Kefiada 2007 in Arad was one of the best ever !!!

Kids in the age range of 9-12 spent days full of fun and excitement during the first three weeks of July, guided by 7 American counselors from New Jersey and Delaware and their Israeli co-counselors. They had a good time as well. Read the impressions of  Marc Ashed, and American counselor, and Ayelet Pistrov, the counselors coordinator.

Kefiada 2007
by Marc Ashed

It is a Jewish custom to invite neighbors and friends in to break bread on shabbos and such occasions, and that is no different in Arad.

This visit to Israel was different than the usual trip for me. The usual trip was going to Israel with my parents to see my family and to see the tourist sites. This trip was different in that I was not a tourist, I would be living there as a person of Arad. The people here have truly shown what the meaning of Partnership 2000 is. From the Israeli counselors, who meet us every night to hang out or the families of Arad that have taken us into their homes, we have been welcomed with arms wide open.

There was one goal that the city of Arad and the communities of New Jersey and Delaware both wanted to achieve and that is to strengthen the bond between Israelis and Jews in the diaspora. I feel that the goal was achieved. Friendships were created, the kids at the keitana (day camp) have memories that will last a lifetime, and the people of our communities both impacted each others lives. The Americans have a better understanding of the importance of Israel as a Jewish state as well as supporting our homeland in every way possible and the Israelis have a better understanding that the Americans do care, even kids as young as 19. The mutual understanding of love, respect, and genuine care we have for one another is something that cannot be broken.

A few experiences that come to mind when I think of my trip were playing futbol (soccer) with Yaniv (one of our co-counselors) and his Israeli friends all around our age. Futbol is the sport of passion in Israel and to be able to share the favorite pastime of Israelis our age was an experience that I will not forget. The Kozlovich family (Natalie, Danielle, Iris and Chaim) was an adoptive family for us all, opening their house to us, whether it be for a barbecue, to use the pool, or to just sit and talk. Also when one of the American counselors was feeling sick, the mother of an Israeli co-counselor, the Barazi family, made chicken soup and cookies for us. Chicken soup is Jewish penicillin and when combined with compassion can cure anything.

I thank the Jewish Federation and Partnership 2000 for providing me with an opportunity like this. It is impossible outside of Israel to know how important it is. Whether you have an Israeli family, or are friends with Israelis, Israel is a home for Jews going home, because in Israel, I am home and a trip like this reinforces that message. This Friday we go back to the United States but I am not going to say I am going home, because in Israel, I am home.

Kefiada 2007
by Ayelet Pistrov, coordinator for American counselors

At the end of June this year a group of 6 young people from the United States arrived in Arad. Their goal: Kefiada 2007. For those of you who don't know anything about this project - Kefiada is a summer day camp for 4th - 7th graders in which part of the activities are in English, but of course in a fun way. ("kef" in Hebrew is fun).

Kate, Reyna, Marc, Sara, Dan and Jacky, all college students from our P2K Federations in New Jersey, choose to spend their summer holidays working hard as counselors in the Kefiada - as volunteers!

When I met them for the first time they were tired and worn out from the long flight, but also excited about what was awaiting them. The first days of their stay were spent with hours of preparations for the camp together with their Israeli co-counselors, all under the supervision of Shlomi  , Miri Kligerman and Natalie Kozlovich. But it wasn't all work and no play. Tina Ben Atar, the Living Bridge coordinator and I took care they enjoyed their stay as well and we organized short and long trips and activities for after camp hours.

It took a couple of days before everyone got used to being in a "strange" country, new surrounding, hot weather and a busy schedule, but very soon everything was familiar and they started their first camp day with a lot of energy.

After the initial "ice-breaking" between the kids and the counselors the fun began: From 8 in the morning till 1 in the afternoon games, quizzes, contests, sports, swimming pool, trips to water parks and fun parks and a lot more. Both kids and counselors enjoyed themselves enormously. And of course the kids learned a lot of English in a fun way (and the counselors some Hebrew too!).

In their free afternoons and during the weekend they made several organized trips in the area - Ein Gedi at the Dead Sea, with its lush botanical gardens and the relaxing spa on the Dead Sea beach, a jeep tour in the surrounding desert, a calming yoga session, a weekend trip to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and a trip to Eilat.

The camp kids had a great time and when the three camp weeks were over they were sorry that it ended: "This camp was really fun and I enjoyed all the activities very much and also improved my English a lot", was the comment of Dror from group 5. Reyna, 21, counselor from Central New Jersey: "This is the second time I'm counseling here at the Kefiada and it just gets better from year to year, I hope I'll come back again next year".

After nearly four weeks of intensive activities, all the counselors and supervisors - Israeli and American - met in the evening for a last get together to summarize the Kefiada 2007, and to say goodbye to the American counselors who had to return to their homes in the Unites States the day after. It was emotional and a bit sad and reminded me a bit of our first meeting - then everybody was tired and exhausted as well, but then they were apprehensive of the weeks to come; now they were full of new experiences, eager to go home and tell family and friends about this wonderful month in Israel.

And so, on Friday, July 20, early in the morning, they made their way back to Ben Gurion airport to catch the 11:40 am flight. Happy to return home, but also sad to that camp and the trip to Israel was over. A trip on which they made new friends, saw new landscapes, got to know a maybe already familiar country in a new way and also experience, if even a little bit, what it means to be Israeli.

The yearly Kefiada is a project of the Jewish Agency, Partnership 2000, together with the Arad municipality. At the Kefiada children have the opportunity to improve their English and meet with counselor from our P2K Federations in New Jersey.  This year the Kefiada had over 230 participants and was a great success. One of the best Kefiadas ever.

I for one hope to see this summer camp continue and grow in the years to come.

Lehitra'ot at Kefiada 2008