ePinemerit Newsletter

March 2013

From the Executive Director

Wow - I just don't know where to begin this month! The winter months have been full of exciting adventures for both me and the Pinemere family. There are so many things to tell you about; I guess I will start with December.

In December, I became a proud graduate of the Foundation for Jewish Camp's (FJC) Executive Leadership Institute (ELI). Our graduation took place in Boca Raton, Florida, and we had the lovely opportunity to meet the generous funder of the progam - Bernie Marcus. 15 Jewish Camp Directors were chosen during the summer of 2011 to participate in a 16-month journey together, learning about what it means to be an Executive in the camping world. We learned about board development, fundraising, marketing, management, and much more. Our faculty and coaches were top-notch. Most importantly, I came away with 14 new friends who totally understand what it means to be a Camp Director. We are able to pick up the phone at any time to ask each other for advice, to vent, to learn, and to just get a pat on the back from each other. The job of a camp director can sometimes be lonely (even with 300 people living on top of each other!), and the 15 of us truly understand what we are all going through everyday. I was blessed with a wonderful cohort of talented directors. I am so grateful to the FJC for giving me the opportunity to take part in such a high level program.

I returned from nice, warm Boca just in time to pack up for nice, cold Italy. Meir, Ezra, Halel and I took 23 Pinemere teens to Italy over winter break to meet 125 German teens at their winter camp in Natz, Italy. Some of these German teens had been to Pinemere during the second summer session this past year. These meetings are part of the partnership between Pinemere Camp and the youth department of the German Jewish Welfare Board. If I had to pick one word to describe our experience in Italy, it would be "awesome!" We skied for five days in the Italian Alps (very close to the Austrian border), and I have never seen anything so beautiful as those snow covered Alps against the backdrop of a blue, blue sky. I could have stood up there starring straight out for miles on end all day long. But, the only way to get down and back to our bus was to ski. So, ski we did! The last time I was on skis was when I was 18 years old. That piece of information somehow landed me in the advanced ski group (I guess it was because Meir, Ezra, and Halel had never even seen a ski before. It certainly wasn't because they thought I was only just 21 years old!!) I must say, that although I wasn't willing to fly over moguls or whip down the slope at speeds that even my car won't go, I did rather well for myself. I held my own, and Drea Sobel told everyone that I was "graceful and delicate" while skiing. I have never heard those words describe anything I have ever done before, so Drea became my new best friend during that trip! :) I loved the skiing, and I would do it again if given the opportunity. We also had the opportunity to go ice skating, snow tubing, hiking, swimming, and took part in "normal" camp activities too - art, music, dance. The German campers and our campers really became good friends. At the beginning the language barrier was a bit tricky, but soon all of the campers realized that they could communicate through smiles, hand motions, common music, and broken English. Our campers learned a lot about cultural diversity and asked a lot about German Jewry - both about how it is now, and how it was before the war. We were fascinated to learn that many Jewish families returned to Germany after the war, and there were lively discussions about why they did. Our campers were immersed into their groups, so each came away with at least one new good friend. Most importantly, they learned that there are other Jewish teens all over the world who are quite similar to them, and although they may have different customs and a different language, Jewish people have their religion in common. With Facebook, they continue to stay in touch with each other. The German campers are already signing up for Pinemere in the summer. And, very shortly, you will receive information about our winter trip to Italy (it will be first-come, first-served again, as spaces are limited to 25 campers). Please see some pictures of our amazing trip below.

Before my next traveling adventure, we had our camp reunion in January. I loved holding it at the Kaiserman JCC. I felt our campers had more room to spread out to visit with each other, and we had more activities planned for those who wanted to take part in activities. It was great to see so many happy faces at the reunion. Make sure you take a look at the pictures.

Then, on the road again! Two weeks later, I traveled to Manchester, England to hire some counselors for this summer. I met and hired some wonderful people who will be part of our bunk staff this summer. While I was in rainy, cold England, Ezra was in warm, sunny Mexico hiring our support staff for this summer. Please stay tuned for our next ePinemerit when you will be able to "meet" all of our international staff for this coming summer!

Then, on to Los Angeles to take part in an Israel Education course, called Chazon. There were six Directors/Assistant Directors chosen for this program. Our individual goals have to do with where Israel fits in to our camp mission and how can we start (or continue) to strengthen those ties. Pinemere is now known as a camp which truly embraces our Israeli shlichim, which is further witnessed by the fact that we have 9 out of 14 shlichim from last summer returning this summer. That says a lot for our warm welcoming of our newcomers.

Are you keeping up with my travels? As I write this, I am on the train going to New York (yes, rather boring compared to all of my other destinations this winter!). Pinemere was also chosen to participate in the Chizuk Fellowship program. This program funds a high-level Jewish Living and Learning Educator to come to our camp and help us define where we are "Jewishly" and where we want to go in the future. For the next three days, I will be sitting with other JCCA Camp Directors and Jewish educators to design something that will be comfortable and exciting for Pinemere campers, staff, and families. In the next ePinemerit, you will meet our Chizuk Fellow (I'll give you a hint - he's a really nice guy and you are going to like him!).

From NY, I travel to Atlantic City for the annual American Camp Association Tri-State conference. This is a gathering of thousands of camp professionals from all types of camps. It's a great networking opportunity, and there are always things to be learned at the sessions, and new ideas to be brought back to camp.

Last destination - Israel! I will travel there right after Passover to meet our new shlichim and to attend their training. This is always one of the highlights of our off-season for me. It is amazing to meet so many young Israeli men and women, who have just finished their army service and now want to teach American youth all about their country. In addition to seeing our returnees, I will be meeting five new shlichim and two Scouts who will be joining our staff this summer.

You may be wondering how we are doing anything else but traveling! I can tell you that in every spare moment, Ezra and I are either making home visits, going to a parlor meeting, attending a camp fair, or calling prospective campers. Our enrollment continues to grow. We are even in a better place than we were last year at this time. But, there is always room for more! So, please continue to tell everyone you know about our wonderful little secret in Bartonsville. Word of mouth is always our best form of advertisement.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. I wish you and your family a Happy Passover.    

Think Camp!

Toby Ayash

Executive Director

Quick Links

Pinemere Winter Camp in Italy

Summer 2012 Reunion

Pinemere In Your Neighborhood  

We have enjoyed seeing so many of our camp families over the last few months as we made the rounds to our camp communities hosting frozen yogurt mini-reunions, organizing parlor meetings hosted by camp families, and attending various Jewish camp fairs. Our best advertising is person-to-person referrals from our camp families - please spread the word to your friends and around your town when we are coming to your neighborhood. 

In addition to the dates listed below, we are always happy to make home visits or meet a prospective family at your home - all it takes is one prospective family and we'll be there!

An updated list of events including maps and contact info can always be found at www.pinemere.com/experience-pinemere/in-your-neighborhood/

Wednesday, March 20 - Parlor meeting in Allentown, PA, 7 PM. Hosted by Tama Tamarkin.    

Sunday, April 21 - Germantown Jewish Centre, 400 W Ellet St, Philadelphia, 9 AM. 

Sunday, April 21 - Parlor meeting in Doylestown, PA, 4 PM. Hosted by Wendy Gartenberg.   

"Refer-A-Friend"

As a bonus, for each new family you refer that registers, you will receive a $100 check at the end of the summer! (Applies to current staff too!) 

One Happy Camper Incentive Grants

Through the generosity of the Foundation for Jewish Camp and local communities, we are proud to be a partner of the One Happy Camper incentive grant, which provides $1000 for first-time overnight Jewish campers.

Many communities also provide a $750 grant for the second summer. If you are eligible, you must apply (for the second year as well!) directly at www.onehappycamper.org. Please contact us with any questions.

Where did Pinemere Campers and Staff Come From in 2012?  

Camp Passover

March with Pinemere in the Israel Independence Day Parade!

An Ode to Pinemere

Welcome to the Pinemere Family!

Bar/Bat Mitzvahs  

February/March/April Birthdays 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

February:

3 - Gal Bejerano, Jonathan Janku, Rebecca Lappen

6 - Tomer Heitner, Catherine Schwartz

7 - Lily Selkow

8 - Noa Ayash, Brendan Cantos, Ricky Lenrow, Samantha Lenrow, Matthew Molot, Jake Weiner

9 - Maia Ben-Shoshan

10 - David Brandeis, David Ferman

11 - Aria Bitan

12 - Mallory Friedlander

13 - Anna Flosova, Lindsey Schweitzer

14 - Sam Wechsler

16 - Richie Kraus

18 - Benny Berger, Irvin Juarez Diaz, Ethan Randazzo, Danny Wax

19 - Lila Berger

20 - Benny Schonberger

21 - Emma Brown, Yvonne Rochford, Daniel Szijarto

23 - Eli Zajicek

24 - Roy Einhorn, Caleb Gershengorn

25 - Ben Arnon, Roi Ayash, Jordana Fish, Hayden Ufberg

26 - Sophie Citron

27 - Rachel Lappen 

March:

April:

2 - Alexa Gartenberg, Stacey Grossfeld, Noah Solomon

3 - Asher Dayanim

4 - Emma Katz, Anna Schlesinger, Ethan Weisman

5 - Leah Schaller

6 - Julie Solomon

7 - Henry Miller

8 - Alina Wolfenson

9 - Andrew Glazer, Danielle Goldman, Avital Schweitzer, Sarah Sher, Rachael Smith

10 - Oren Serafin

11 - Brenna Cooper

12 - Amy Boguslavsky

13 - Danielle Cohen, Erica Helias, Esther Miller, Jessica Neilson, Mahri Stewart

15 - Rachel Miller, Sophie Ostrich, Jake Randazzo

17 - Jennifer Addlestone, Jacob Wasserman, Marli Weisman

20 - Evan Lewis

21 - Brody Ufberg

23 - Hunter Segal

24 - Harrison Andelman, Tess Gaynor

25 - Scott Cohen, Ben Hanzel, Zach Hyams

26 - Alyson Bell

27 - Hannah Schultz

28 - Lori Mintzer

29 - Molly Donlan, Belle Roman

Important 2013 Dates

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