…And we are officially open! First session 2016 has begun! At 8:30 we began checking-in our early birds, and at 9:00am, our gates opened, and the fun began. Campers carrying backpacks and pillows followed their counselors to the cabins with their parents a couple of steps behind (hey, these mountains are for real!) The staff and parents helped the campers unpack and set up, tours of camp were given, T-shirts were sold— the whole camp was alive with excitement and energy!  If you haven’t had the chance to see the video of the gate opening, check it out below!

As 10:30 approached, everyone headed up to the Chadar Ochel to witness the ceremonial ground breaking on the new Chadar Ochel which is scheduled to be ready for summer 2017! Sam Levy, our incoming Board Chair, and Tom Rosenberg, Executive Director, made a few remarks to kick-off the event as music played and people cheered. We are so grateful to our Board Members and Special Guests who traveled in for this momentous occasion, our supportive camp families, and our excited campers for sharing this day with us.  It was hot, but it was great!

At 11:00, families enjoyed a beautifully presented brunch. There were blintzes, bagels and lox, salads, fruit, and a whole table of pastries. The rest of the morning was spent taking in the sights of camp, catching up with friends, meeting counselors, and buying old-school CJ Swag!

By 1:00pm, most parents and families had departed and the campers started on an activity rotation. Rishonim went to Rikkud (dance), Offarim to Teva (nature), Oranim to Shira (singing), Sayarim to Kadur-regel (soccer), Tsofim to Kickball, Kesher changed into their suits for swim tests and pool time, and Bogrim hit the basketball courts. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the groups switched activities and remained busy so as not to waste any precious camp time and to reduce possible first-day-homesickness.

It was wonderful to see all of our parents and alumni visiting camp today! They were curious and enthusiastic about the renovations happening at Camp. Many took advantage of the development pamphlet and signs posted around our property which showed our first-phase diagrams of the new buildings coming and had wonderful feedback to give! For those of you who weren’t in Camp today, we are expected to have a new Chadar Ochel (dining hall) debuting in May 2017, a new Art Barn, an expanded Zwerner Family Beit Knesset, and new Cabin Village. We are very excited about all of these projects!

Today we also celebrated our CJ Alumni and Members of the Legacy for the Generations Society who all proudly sported special pins for the day!

It was a very busy day for parents, campers, and staff, so tonight will be an early one. We can’t wait for our first full day of camp tomorrow! Parents, be on the look out for your First Night of Camp postcard which should arrive within the first week.

Laila tov, CJ family…