Last week we moved from our first camp to the Kadima Youth Club, where kids
meet every day after school throughout the year as well as during the summer
vacation. The atmosphere at Kadima is much different. There are fewer kids and
they have more free time so we have more of an opportunity to spend individual
time with them and make a connection.
Our first experience when we arrived to Kadima was playing a card game with
two of the kids. It is called Kareh Kupeh (Signal or Kent in English). We had a
lot of fun, especially because the kids cheated in increasingly obvious ways.
By the end, they were attempting to rip the cards out of our hands to see what
we had. However, we got the last laugh as I discovered that their signal was
kicking each other under the table. I simply placed my legs between them and
whenever I felt a kick, I announced “Kareh Kupeh!” and won the round, much to
their amazement.
On Monday we went with the kids to the swimming pool and on Tuesday we
went on a trip to Jerusalem. We started with a tour at the newly renovated Israel
Museum, followed by lunch and then some arts and crafts. Then, after getting
slightly lost on the bus ride with the bus driver who had no idea how to get to the
Old City, we made our way to the Kotel where we had just a few minutes before it
was time to return to Bat Yam.
Back at Kadima, we helped the kids and counsellors paint the set for the
upcoming closing performance with the theme of Hisardut (Survivor). Also, we
spent lots of time with the kids preparing and rehearsing lines, dances, and
videos for the performance.
We also prepared a Canada Day for the kids. I played a trivia game with them
and helped them find Canada on the map. Nechama helped them decorate
Canadian flags and make paper snowflakes. David organized a relay race that
highlighted various aspects of Canadian culture. The kids had a lot of fun and
learned a lot of new things about Canada.
Overall, we have had a lot of fun at Kadima and even after just one week we
have made a great connection with the kids.
-Brian Shaposhnik
