Perlman Camp families, alumni, donors, and friends,
Summer is almost here! Before I see all of you at our
home in the Poconos, I'm excited to announce that Perlman's online home has a new look.
In February, I shared Perlman's updated logo with you, and your feedback has been great. The new logo evolves the classic Perlman imagery and pays tribute to what we all love about camp, while honoring 62 years of Perlman Camp and Camp B'nai B'rith heritage.
Our new website grows that evolution. It represents Perlman in the digital space with the same exceptional quality as our natural space, and provides all the information that you need about camp. Whether you're a first time family, an alumni, a donor, or a veteran staff member, there's a section for you. And you can now access the site from all of your favorite mobile devices!
Perlman's new site - along with our new logo - beautifully represents the transformational experience that Perlman creates, and boldly positions Perlman for another 62 years of life-changing summers.
Please poke around the site and let us know what you think! You can share your thoughts on our Facebook page or email me directly.
Thank you so much for your continued support,
Rachel Levine
Director, Perlman Camp
#Perlman2016
Hello Perlman Camp! It’s Marc Altman, Director of Sustainability and Engagement.
Every year on Visiting Weekend, parents participate in both a silent and live auction. Last summer’s auction raised an incredible $28,000, and all proceeds support the Scholarship Fund, which ensures no camper is turned away from a magical summer at Perlman due to financial need.
Exciting New Format
This summer, for the first time ever, we will be changing the format of the auction. Instead of the live auction, we will be hosting an online auction. The silent auction will remain the same, taking place throughout Visiting Day at camp.
The online auction is really exciting because it will allow families from both sessions to participate through an extended bidding phase, even if folks cannot attend Visiting Day. Also, by removing the live auction from Visiting Day, there will be more valuable time at the end of the day for families to enjoy camp together!
With this new change, you might have a few questions about the auction, such as:
How can I participate in the auction?
The online auction will be hosted on BiddingforGood, an online auction platform that helps nonprofits create online fundraising events. Through BiddingforGood, parents will be able to create a login, preview items included in the online auction, and bid on items from any internet-connected device.
When will the auction take place?
· Monday, June 27 at 9pm ET – First Session In-Camp Experiences and all Out-of-Camp Items Open
· Thursday, June 30 at 9pm ET – First Session In-Camp Experiences Close
· Monday, July 25 at 9am ET – Second Session In-Camp Experiences Open
· Thursday, July 28 at 9pm ET - Second Session In-Camp Experiences and all Out-of-Camp Items Close
What types of items can I bid on in the online auction?
In-Camp Experiences are items for our campers. They included special cabin activities such as a late night adventure with Jake and Louis, a special campfire and s’mores, and a trip to Alyce’s (a beloved ice cream stand down the street from camp).
Out-of-Camp Items are any donated items we are auctioning off on the auction. This includes sports tickets, travel experiences, and other high-end items.
Still have questions about the online auction? We’d love to hear from you! You can email me or Elli with any questions, big or small.
Let us start off by sending a HUGE thank you to Emily Berner, our very first Perlman Intern. She just spent the last 6 weeks in the office with the full time team, and we would not have gotten through it with out all of her hard work. She wanted to share a little bit about her experience, and encourage YOU to be the next intern with us.
We are thrilled to host the first Bar Mitzvah In recent history for Zach Fisher! If you will be at camp for second session, read this blog post ALL about the exciting weekend and learn more about Zach’s Mitzvah Projects.
I am so excited to be the first camper to celebrate my Bar Mitzvah at Perlman! It's going to be an awesome weekend, and I hope everyone will have a blast. I will be helping run Friday night services, as well as Saturday morning services. The highlight--- Ben & Jerry's catering ice cream sundaes for everyone on Saturday night while a DJ and dancers lead the party in Sobel Hall. But more importantly, I should tell you about my mitzvah project because I need everyone's help to make it a success. I've teamed up with the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital and their Pediatric Oncology Unit. I'm hoping to fill an entire closet with new hats for kids who have lost their hair during chemotherapy .I'm asking everyone to bring at least one new baseball hat to camp this summer (first or second session) so we can donate them to these kids and their families. Any team hat, any color, any size. I picked this mitzvah project because my mom lost her hair when she had Cancer, and I hated it. I can't imagine how hard it is to go through Cancer as a child or teenager, and maybe this small act of Tikkun Olam will help.
To learn more about my Bar Mitzvah, and my mitzvah project, check out my website! Zachsmitzvah.com. The site is password protected, so please use the following to enter : camp.
If you'd like to help in another way, I've also started a fundraising page for B'nai B'rith Perlman Camp to help them raise money for kids who need scholarship- here is the link! https://www.crowdrise.com/zacharys-camp-scholarship-drive/fundraiser/stefaniefisher1
As the first day of camp inches closer, hopefully the predominant feelings for you and your child are those of anticipation and excitement, but it’s also natural to be apprehensive and nervous. While it may be challenging to deal with these often conflicting emotions, we hope to help you feel prepared and confident for the start of this exciting experience!
Here are some tips for helping your camper (and family) prepare for the summer:
1-Encourage your child's independence throughout the year. Have them practice routines like teeth brushing and setting the dinner table to help them adjust once camp begins.
2-Spend time on www.perlmancamp.org and go through photos, videos and all activities listed to get your camper looking forward to certain things. Talk about which hobbies he/she might be looking forward to trying out!
3-Listen to your camper while talking about what camp will be like and let them express any fears or concerns. Remind them that feelings of apprehension, nervousness and anxiety are completely normal.
4-If your child has not slept away from home before, the best thing you can do for them is to arrange sleepovers between now and the beginning of camp. Have them get used to sleeping under a different roof – at a friend’s house, grandparent’s house, etc. These experiences will stimulate feelings of independence and give your child confidence that they can cope with longer separations from home.
5-Involve your child in decisions regarding camp. Have them help create a packing list or have them pick out their new camp shirt or luggage they want to pack in.
6-Talk about your communication plan with your child. Remind them that they will not have cell phones but that they will be able to write letters, and that you will be sending them packages, letters and emails. Help them create an address book with everyone’s contact information so that they can keep in touch with family and friends.
7-Pack a personal item from home such as a stuffed animal or help your child create a little photo album of some of their favorite photos to bring with them. This will help if they are missing home OR when they want to show off to their friends and counselors
8-Be realistic. Like the rest of life, camp will have high and low moments and your child may have some down moments. Your child should not feel pressured to feel a certain way at camp and remind them that their main goal should be to have fun. Remind them that there will always be a counselor to talk to if they do ever feel sad
9-Communicate any issues with camp staff prior to the start of the summer. If your child has a history of bedwetting, sleepwalking, night terrors, etc, it is extremely important that we know about this and can make an appropriate plan. Your child may be extremely anxious that nobody at camp will know how to handle these issues and if we have a plan, we can communicate that plan with your camper and make sure they know what will happen.
10-AVOID making promises or statements that imply that you will pick them up if they are sad or want to come home. These statements set your child up for failure and send a message that the only solution to a difficult and normal feeling is to be rescued by mom or dad. It undermines your confidence in your child’s ability to cope with adversity.
11-Be positive! Let them know how proud you are that they are setting out on this adventure and how your share their excitement.
12-Send a note or care package ahead of time to arrive the first day of camp. Acknowledge, in a positive way, that you will miss your child. For example, you can say "I am going to miss you, but I know that you will have a good time at camp."
13-Don't feel guilty about encouraging your child to stay at camp. For many children, camp is a first step toward independence and plays an important role in their growth and development.
14-Share your optimism, not your anxiety. Talk about all the positive aspects of camp and share your concerns only with another adult, such as your spouse or the camp director. Avoid giving your son or daughter a mixed message by saying something like, “Have a great time at camp. I hope I remember to feed your dog.” Giving your child something to worry about while she’s away will only increase homesickness.
We are THRILLED to announce the camp play this summer-SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK! Click below to hear more about the about the show and meet the directors and song leader!
Who's ready for SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK? Schoolhouse Rock is a fun singalong and rock n roll performance that follows Tom, a young schoolteacher, who is nervous about his first day of teaching. Tom tries to relax by watching TV, when various characters representing facets of his personality emerge from the set and show him how to win his students over with creativity, imagination, and music. Memorable songs as "Just a Bill," "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly" and "Conjunction Junction" bring his lesson plans to life! Ya'll ready for Schoolhouse to rock Sobel? Sign up for the camp play this summer!
Meet the Directors
We're excited to introduce our new play director, Lauren, to Perlman! Lauren has been acting since the age of 7 and has ran performing arts activities for her synagogue back in England! She can't wait to lead the Drama program for camp this summer.
Say hi to our new song leader, Leah! (and her 3 kids) .Leah will be song leading first session during Shabbat, running music hobbies, and will be doing the music for the camp play! Leah is pumped to jump right into the music and drama program at Perlman!
Finally, we have Sydney Schneider on staff! Sydney will be assisting Lauren for the camp play and drama hobbies 2nd session as well.
Get psyched! Only 50 days until SchoolHouse Rock auditions!
Louis here, reporting on the camp gatherings over the last few weeks. It is always a blast seeing our families during the off-season! This spring, we had amazing reunions in both Maryland and New York. Quick fun facts about both reunions:
1. There was a ton of pizza
2. Everyone asked what the Maccabiah themes were (we didn’t tell anyone so HA)
3. Everyone asked who their counselors were (you’ll find out soon)
4. More so an update on item #2…the themes have been chosen. Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn
Maryland
We had an absolute blast at the Maryland Spring Reunion this year! For the first time in a longgg time we got all of our Maryland area families to meet us at Cabin John Park on a gorgeous afternoon! At the park we had ourselves an awesome camp picnic! After lunch we skipped rest hour and went right to afternoon activities. The kids played kickball, Frisbee, football and the world-famous Nukem! As our camp population in Maryland continues to grow, we’ll be making our way to new and more exciting venues! Is it too soon to think about hayrides and apple picking? Probably.
New York
For the second year in a row, the Kogan’s and Friedman’s were kind enough to host the NY Spring Reunion at the Brandeis School in Lawrence NY. This year we had an amazing turn out with a lot of returning AND new campers! While the parents schmoozed it up with Rachel and Marc (boring)..the campers got to pretend they were back at good ol’ GA. Jackie ran some awesome arts activities (alliteration) while Jake and Louis organized the biggest game of gaga the NY reunion has ever seen. After GA, we sat and enjoyed the 1st session video from this past summer.
Thank you for everyone who joined us, see you this summer!
We are so excited to have Carrie Mildner and Rachel Hammer (who have been friends for a casual 14 years) back this summer to run our Taste of Perlman weekend. Campers have 3 jam packed days to try out every possible activity and fall in love with camp. Click below to find out more!
We both grew up at camp, and then continued going back as counselors and then leadership staff. For the last few summers, we haven’t been able to go back to camp due to graduate school, and now our jobs. Camp is our favorite place in the world, our second home. So naturally, we were upset, and honestly a bit lost when we couldn’t return to camp. How do we spend a summer at home? At that point, it was 12+ years since we did that. Luckily, we spent the summer as roommates, so we still hung out and pretended we were at camp all summer long. We planned on going to camp for visiting day and the alumni weekend (Shameless plug for the 2016 reunion…August 12-14th). We savored every chance we had to visit, which is why we were thrilled when Jackie asked us to be counselors for the Taste of Perlman weekend. Another opportunity to be at camp, score! When we were staff at camp, both of us put in a great deal of effort to ensure that campers left camp at the end of the summer with a greater sense of self and independence, new forever friendships that felt like family (like ours), and a love for all the unique camp traditions. It is such a special and meaningful place to us, and we wanted campers to be already counting down the days until next summer on their bus ride home at the end of the summer, just like we used to. Taste of Perlman gave us an opportunity to give prospective campers a taste of the magic that is Perlman Camp.
As counselors of the Taste of Perlman weekend last summer, we quickly learned that “Taste of Perlman” is the perfect name for a weekend when prospective campers come to camp for a weekend. Some parents may think it isn’t necessary to spend an entire weekend at camp in order to determine if Perlman Camp is the right fit, and that a traditional tour would suffice for this purpose. Going off of the senses theme, a traditional tour is simply a “smell of Perlman.” Yes, tours are great to see the facilities, and gain information about logistics and activities at camp; however, during tours, parents and campers watch camp from afar without actually becoming involved in the magic of camp, without tasting camp. The Taste of Perlman weekend allows children to experience what happens beyond camp activities: independence, friendship, and tradition. It is an opportunity to truly understand why Perlman Camp is such a special place, a home away from home.
Independence
From the very beginning of the weekend, it was clear that the Taste of Perlman campers were gaining a greater sense of independence. Sleeping in a bunk without their parents meant making their beds by themselves, unpacking their own belongings, and setting the table for meals independently. Of course, we were there to help, but part of gaining independence is allowing campers to try performing these tasks first. When campers asked for help, we were happy to help, without doing it for them. We gave them step-by-step instructions while demonstrating how to perform these tasks. When the campers got the hang of a task that was a challenge to them, they were so proud, and asked us to watch them do it themselves. They even helped their new friends with these tasks too! It was evident that these campers became skilled at new tasks, which could be carried out in their lives outside of camp. This allowed campers to step out of their comfort zones of having others perform these tasks for them. The campers also stepped out of their comfort zones by trying new activities, such as a creek walk. Many of the campers had never been on a creek walk before, so walking through a creek in rain boots seemed like a strange concept. Aside from this being a new and maybe strange sounding activity, the campers were eager to try it. While an outdoor adventure specialist guided us through the creek, the campers were excited when they saw various animals in the creek, such as fish or frogs. Although we were walking as a group, each camper noticed different animals, and other aspects of nature. As campers saw things that interested them, they excitedly called out for everyone else to come and see. This really highlighted the beauty of camp: gaining independence, while building strong bonds with others.
Friendship
It’s crazy to think how fast close and meaningful friendships form when at camp. Typically, it takes a good amount of time before people feel a strong bond with someone. At camp, however, everyone lives together, and shares everything with each other, from tangible items such as the actual living space, clothing, and even a canteen snack, to intangible items such as stories, laughs, and the overall camp experience. The friends we met at camp are really the only ones we can talk to about camp. No one else truly understands why living with friends and doing activities, such as outdoor adventure and lake, are so special. During the Taste of Perlman weekend, we watched as these friendships sprouted (like the snow peas in the Amir garden), even though the campers shared one short weekend together. By the first night, Friday night, the prospective campers were making the most of flashlight time (a time to wind down before bed). They were sharing stories about their family and friends back home, and giggling about things that happened that day at Shabbat dinner and Israeli dance. Saturday morning, the group had outdoor adventure. They were already taking pictures of each other on the rock-climbing wall, so that they could remember the friends they met over the weekend. Without our encouragement, they also started to cheer each other on as they were trying to get up the rock-climbing wall. This cheering was really sincere, as they truly cared about their new friends succeeding, by reaching the top of the rock-climbing wall. On Sunday, when parents came for a tour and to pick their children up, the prospective campers were so excited to introduce their new friends to their parents. This made us feel overjoyed, because they really experienced a taste of the Perlman Camp community: friends that are like family.
Tradition
There are so many unique, fun, and memorable traditions that make Perlman Camp special. Many of these traditions are what make Shabbat at camp so special. What better way to experience some of camp’s traditions than being in a bunk with campers who have been there all summer?! These campers welcomed the Taste of Perlman campers to camp with open arms; quite literally, as they gave them hugs as they arrived to make them feel welcome. As the Taste of Perlman campers walked into the dining hall for Shabbat dinner, they were struck with many new camp traditions: What’s a hopper? What are all these hand motions everyone is doing during the Birkat Hamazon (prayer after the meal)? I don’t know this birthday song, and whoa there are hand motions that go with it! This could seem overwhelming, since Taste of Perlman is only a weekend, which is not a long time to learn these traditions. The full session campers, however, made this easy. They explained: everyone has a “job” every day to make sure the bunk is neat, and a hopper is someone who is assigned to set the table. They further showed them when to use certain hand motions during the Birkat Hamazon to make this prayer more fun and spirited, and where in the dining hall the words to the birthday song were hanging and which hand motions went along with it. This real time demonstration continued during Israeli dance, when the Taste of Perlman campers were exposed to new songs and unfamiliar dances. By Saturday, the Taste of Perlman campers started to get the hang of these new traditions. By the time their parents came on Sunday for lunch, the Taste of Perlman campers were excited to teach their parents the hand motions that went along with the Birkat Hamazon. They got up and sang the prayer accompanied with the hand motions with excitement and confidence. Throughout the weekend, these campers learned Perlman traditions, and embraced them as their own, as they were now part of the Perlman Camp family.
We are so excited to be counselors for Taste of Perlman again this coming summer! Our goal is to help prospective campers have a fun, memorable, and enriching weekend so that they leave counting down the days until they are campers in summer 2017 at Perlman Camp!
Taste of Perlman will be held from July 22nd-July 24th for any camper entering 2nd-5th grade. Sign up here!
Two weeks ago, our entire full-time team spent a week attending two significant conferences in the camping community – the Foundation for Jewish Camp Leaders Assembly, and the American Camp Association Tri-State Conference.
Every other year, the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) brings together over 750 camp professionals, lay leaders, educators, and philanthropists to spend three days sharing, learning and networking at Leaders Assembly. Sessions ranged from creating a culture of service at camp, to bringing 21st century skills to our campers, to empowering your camp staff.
This was my third Leaders Assembly, but the first time I was asked to present in one of the breakout sessions. As every camp parent knows, as soon as your child returns home from the summer you receive emails from us asking (sometimes over and over!) for you to share your feedback with us on our annual Parent Satisfaction Survey. Every year we take the feedback we receive and look at how we can make meaningful change – whether it relates to the way we train our staff to meet the individual needs of each camper, how kids have the opportunity to customize their camp program, or even the system we use for tracking incoming phone calls so we can respond to parent calls in a timely manner. Perlman is one of the camps that has seen the most success in recent years on truly using parent feedback to improve the camper experience, and I was thrilled to be able to share how we do this with other camps.
We were fortunate to have two members of our summer staff join us at Leaders Assembly this year. Candice Goldstein and Kelsey Maxwell had a great time attending sessions, meeting with other seasonal camp staff, and bringing lots of new ideas back for the upcoming summer. Here’s a note from Kelsey about her experience at Leaders - we are so glad she could be there with us!
This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending Leaders camp conference right down the road from where I attend grad school (Go RU!). It was an amazing few days filled with more camp people than I've ever seen together in one place before and let me tell you: it was incredible. I had the opportunity to learn from many talented camp professionals, network with people from other camps, and catch up with old friends. One major takeaway for me from the conference was just how much love I truly have for camp and learning more about the world of Jewish camping. Everyone that I met was incredibly passionate about what they do and inspired me to continue to learn more about camp and grow both as a person and as a professional. The conference showed me just how amazing camp is all around the U.S. and I can't wait to attend more conferences like these and, of course, I can't wait for summer 2016!!!
After Leaders Assembly, our team headed out to Atlantic City, where the American Camp Association (ACA) holds their annual Tri-State Conference. This is a completely different type of camp conference – with over 3500 attendees representing camps of all types across the country. With over 150 sessions to choose from, topics include everything from creating a cooking program at camp, to risk management to creating an inclusive camp community. It’s an opportunity for everyone to attend sessions that interest them and bring new and exciting ideas back to camp this summer. One of the highlights of the Tri-State Conference is the exhibit hall. Vendors include everything from aqua jumps and other water toys, to gaga pits, athletics equipment, new food products and more. It’s a chance for us to check out new games, see what’s new on the market, and start making plans for the future (like for our gym renovations in 2017!)
We had an excellent time bonding as a team and learning new things, and we have some great new ideas for Summer 2016. We’re really looking forward to sharing it all with you in under 100 days – it’s getting closer!
Who's ready for College Day? Let’s meet our teams...
It’s that time of year…get psyched because we finally have our College Day Teams!
For those who are going to be at their first College Day, it is best described in one word- Electric. College Day is a one-day Color War where Perlman is divided into 4 teams. These 4 teams are represented in the annual NCAA March Madness Final 4.
Over the course of 24 hours, campers and staff compete in a high-spirited competition. Athletics, Arts, Swimming, Dancing, Singing, Mascots, Dining Hall games, you name it- College Day has it all. So, let’s meet our 4 teams and get a bit of a background on each.
TEAM: OKLAHOMA SOONERS
COLOR: RED
CHEER: BOOMER SOONER
Welcome back to College Day, Oklahoma! The Sooners haven’t been in the Final 4 since 1988! (Great year- I was born in ’88). For those who are dying to know- a “Sooner” was a nickname given to early participants in the Land Rush of 1889 which was early settlers “rushing” into Unassigned Land, or getting there as “soon” as possible. Am I right? Get it? They got there “sooner” than the others. Boom. They often arrived on big carriages (see pic below) and their fight song and cheers heard throughout campus is BOOMER SOONER! Some famous athletes who hail from OU: Blake Griffin, Sam Bradford, and now, Buddy Hield. Should be a fun College Day team and the judges are already excited to see the Mascot (hint: use a golf cart as your carriage).
TEAM: VILLANOVA WILDCATS
COLOR: WHITE
CHEER: V FOR VILLANOVA!
Reppin’ Philly and the Big East- Villanova! Hands down the coolest college team name there is (sounds like the best bagel shmear there is right?) and back for the first time since 2009, Villanova is a Big East Powerhouse! Villanova is famous for having their logo as a massive V. Their mascot is a scary lookin’ wildcat…his name is actually Will D. Cat. So, bring your white shirts! Can’t wait to see what the Villanova College Day Team has in store for us.
TEAM: NORTH CAROLINA TARHEELS
COLOR: BLUE
CHEER: IM A TARHEEL BORN AND HERE COMES CAROLINA
Another team that hasn’t been in College Day since 2009, the North Carolina Tarheels are back! For those who don’t know, a Tarheel refers to people who reside in the great state of North Carolina aka the Tarheel State. The mascot of the UNC Tarheels is Rameses, a Dorset Ram. UNC is known as one of the more elite college athletic programs in the country and has produced some very famous athletes: Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, and Rasheed “ball don’t lie” Wallace, to name a few. Rockin’ the powder blue, UNC should be another great college day team.
TEAM: SYRACUSE ORANGE
COLOR: ORANGE (shocker)
CHEER: DOWN THE FIELD!
Last but not least, we welcome Syracuse back to College Day. Coming in as a 10 seed- nobody saw this coming. However, we’re psyched to see the Orange back at Perlman Camp. Syracuse or “‘cuse” is repped by a massive orange S and the funniest looking mascot EVER, Otto the Orange. ‘Cuse is the closest college day team to Perlman, and is going to be a great team to be on. Hey 2015 campers- bring your Perlman shirts back to camp this year (they’re orange). Oh, and to our NY campers and Knicks fans, I’m guessing you can name a pretty famous Syracuse Alum.
There’s your quick preview to College Day 2016! Campers, make sure to pack your Red, White, Blue and Orange Tshirts. Staff, get your arms warmed up, Dodgeball is comin’ soon.
Read here about Harvey & Jacklyn’s recent trip out to Denver!
A few weeks ago Jacklyn and I attended a conference on 'Love and Logic' conducted by the two creators of this dynamic approach, Jim and Charles Fay. Love & Logic teaches us to give true empathy and to give children choices in difficult situations, which forces them to think and decide what they want to do. Kids who develop this internal voice become more capable of making better decisions and making changes for themselves. It empowers them!
Jacklyn and I went to the conference to gain some extra help to guide us in our work with our campers. The Love and Logic approach goes right along with our values at Perlman. We were joined at the conference by a few AIJC (Association of Independent Jewish Camps) cohort members from Beber Camp and Airy & Louise.
It was wonderful to connect with the other camp professionals and hear how they teach this method during their staff training. Over the next few months we will be looking at constructive methods to help share this material with our staff during training. We truly hope that together we can create a fresh approach to our childcare methodology that helps us all be more empathetic to the challenges facing our campers as they journey through their uniquely special Perlman camp experience.
I am so proud to be a part of the Perlman community, and help it grow!
Perlman Camp families, alumni, donors, and friends,
With a little more than 4 months to go before the first day of camp, I'm thrilled to introduce our community to Perlman Camp's new logo and brand refresh. The new logo evolves the Perlman imagery - representing camping, Judaism, and the region's natural beauty - all while honoring 62 years of Perlman Camp and Camp B'nai B'rith heritage.
The iconic menorah has a particularly important role in the new logo. As a visual element, it ties the current logo back to its origin and pays tribute to our longstanding relationship with B'nai B'rith. The menorah lighting remains a cornerstone of the weekly Shabbat experience at camp.
As Perlman Camp continues to grow and improve, we are committed to staying true to the heart and soul of the organization. Our mission to provide children with a safe, fun and meaningful summer camp experience in a Jewish environment remains as important now as ever before.
Perlman Camp has created a close-knit and family-oriented atmosphere for over six decades, building a community that provides opportunities for each camper's individual growth and development. The traditional camp experience, coupled with exceptional childcare, outstanding programming, and an inclusive Jewish community continue to grow Perlman's legacy.
The new logo - along with a new website to launch this Spring - beautifully represents that transformational experience and boldly positions Perlman Camp for another 62 years of life-changing summers.
Please join me and the rest of the Perlman staff and board to celebrate this wonderful milestone by sharing your thoughts on our Facebook page or emailing me directly.
After the last bite of Turkey was consumed and all the delicious apple and pumpkin pies were gone, Perlman alumni were revving up for the annual Thanksgiving reunion at the Allie Way. Although we were all quite far away from Starlight, Pennsylvania the energy of camp camaraderie was nostalgic and ever present as camp friends embraced each other with hugs and gathered together, laughing and sharing camp memories, feeling as if we were back in camp again.
The evening was a success in many ways. Attendance was high and spirits were even higher. In total, the event raised over $1,400.00 for the Alumni Scholarship Fund. In typical Perlman Camper behavior, all in attendance brought these funds in with excitement and ‘ruach’ <spirit>. With years of practice at Girls Sing and Color War fight songs, the night was filled with skillful renditions of karaoke tunes, leaving no one without a song to sing.
As the night came closer to an end, attendees listened eagerly for their number to be called in a highly anticipated raffle that had prizes ranging from Perlman swag to hotel stays in NYC and even jewelry hand made by a Perlman alumni! A good time was truly had by all, looking ahead until the next time we are all together again.
Shira Burstein is a Perlman Alumni currently living in New York City. Shira is a psychotherapist in private practice, and you can find her at www.shirabursteintherapy.com.
Hannukah is best known as a holiday where we light the menorah, spin the dreidel, eat latkes, and receive nice gifts from our friends and family. For Perlman Camp, this year is about celebrating Hannukah by giving away 8 nights of prizes to our camp families.
It’s been so great to see how much camp has changed over the past couple of years, and how exciting it’s been to see returning and new campers join our camp community. To thank all of our registered families, we felt it would be great to give you our present- Perlman Camp’s 8 Gifts for 8 Nights.
Each night of Hannukah, as we’ve been lighting the menorah in the full-time office, we’ve been randomly choosing families to receive gifts!
Here is what we’ve given away and here is what you can still win:
Night 1- Perlman Swag!
Nothing better than your own camp-kit of Perlman swagger. Sunglasses. Cups. Magnets. Show up with this amount of swagger on the first day of camp and you’re immediately a hero.
-Congrats to Jason and Alex H!
Night 2- Perlman Camp Blanket! Perfect for:
a) Overnights on Baldy
b) Senior Trips
c) Closing Campfire
d) Your couch (Sept- May)
e) All of the Above
-Congrats to Noah S!
Night 3- $50 Gift Certificate to Everything Summer!
Soooo much Perlman Swag on that website. Can fill up just about the whole packing list with this gift certificate.
-Congrats to Nadav and Harel S!
Night 4- $100 off Summer 2016 Tuition
Random Facts about the number 100
· 100 years in a century
· There are 100 breeds of cats
· Speaking of cats- Cats can make 100 different sounds!
· Winnie the Pooh lives in the 100 acre woods
· It’s the amount of money we’re giving away on Night 4. Awesome!
-Congrats to Andrew and Sevita B!
Still to be won…
Night 5- In-Camp Movie Night for your bunk on the NEW big screen in Sobel Hall
How sweet is that? New big screen, movie night, sobel hall partay for your camper and their bunk. Just can’t beat that.
*Picture below may or may not accurately represent Sobel Hall
Night 6- Late-Night Bonfire, S’mores and Song Session for your bunk
An old-school camp favorite. Choose which fire-pit you’d like to do this at (I prefer the one on boys side), and the amount of s’mores you want (try and keep it under 10). Winner of the Night 6 raffle will most likely have some full-time staff joining (we love s’mores).
Night 7- Private BBQ Dinner at the Lake for your bunk
Imagine this- sunset at the lake, your own personal bunk-BBQ, and riding Big Bertha. I’m trying to think of a more fun way to spend dinner….nope not possible. This is great.
Night 8- $500 off Summer 2016 Tuition- The Grand Finale!
Good luck in the raffle and thank you for registering for summer 2016.
The holiday season is almost upon us! Many of us mark this time of year by eating special foods (pumpkin pie and potato latkes), joining together with our families to celebrate holidays (Thanksgiving, Hannukah, and many more), and giving back to those less fortunate in our communities.
For the past four years, a global community has joined together to celebrate this season of giving with #GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday is a global celebration that takes place on the
Tuesday after Thanksgiving to connect diverse groups of individuals,
communities, and organizations around the world for one common
purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.
Perlman is thrilled to participate in this year’s #GivingTuesday celebration on December 1st! This #GivingTuesday, we have a goal of raising $2,800, which would help send a rookie to camp this summer.
How is Perlman participating in #GivingTuesday?
Perlman is committed to ensuring that no camper is ever turned away from a summer at camp due to financial need. All year long, Perlman raises money for scholarship through our Annual Campaign. This year, we are participating in #GivingTuesday to help raise awareness of our need for scholarship dollars. As we countdown to the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, we are reminding our community of the need for scholarship and asking for their participation.
From now until #GivingTuesday on December 1st, there are many ways that you can participate and help us #GiveCamp!
1. Share our #GivingTuesday posts on Facebook and Instagram to help spread the word about our campaign
2. Talk with your family and friends about what is #GivingTuesday, and how Perlman is participating
3. On December 1st, make a donation to support our #GivingTuesday campaign at bit.ly/PerlmanGives
4. Share our bit.ly/PerlmanGives on your own social media accounts, so others can support our goal of sending a rookie to camp!
Have questions about #GivingTuesday or an idea about how to share Perlman’s campaign? Send me an email at [email protected]
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and a meaningful #GivingTuesday.
All different kinds of people all around the world go to summer camp. Some say camp is magical. Others say it will be the time of your life, and others say it's terrible, but B'nai B'rithPerlman Camp is my second home.
For two years I have been going to sleepaway camp. It is the most incredible experience. From the cozy and stilled campfires, to the ambitious and raving color wars, to the rowdy chants during meals, to the night everyone waits for; cabaret. Moreover, camp is more than a location. It's a big old family, where everyone knows each other, and stays in touch over the school year, because we are best friends who don't need to stand by each other to have beautiful friendships. That's what I call camp. A camp that I can call mine, and that's special.
This past summer, I was recovering from a broken elbow. It was very painful and restricting, but that's another story... nevertheless, my recovery took a week off of camp for me. It made my heart burn knowing I was missing a week of cherished camp memories, thus, I was going to do whatever it took to get that gross, ugly, cast off so I could get back to those damp mornings where it seemed like it rained, but it never did.
I believe August 1st was the day I was cleared to rush over to camp. I legitimately marched into that cramped room over packed with random things and said to my lovely orthopedist, "You need to let me go to camp." That's all it really took, and when he cleared me I was dumbfounded and actually surprised! From there on, I packed in twenty-four hours, and within three days, I was back at camp. I am still very thankful for all Dr. Capo and my family, did to help me recover, and especially get the opportunity to go back to camp.
I made no mistake going to camp this past summer. It was ten times better than the first year! Although I was only able to go for a short period of time because of a lengthy recovery, I still got color war, I still went to cabaret, and on the last night, the last campfire, we cried a lot. Now, I can't say we were crying out of happiness nor sadness, but the feeling of leaving our second home. The fact that when we arrived home to our families, they wouldn't understand why we refused to take off those millions of friendship bracelets, or why drinking hot chocolate out of a styrofoam cup is so extremely important! But no one will until we arrive back home every summer to a camp I can proudly call mine. A second home.
Marley is a rising 7th grader and has spent 2 summers at camp. She cant wait to return for 2016!
The Pio program is one of the many wonderful aspects that separates Perlman from any of the other Jewish camps around the country. Anyone who has participated in the program in the past will tell you that it was the best summer of their life, or one that has at least had a profound impact on who they were at sixteen years old. For most, the village extends beyond the confines of the kind of dirty, kind of gross area of woods that we call ‘home’ for seven weeks. The skills learned, the new found confidence developed, or the new outlook on life discovered, truly shape all those who have been able to call themselves a Pio once before. For me, I was lucky enough to have that experience twice.
I was first a Pio in 2010 as a camper, which was also the first summer that the Pios went to Israel. I was a part of the program for a second time when I had the pleasure of being a Pio counselor this past summer, a summer that marks the first large scale incorporation of Poland into the trip. As any and all Pios have experienced, I had a life altering experience in 2010. I learned how to live with large groups and how to settle arguments within those, one way or another. I also traveled outside of the North America for the first trip on the pioneering (pun intended) trip to Israel. With all this under my belt, I was thrilled when the topic of Pios came up on the phone during my interview for the summer with our Director, Rachel. I had been waiting to be a Pio counselor ever since I first left the village five years prior.
Now of course I understood that being a counselor was not going to be the same as being a camper, and I honestly came in expecting it to not have such a huge impact on me, only hoping to ensure that the Vill could be as special to another year of Pios as it was to me. I could not have been more wrong. It was not the same experience, but I gained so much from this time around in the Village, that it’s almost unfathomable. I learned so much from my 24 unique Pios and the way in which they treated each other that I owe them all credit for making me a significantly better person. In terms of the program its self, seeing the changes and improvements that have been put into place in the last five years gives me unbelievable hope for the program’s future. These improvements come in both how the Pios live their day to day life on camp, as well as the overseas trip. I had a unique point of view on the trip having participated in the first one and then help to run it years later in its new and improved format. At this rate, the Israel/Poland trip is going to become such an ingrained tradition that it will be thought of no differently than Mud Day-a quintessential part of a Pio’s summer.
Looking back on my two summers in the Vill, I can without a doubt say that it is one of the single most influential places of my life. Any Pio will tell you that there is just something special about that clearing in the forest, and as I try to put that feeling into words, I struggle. The struggle is not just something I experience, but can be witnessed on that last day of camp every summer as the campers take their last steps as Pioneers, as no words are muttered because nothing can describe how it has changed them and how connected they feel—only tears at the thought of having to leave it all behind. There is nothing pretty or nice; just simply tradition, good friends, and new experiences. Something about those three things taking place in the simplicity of the woods, in my eyes, makes the village the most magical place in Perlman, and maybe even the world.
