Making a difference at Morasha

Campers integrate chesed into a fun-filled summer

Issue of August 15, 2008

Camp Morasha held a bake sale last Friday, raising $228 for the Zev Wolff Fund, which is a cause dedicated to finding a cure for neuroblastoma, the rare form of pediatric cancer affecting a five-year-old from Woodmere.

The sale coincided with "Gratitude to Health" week at Morasha and was organized by the Manhigot, girls entering ninth grade. Donating the proceeds to the fund was the brainchild of two campers, Elana Spector and Lauren Rubin, 14-year-old HAFTR students who live in Woodmere.

"When our division head told us to think of a tzedaka organization where we can donate the money, we thought of Zev Wolff right away, because he's from our community," explained Spector.

Though Morasha – a co-ed modern Orthodox sleep away camp in the Poconos – is located in Lake Como, PA, the majority of its campers and staff members hail from the Long Island area; more than 250 of Morasha's campers are students at HALB, HAFTR and HANC during the year.

"I'm so proud to be part of such a special camp that excels not only in sports, programming and all activites, but that understands the importance of chesed and giving back to the community at large and how much it can impact on our lives," said Rabbi Gotch Yudin, the camp's director.

The sale's pastries – including brownies, cookies and cupcakes – were all baked by Janet Weiss of Woodmere, who heads Morasha's baking department, and were sold out within a record-breaking 10 minutes.

"If we knew how fast everything would sell, we would have had more," said Manhigot Division Head Tzippora Baratz of West Hempstead, reflecting on the success of the event. "It was great, because the girls did the decorating, packaging and selling on their own, and all for tzedaka."

The sale is one of several chesed projects that have been implemented at Morasha this season, corresponding with the camp's theme of the summer, "Gratitude is an Attitude."

"What I think is so unique about this camp is that we know how to have so much fun, but with a purpose," observed Program Director Jeremy Joszef of Woodmere. "It's an honor to work at a camp that is so focused on infusing fun with meaning."

Also last Friday, the camp hosted its annual blood drive — in which 113 people participated –– making it one of the largest drives in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region, and capping several weeks filled with innovative chesed projects completed by the camp.

During the Nine Days, the entire girls campus and day camp participated in a jump-a-thon on Aug. 4, raising over $2,000 for Chai Lifeline. Organized by Day Camp Supervisor Vivian Rosenberg and Division Head Deena Klein, the campus was alive with girls jumping, bending and twisting for tzedaka, an experience enhanced by watching a video on Chai Lifeline's Camp Simcha.

As part of its "Gratitude for Israel" week, Morasha held a raffle on July 28 and raised over $700 for two different causes. Half of the money is being allocated to residents of Sderot, "to a woman who organizes after-school projects, tiyulim and chugim for children there," explained Ariel Cohen, Morasha's nature coordinator, who lives in Efrat. The rest of the money is earmarked for an organization called "Pina Chama," which arranges for cars to travel around Israel at night, providing soldiers on army bases with hot foods and drinks.

"I was very happy because a lot of the kids gave money to the raffle to do the chesed of giving tzedaka, not because they wanted to win the prize [a Nintendo Wii]," Cohen said.

On July 25, Morasha held its second annual chesed day, in memory of Rav Avram Aryeh ben Yakov Hacohen Stern. One group of boys traveled to Block and Hexter, a residential vacation center for senior adults, where the campers performed and sang songs to entertain their elderly audience. Girls knotted fleece blankets to send to sick children in the hospital, attaching candy and heartfelt messages to cheer up the recipients. Campers also sent anti-microbial socks, filled with candies and letters, to Jewish soldiers serving in Iraq.

"While everybody is in camp having fun, they should think about other people as well, and ways of giving," said Sharon Richter, who organized the day's activities to honor her father's yahrtzeit. "The kids were all so into it and wrote beautiful cards and messages to the soldiers."

The Alufot campers, girls entering 10th grade, were privileged to travel to Camp HASC, where they organized a carnival for the campers. It was so enjoyable, for both the Morasha and HASC participants, that the Alufot were invited back to HASC later in the summer to run a similar event.

But although the Three Weeks and Nine Days have ended, the chesed isn't over at Camp Morasha. As the newspaper goes to press, the Alufim and Alufot are embarking on a five day road trip from Florida to Pennsylvania. Integrated into their schedule of recreational activities, one afternoon of the trip will be dedicated to the D.C. Restoration Project, helping to renovate Marvin Gate National Park in Washington, D.C. As part of a multi-faceted clean-up effort, the group will be collecting garbage, planting trees and cleaning up a stream, finishing off their summer of fun in a meaningful way.