In The Press

For as long as we can remember, the MERCAZIA has been at the focal point of every major camp event and gathering at Camp Morasha. Hundreds of Shiria songs have been sung, productions performed, and tefillot prayed within those four walls, which houses decades of Morasha memories. For Summer 2015, we are thrilled to announce 'The New Mercazia' -- a beautifully designed air-conditioned playhouse, Shul, recording music studio and video studio. It's amazing. This new facility speaks to every aspect of our camp's mission. As a community, the New Mercazia will allow our growing camp to gather together in one place -- to daven, sing, and dance. As a camp that values individual talents and skills, this new facility will introduce a wide range of new opportunities in which children can shine. Whether it's performing on stage in a camp play, playing for our camp band, recording a song in the music studio, editing videos for our camp website, taking music lessons from one of our music pros... THIS is what camp is all about: Learning to live as a community while allowing each and every individual child to enhance...

Welcome to DivisionConnect! This new feature is designed to empower campers and staff to share the latest Morasha happenings with our parents back at home. Through our new blogging and video editing, and photo editing specialties, campers of all ages will be share news through the medium that works best for them. Check back to your child's divisional DivisionConnect blog once summer begins!

Every camp has factors that make it unique. The attributes that form the priorities and principles of Camp Morasha dates back to our very first summer and has everything to do with our founding Educational Director, Rabbi Jacob M. Rabinowitz. Rabbi Rabinowitz's recent passing is a loss felt by all those who appreciates and understands Morasha's unique focus on a true educational summer experience. I've asked Larry Wachsman, former Boys Head Counselor, to write an obituary, which is included below. May we only share in smachot together in the future. Jeremy OBITUARY FOR R' JACOB RABINOWITZ BY LARRY WACHSMAN Camp Morasha lost one of its pioneers with the recent passing of its longtime Educational Director, Rabbi Yaakov Rabinowitz. He was the first Educational Director of the camp, a position he occupied from 1964 through the early 70’s. He was one of those responsible for developing and setting the guidelines for the fledgling camp which was to be 'an educational camp,' a rarity for an orthodox camp in those days. When I came to Morasha as Head Counselor in 1967, I was surprised to learn that the educational director was one of the leading...

There is simply no place in the world like summer camp. To create a universe where children can grow and mature, be surrounded by role models with positive energy and spirit, all while having the time of their lives is not only important for our children's development -- it's central to it. As the final lights are shut, bunks are locked, and boats are stored, I'd like to take this moment to thank you for your support and reflect on what was another historic and proud summer for Morasha. We like to say that campers may leave camp but camp will never leave them. The impact that summer camp has on children is fundamental to our commitment to provide not only a camp of value - with incredible fun, trips, activities, and events - but also one that instills Jewish values: Teaching our campers that living as a Jew is not only about fun, but also about paying respect, observing and studying Jewish law and text, taking responsibility, showing appreciation, building skills, approaching everything with heart and soul, and living in a community with a sense of achdut. We've hosted our...

TRANSPORTATION HOME Campers will return to one of two locations: (1) Fairleigh Dickinson University or (2)Lawrence High School (2 Reilly Road Cedarhurst, NY 115160). Estimated time of arrival is between 12:45 - 1:15 PM in NJ and between 1:45 PM- 2:15 PM city time in Long Island. Please note that the buses will be parked on the TEANECK campus of FDU and NOT the Hackensack campus. The address provided by the University will not work in your GPS and therefore we recommend following these directions:

LUGGAGE If you registered with the CampTrunkDelivery Service,...

As I write this email from the comforts of my home, it feels strange to not be hearing the noises of 94 amazing teenagers emanating from the hallways. It's hard to believe that Sulam 2014 is over, but it is always a good sign when something flies by. Baruch Hashem, Sulam was a tremendous succes -- and that is due in part to the active participation and contribution from each one of your children. It was a pleasure leading such a special group! I'm looking forward to staying in touch with and reuniting with the group over the upcoming weeks and months. Wishing you a wonderful and relaxing remainder of your summer and Shana Tova. Yours truly, Rabbi Aaron Fleksher PS - The rest of the Sulam photos will be uploaded to the website over the next few days.

Wow! It's so hard to believe that we are entering our final Shabbos! The time really flew by. I am proud to say that this has been such a successful summer in so many ways! I believe that each of your children grew, matured, connected to the Jewish people and our land, and had the time of their lives. Sulam kicked off its final week by going to the As Is Goat Farm, where we made our own focaccia, learned and saw how cheese is made, and some of the bravest even milked goats! It was a very fun and unique experience. This was followed by our final hike of the summer and dinner at the Talpiyot mall. Monday carried a more somber tone, as we prepared for Tisha B’av. We started at Har Herzl, Israel’s military cemetery. There, we heard personal stories of the brave soldiers throughout the decades whose ultimate sacrifice has enabled us to be in Israel today. This was especially meaningful given the current situation in Israel. We then took the short walk to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust Museum. We received guided tours from the museum’s...

Week 4 of Sulam was filled with fun, learning, and adventure! We started off the week by splitting up into two groups. One went to Pantry Packers, an amazing organization that packages dried goods for poor families all over Israel. The kids worked efficiently and had a lot of fun manning the machines and packaging sealed bags of rice and chickpeas! They packaged nearly 800 bags (each with a "packed with love by Sulam" sticker) and were so moved by the organization that they pooled together nearly 1300 shekel in donations!!! The other group went to a home for children from broken homes, and, together they painted the house, bringing life and cheer to the children's home. From there, both groups met up for lunch and a scavenger hunt around the old city, followed by mincha at the Kotel. We then departed on our journey to Arad, where we enjoyed a quaint picnic dinner in the park and games of frisbee. At the break of dawn on Monday morning we began Rosh Chodesh Av by hiking up the famous Masada where we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise, heard of the incredible...

As you are reading this email, your children are going through what is one of the most important and memorable experiences of Sulam: Their day of army training. It is so organized and well run that even I am not allowed to talk to the campers for fear of distracting them! They are broken up into groups, each led by a commander, and form a real bond with the commander while undergoing various exercises. Each exercise is uniquely designed to teach our campers a certain life value or lesson. It is amazing to watch! Part of keeping with the spirit of the nature-oriented program is having the campers give in their cell phones. As you can imagine, they will gain a lot more from this without any distractions. They will get them back in the morning. Below you will find a few pictures from army day. All of the kids are very into it- even if you think "not my child"! :)