Girls Enjoy Winter Retreat

50 girls from all backgrounds gathered for the 4th Annual Jewish Girls Winter Retreat, based at the Maimonides Hebrew Day School in Albany, NY recently.

The girls, hailing from NY, NJ, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, were entertained and inspired by over 20 staff members to “Get Glowing” and illuminate the world with goodness.

Directors Rabbi Avraham and Nechama Laber prepared an exciting program dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Rivkah Holtzberg, OBM.

The weekend included a concert by Sara Sobel, a dance performance by Miriam Yerushalmi, a trip to glow-in-the-dark golfing and late night snow tubing.

The girls also spent time learning about Rivkah Holtzberg and how they can carry on her legacy by being a rose among thorns and lighting up the world with shabbos candles, Torah and Mitzvot. They played a human challah game and then divided into three groups to make candles, bake challah and shabbos desserts. In each workshop the girls discussed the deeper meaning of each of the three mitzvos entrusted to Jewish women.

The girls spent a very inspiring shabbos telling miracle stories, learning new songs and meditating on the the meaning of the davening. In Parsha drama, each group acted scenarios from their lives in which they acted kindly, just like Yosef, to someone who wronged them. The girls performed and expressed their talents in choir, dance, drama or storytelling workshops of their choice and brought out the theme “Get Glowing”.

On Sunday, the girls spent the day learning and in creative art clubs. They made professional jewelry, soap, duct tape wallets, and glow in the dark crafts.

The retreat ended with a banquet and candle lighting ceremony in which each girl shared one thing they will do to glow in the dark and dispel the darkness in the world.

Jewish Girls Retreat is a project of YALDAH magazine and the BMC of Chabad of S. Rensselaer County. Go to www.jewishgirlsretreat.net for more information about the Jewish Girls Summer Retreat 2010.