Camp Tel Noar is a Jewish summer camp for children ages 8 through 15. It is located in Hampstead, New Hampshire

Hampstead, New Hampshire

Hampstead is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,523 at the 2010 census. Hampstead, which includes the village of East Hampstead, is home to a portion of the Rockingham Recreational Trail.- History :...

, in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, which is about 1 hour north of Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

. 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.

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. http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/19980714/HA_005.htm

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 of 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 25th, 2011, four days before the 2011 Camp Opening Day.

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.

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 http://www.fjmc.org/newengland.html and local events.

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

Shabbat

Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...

schedule is run.

External links

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