They also go for the traditional fare of chicken and rice pilaf, not to mention the challahs, which are distributed to each table. Kaufman and staff put in more time for Friday dinners than any other day of the week - four solid hours, from 2 to 6 p.m. The payoff is well worth it though, as employees and campers filter into the dining hall at dinnertime and the spark of Shabbat excitement becomes palpable in the room. Bunks have been preparing short skits for Kabbalat discussion groups after dinner. Others use it to go swimming. It is the only time during the week that anybody on camp grounds truly cares what they look like.
Girls eschew cut-off jeans and tank tops for dresses and makeup.
But at least the clothes are clean, as are the kids inside them. Now with the older kids, you probably won't find a single one who didn't take a shower. Considering the possibility that for some of these kids it could very well be the week's only bath, it is an impressive notion indeed. This is the moment when the full sense of camp community proves strongest. It is a slow pace, very deliberate in its purpose.