Camp Tel Noar

Camp Tel Noar is a Jewish summer camp for children ages 8 through 15. It is located in Hampstead, New Hampshire, in the United States, which is about 1 hour north of Boston. The camp sits on Sunset Lake (Wash Pond) and has about 275 campers.

History

Camp Tel Noar (CTN) was founded by Eli and Bessie Cohen in 1945 as a Zionist camp. Originally for young adults, CTN currently is a Jewish children's camp for ages 8 to 15.

Age groups

• Olim/Olot - Campers entering grades 3,4,5,6
• Tzofim/Tzofot - Campers entering grades 7,8
• Bogrim/Bogrot - Campers entering grades 9,10

There is a color war for 3 to 4 days where two teams, Galil and Negev compete. It is the highlight of many campers' summers.

Facilities

Buildings

One of Camp Tel Noar's special features is their "Chug" style bunks. These "chugs" are three bunks that are attached and share a lounge and bathroom. CTN also has single bunks for the older campers. The other facilities include a gym, rec hall, dining hall, arts & crafts building, and other support buildings.

1998 fire

During March 1998, a fire was caused by the roofing company working on the dining hall in the winter. The fire destroyed the dining hall and kitchen. For the summer of 1998, the camp rented trailers that could be used as a dining hall and kitchen.

Areas of Camp

• The Big Diamond is the softball field directly in front of the dining hall.
• The Dell is near A&C, which is used primarily for soccer. There is also the Dell Volleyball Court ("Dell Net").
• The Archery Range is located at the top of the Dell Hill.
• The New Diamond a multipurpose sports field is located behind the bunks.
• The Chapel is located at the back end of the Dell and is used only for Friday and Saturday Shabbat services.
• The area around the Flagpole is used for line up and raising the flags.
• The Ropes Course is located behind the New Diamond, and is used for adventure programming
• The George Marcus Aquatics Center is used for swim instruction and all swim classes.

George Marcus Aquatics Center

In October, 2010, work began on a state-of-the-art pool and bathhouse. The pool will take the place of the Upper Courts, a multi-use basketball and street-hockey court. The Aquatics Center is projected to be finished by June 2011, to be ready for the 2011 Camp Season. The facility is dedicated in memory of George Marcus, longtime former director of Camp Tel Noar. The pool was officially dedicated on June 25, 2011, four days before the 2011 Camp Opening Day.

Activities

Water sports

• Swimming
• Boating and canoeing
• Windsurfing
• Sailing
• Waterskiing and Wakeboarding

Land activities

• Aerobics

• Basketball: Every year there is a tzofim basketball team, a bogrim basketball team, a tzofot, and a bogrot team. They compete in one tournament with other cohen camps and other camps.

• Field Hockey

• Lacrosse

• Martial Arts

• Running: Running and fitness can be a way for people to train during the summer for sports coming up in the seasons to follow. Sometimes there are classes that go for long runs out of camp.

• Soccer

• Softball

• Street Hockey

• Newcomb: There is an olim/olot team that competes against other teams during game days.

• Ultimate Frisbee

• Volleyball: For the bogrim/bogrot and tzofim/tzofot age there is a team that competes against other teams on game days.

• Tennis: There are open try-outs every year for people to compete in a tournament against other camps like basketball. Some are cohen camps; some are not.

• Archery: There are awards given out by the archery director for different accomplishments.

• Kickball

• Quidditch: Although it is not played exactly like it is in the Harry Potter movies, it is a fun interactive game that now can be taken as an elective.

• • • • Game day is not a tournament. It is days through the summer where your team goes to a different camp to play one game or a team comes to your camp to play one game. This is only for volleyball, softball, and newcomb.

• • • • Tournament: Where your team goes and plays an actual tournament with 4-7 other camps and depending on what sport there is some sort of elimination. This is for basketball, volleyball and tennis.

Arts

• Arts and Crafts
• Photography
• Dance
• Drama
• Music

Nature

• Nature
• Camping
• Animal Care
• Outdoor Cooking

Schedule

Camp Tel Noar only operates in the summer months of June, July, and August. The campers arrive on the last Wednesday of June and leave seven weeks from there. Staff are required to arrive one week early for orientation. During the year, the facility is mainly closed off, but the dining hall is used for the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs' Laymen's Institute [1] and local events.

Sunday through Thursday, a six period schedule is run and on Saturday, a relaxed Shabbat schedule is run.

See also

• Camp Pembroke

External links

• Camp Tel Noar Homepage
• Camp Tevya (co-ed sister camp) Homepage
• Eli & Bessie Cohen Foundation - Camp Tel Noar