Plates were piled high with pizza and salad as Bogrim, Machon, and Nivonim sat down to lunch in the Bet Am. Sitting cross-legged, everyone in the room ate lunch and eagerly waited to watch Tikvah’s summer Art Festival, “Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh BaZeh,” “All of Israel is Responsible for one another.”
For the past month, Tikvah prepared their art festival, working on different aspects of the show. The show opened with Tikvah campers and their Machon chaverim dressed in white and huddled in a circle. Rosh Shirah Steven Sacks played guitar and sang “Yachad,” and the campers began to perform the dance they’ve been working on for weeks. They spent time in pairs, really building off of each other and relying on each other for the various dance moves—they all dance beautifully.
Everyone in the omanut section of the festival stood up to showcase the multimedia mosaic a group of Tikvah campers created. The mosaic showcased painted pieces, pottery, and every type of art form imaginable. Soon it will be hung up for all of camp to see and admire!
Finally, the campers in drama performed their skit. Scenes alternated between settings BaBayit (at home) and others BaRamah (at Ramah). The play opened up with two campers acting as children in bed, while they’re parents woke them up. They were asked to brush their teeth and get dressed to start the day, and complained about the tasks. We switched to camp, where a counselor encouraged the same children to meltz (set and clean the table) and to do nikayon (cabin cleaning). Even though each child demonstrated their frustration at having to do the task, they eventually learned that playing a part in helping out is a way to help others.
A scene later, Tikvah campers were acting as if they were in play practice for “Chanutiyah Shel Pachad” (“Little Shop of Horrors”). One girl said, “I don’t want to sing, I’m not even going to be here for the play!” Her friend persuaded her, saying that her voice would help motivate others to sing—that her singing had an impact on everyone else. The theme of playing ones part in a larger world was brought from a home setting to a camp setting, as each small skit within the larger play was performed. The play concluded with one camper reinforcing the larger message of the festival, “All of Israel is responsible for one another.”
