Today is June 19, 2013 - 11 Tammuz 5773
Kadima Shabbaton 2011 Recap
Kadima Shabbaton
Sara Finkelstein, METNY Membership/Kadima Vice President, 2011-2012
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to staff my last Kadima Shabbaton as a USYer. The weekend began on Friday afternoon when two buses filled with eager children arrived at South Huntington Jewish Center. By late afternoon all 100 Kadimaniks arrived and the extraordinary weekend began.
Everyone was welcomed and the Kadimaniks were split into groups to do icebreakers. This was a great way to start the weekend because all the attendees were able to meet new people and learn new things about each other. After icebreakers the Kadimaniks participated in a fun program in which they learned about Israel. This stirred up a big appetite so the Kadimaniks along with the staff and USYers who attended had a nice Shabbat dinner together. After dinner and Ruach we welcomed Shabbat by doing Kabbalat Shabbat, led by the Kadimaniks themselves. After services the Kadimaniks had a sicha session where discussed “What makes a Jewish hero and how can they be one themselves”. Afterwards the kids got a late night snack and went home to their host homes for a great night’s sleep.
The next morning everyone arrived at shul bright and early. We had services and then a delicious Shabbat lunch. After lunch there was a treasure hunt done by grade, and a lot of free time for everyone to relax and make new friends. Then we sadly ended Shabbat with Havdalah. After this we had our Yad B’Yad program which was modeled after the popular television game show, “Don’t Forget The Lyrics”. Yad B’Yad is the Kadima Tzedakah which helps special needs children partake in Ramah and USY/Kadima programs across the United States and Canada. While everyone sang and danced we managed to raise $1,200 dollars for Tzedaka! Then we concluded our night with a dance with an awesome dj which was a ton of fun! Everyone was so sad to say goodbye to their friends but for the eighth graders, it wasn’t goodbye it was I’ll see you soon since they can see their friends if they sign up for eighth grade leadership in February! Overall this was one unforgettable weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!
