Camp Tawonga
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Camp Tawonga is a Jewish summer camp located a few miles north of Groveland-Big Oak Flat, California, near Yosemite National Park. The camp operates as a non-profit service of the Jewish community and is affiliated with the JCCA movement camps.
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[edit] History
The land on which Camp Tawonga is located today was settled by Native Americans, likely Sierra Miwoks. The influence of this settlement can be seen today by several large boulders on the site which feature many carved indentations. Camp Tawonga itself was established in 1925, at a site near south Lake Tahoe. It was originally an all-boys camp but was quickly made co-ed. The camp was moved to its current site, on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River in 1963.
[edit] Campership
On average, Camp Tawonga welcomes about 250 campers to each of its four sessions. The average age of campers increase as the sessions become longer. The first session is one week, the second two weeks, and the third and fourth sessions are three weeks. The fifth session is two weeks and runs during the time of the fourth session, and is only for kids in 3rd-6th grade. The youngest campers first session are about 7 while the oldest in third and fourth session are about 17. The camp is broken up into five age groups or "units" each session. Youngest to oldest, they are: Carmel, Galil, Eilat, Haifa, and Chalutzim. The first four are named after locations in Israel, while "Chalutzim" is Hebrew for "Pioneers." Each unit typically consists of four bunks of 12 children, two bunks of girls and two of boys. The majority of campers hail from the San Francisco Bay Area or other parts of Northern California; however, there are several campers who come from Southern California and the Central Coast of California, and even from other states and countries. During fourth session, Camp Tawonga also welcomes a delegation of campers from Israel, usually numbering around 20.
[edit] Staff
During the summer, Camp Tawonga employs about 150 full-time staff at any given time, working as counselors, unit heads, wilderness leaders, lifeguards, specialists, infirmary staff, kitchen staff, maintenance staff, and drivers. Staff members must be at least 18 and many staff members are college students. Camp Tawonga also participates in the Shlichim program of the Jewish Agency, through which a delegation of about 10 staff members from Israel work at Camp Tawonga each year. Additionally, Camp Tawonga has a "SCWIT" program (specialists, counselors, and wilderness staff in training) which usually includes 16 and 17-year-olds.
[edit] Traditions
Camp Tawonga has many traditions which are passed down over the years.
[edit] The Sweat
The Sweat is located on the banks of the Tuolomne River, at a location known to Tawonga as Pipeline. The Sweat is a specially built enclosed structure in which a group of people sit around a pit with burning rocks. Water is poured into the pit, and the steam creates an extremely hot and moist environment, usually leading to copious amounts of perspiration hence its name. While pouring water in the pit, often the Sweat leader, who must be certified, will lead the campers in chants and songs, as well as opening up the area for personal reflection, creating a spiritual experience for them. After sitting in the sweat between a half hour and an hour, participants usually proceed to jump into the Tuolumne River to cleanse their bodies.
[edit] Thumb Wrestling
During campfires, which happen each Saturday night as well as at the beginning and end of each session, many skits are performed. One tradition is that of thumb wrestling. Essentially, thumb wrestling at Camp Tawonga is a parody of professional wrestling, with good and evil characters, intro music, and storylines that can stretch across sessions and sometimes even across summers.
[edit] Getting Gnarly
Most cabins "get gnarly" once during their session. Getting gnarly consists of several things. Participants are known to coat their bodies with many "gnarly" substances, including watery clay, paint, and a mixture of corn syrup and flour. Once their bodies are unrecognizable, the campers will run wild through the camp, typically shouting and chanting. Getting gnarly usually culminates with the campers jumping into the Tawonga lake, usually used only for boating.
[edit] Songs
There are many songs that campers and staff find synonymous with Camp Tawonga, however, the official camp song is "Country Roads" by John Denver. In the Camp Tawonga version, the words "West Virginia", "Blue Ridge Mountains", and "Shenandoah River" are replaced with "Camp Tawonga", "Sierra Mountains", and "Tuolumne River", respectively. Other camp favorites include "Stars in the Sky," "The General," "When the Stars Go Blue," as well as many more folk songs by artists such as the Beatles and Simon and Gurfunkel. The song sessions are a favorite part of camp for many campers, occurring after breakfast and dinner, with a special freylach after Shabbat dinner. The Camp produced a CD featuring campers and staff singing camp songs in 2004.
[edit] Notable Staff
The camp is most famous for once holding in its ranks Hannah Miriam Edber, editor of the features section at the Brandeis University publication, The Justice. She became notorious for her caring attitude towards the less popular children and her staggering musical ability. She was responsible for the creation of such camp anthems as "Roll With Me Girl" and "The Ga-Ga Pit." She currently resides at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
[edit] Other programs
In addition to summer camp, Camp Tawonga also puts on several other programs. During the summer, the camp sponsors "quests", which are long backpacking trips to various destinations around the U.S. In the past it has also sponsored trips to other countries, such as Israel, El Salvador and most recently Costa Rica. Additionally, Camp Tawonga has seven weekend programs throughout the year: two family weekends, a gay and lesbian family weekend (the only such program in the country), a singles and couples adult weekend, a camp for bereaved individuals, an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue weekend, and a Camp Tawonga alumni weekend.
