Reflections on the Impact of the Chadar – Hannah (Iwrey) Hoffman & Melissa Michaels

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Melissa & Hannah

Reflections on the Impact of the Chadar – Hannah (Iwrey) Hoffman & Melissa Michaels

Reflecting on our 12 and 13 years on Maple Lake, we can honestly say there was truly nothing better than stepping out onto the Chadar porch during a sunset over Maple Lake. It’s woven through the memories of each summer, each day, each program, and each experience at Camp George. 

We started our Camp George journey in 2003, Hannah, a young, eager, nervous second session younger Lehavot camper, and Melissa in Nitzotzot, first session. Both of us were housed in the Red Dorms; Hannah in what’s now known as the Dance room, and Melissa in the Apartments. 

It was in the Chadar that we both fell in love with camp. It’s not often at the ages of 9 and 10 that you’re sat in a room with hundreds of people filled with joy and ruach for the place they’re in. There are such vivid memories of the second session Maccabiah break. It was in the Chadar that Hannah found out she’d been placed on the one and only ever gray team – the mountains. The gray team didn’t win, but never forgotten is the clever “sheket mountain” we were taught to quiet down during those Maccabiah meals.


We both spent several summers in each section of the 5 pointed dining hall – including the Kitchen on occasion – with such warm memories of the impact each of those points, and the lasting impression they’ve left on us long after graduating from the camping world. As great as Taylor Swift singalongs in the car can be, nothing will ever top the song sessions during clearing time when every single person danced and sang at the top of their lungs. There was no greater joy than a cheer off in the Chadar, standing on benches and tables to outcheer the neighboring unit at the end of a meal, or doing the hand motions that accompanied the Birkat Hamazon on the wooden tables, often adorned with paint flecks or signs of a successful program from years past.


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The warmth felt when it was your turn to skip around the room on your birthday surrounded by your cabin mates or campers is not something easily come by in the real world. And it wasn’t a Shabbat meal at Camp George if it didn’t end in a Super Spesh Song Sesh, the sunshine glaring through the windows, and the floor bouncing with the jumps of campers and staff alike, celebrating the culmination of a beautiful week at camp.

As we grew older in the camp community and became staff members, we were both given the opportunity to be a team captain for, and later coordinate, a Maccabiah, plan a camper banquet, select campers and cabins to highlight with specialty awards, and supervise the session plays and dance presentations – all highly impacted by the very existence of the Chadar. Even rainy Shabbats meant services indoors, which gave me extra time to look around at the history of camp through the plaques adorning every wall in the building.

When we heard the devastating news of the Chadar burning down, our initial thoughts were how heartbreaking it was to lose the plaques. The team plaques representing the ruach, determination, and creativity from an unlikely combination of campers and staff on each team from a collection of over 25 years of colour war teams, and the annual end of Summer plaques that held special, unique, and unforgettable moments from each year – gone. History was attached to those walls. The first plaques were created to celebrate 12 summers of Camp George. After that, we in A&C took it upon ourselves to continue making them year after year. We highlighted the new, exciting additions to camp, banquet and Maccabiah themes, and the SAM award winners. We loved and looked forward to revealing the finished plaque on the last night of camp. And then it got hung on the Chadar walls like all the ones that came before. 



The magic of camp isn’t all about the physical memorabilia that was held in the Chadar, but rather about the memories we all hold so dear, no matter how long ago we last stepped foot onto the grounds. As difficult as the recovery and the rebuild may be in the coming months and years, the resilience of the Camp George community is stronger than ever, with a massive Alumni community rooted from the very beginning of camp as we know it to be. Together, we are confident that between the memories, photos, and whatever remains are able to be recovered, the Chadar will be brought to life with all of these memories built into the very soul of it.

Written by:

 

Hannah (Iwrey) Hoffman

Lehavot Camper ‘03-’04

Kochvavim Camper ‘05-’06

Barak Camper ‘07-’08

CIT ‘09

Junior A&C Specialist (Kochavim) ‘10

Assistant A&C Head (Kochavim) ‘11

Head of A&C (Kochavim & Lehavot) ‘12-’13

Cornerstone Fellow ‘13

Rosh Arts ‘14-’15

Melissa Michaels

Nitzotzot Camper ‘03

Lehavot Camper 04-’05

Kochavim Camper ‘06-’07

Barak Camper ‘08-’09

CIT ‘10

A&C Specialist (Lehavot & Nitzotzot) ‘11

A&C Specialist (Nitzotzot & Barak) ‘12-’13

Communications Director ‘15