explore personal and covenantal identities through yoga. Attend to aligning your physical and mental posture to nurture vitality and joy. Bring a yoga mat if you have one.

Ronit Ziv-Kreger, a graduate of the Pardes Educators Program, has taught at ADAMAH, Me’ah, Ma’ayan and many others. A teacher of Iyangar Yoga and meditation for decades, she supports participants in her Yoga-Le’chaim classes to embody Jewish learning.

SONG OF SONGS SING ALONG (ALIZA ARZT)
It’s customary to read from The Song of Songs, attributed to King Solomon, during Shabbat. Find out how this work can be liberating in its use of gender, and learn new songs as we sing our way through as many “Song of Songs songs” as we can.

Aliza Arzt is a member of Havurat Shalom, and a long-time teacher at NHC retreats.

REJOICE! HALLEL-UYAH! (JOE ROSENSTEIN)
In this session, we examine the prayers of Hallel – their structure, our mindsets when we say them, and what they are intended to mean to us when we recite them.

Joe Rosenstein is a former NHC Chair and author of Siddur and Mahzor Eit Ratzon.

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