“Prayer matters.  It changes the world because it changes us.  It brings the Divine Presence into our lives and gives us strength.”  These words by the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks guides us as an intentional Jewish camp with Jewish values. 

We know that Tefilla is challenging.  It challenges educators and parents.  It challenges homes, schools and synagogues.  Camp is a great setting for tefilla.  It is a place where you can put passion back into tefilla by providing an informal setting for spiritual growth, as well as enthusiastic role model madrichim.   Both boys and girls daven Shacharit, Mincha and Maariv.

Campers entering 7-10^th grade daven in the air conditioned beautiful Bet Knesset of the Kibbutz.  We use the Koren Ani Tefilla Camp Siddur designed to help the camper create his own meaning and connection during the tefilla experience.  We encourage the boys to take part in the leading of the tefilla and we teach them the technicalities of being shaliach bitzibbur.  If any camper is unfamiliar with the tefilla, we assign a madrich/a to guide them.

On Friday night for Kabbalat Shabbat we have a special tefilla outdoors surrounded by the majestic Gilboa mountains and date trees.  On Rosh Chodesh we celebrate the Hallel, with music and dance.  Tisha b’Av is an experience that is carried with each camper throughout his life.

We encourage fuller participation of girls in Tefilla Bitzibur (communal prayer).  The girls are page callers, keeping everyone focused, receive the Torah on the women’s side of the Mechitza, and are Chazanot for Tefilla LiShalom Hamedina and Misheberach Lichayalei TZAHAL. The girls are equal partners in the delivering of Divrei Torah between Mincha and Maariv.   For Mincha on Shabbat, we have a separate girl’s minyan for the girls where we have a BAALAT KOREH that reads from the Torah.

HAPPY CLAPPY MINYAN
For Shacharit, campers entering 5^th and 6^th grade join our HAPPY CLAAPY MINYAN which uses the Koren Youth Siddur with vibrant illustrations, stories, quotes and questions for thought and reflection.  The tefilla is accompanied by singing, guitar playing and storytelling. 

We are committed and excited to bring out the beauty of tefilla.

כל זמן שהנשמה בקרבי מודה אני לפניך