Day Seven: Outdoor Sport + Foam Party

Following the excitement of the previous day, the participants of Maccabi Junior Carnival returned to the pitches of David Phillips Sporting Complex and Roland Park to resume their outdoor sporting commitments. As they did on the previous outdoor sports day, participants had the chance to play any of the following sports: football, touch football, ultimate Frisbee, tee ball, netball, tennis and AFL nines.

The sport was fiercely contested as participants finally enjoyed ideal weather for taking to the pitch. Finals were played out on the field as those playing competitively strived for satisfaction and glory! Overall, it was a fairly uneventful day of sport aside from an injury or two!

New South Wales participant Aaron Klimt dubbed it “the best

sports day so far!”

­­­­­­Our social event for the night was the always popular and ever-present foam party! Held at Rose Bay Secondary College, the foam party is a seemingly ever-present staple of the Carnival schedule. DJ Les Cohen got the crowd going with some top tunes as the foam party filled up with kids aching to be covered from head to toe in froth.

Perhaps, however, the real highlight of the night came as Les passed the decks over to Life on Earth – carnival participants aged just 14! The trio, comprised of New South Wales’ Riley Kovkin, Ryan Mayer and Jordan Lakofski, took over with aplomb and dropped tunes which brought the dancefloor back to life towards the end of the party. It was a wonderful sight to see.

The party was a big success as participants enjoyed the company of their friends whilst getting wet with foam and dancing the night away.

Tomorrow brings another edition of the indoor sporting options as well as our closing ceremony held at the exciting new arcade-style facility Attractivity. Tomorrow is the LAST day of Carni – make the most of it!

Thanks for reading.

By Jake Rosengarten

Day Six: Raw Challenge + Lila Lavan (White Night)

Every Maccabi Junior Carnival has its own landmark event. Last year in Melbourne it was the Neon Run, but this time around Sydney’s Raw Challenge was the event everyone was looking forward to. A five kilometre course strewn with obstacles left, right and centre awaited at St Ives Showground as participants were bussed to the premises.

Somewhat unfortunately, Mother Nature failed to produce rain just when we needed it and as such mud was at a premium. Nevertheless, challenging obstacles saw participants climb, crawl, jump and run through all manner of challenging course features. Most popular perhaps was the slip and slide, in which participants had the opportunity to run and slide along a slippery surface – of course, getting dirty and foamy in the process.

Many ran the course a number of times before switching to objective number one… getting as muddy as humanly possible! NSW’s trio of Ella Hiles, Hannah Kavin and Jade Mezei were certainly of the philosophy that muddier is better.

“It was muddy and it was great. The muddier we got the more we went around the course and the better it was.”

Carnival Manager Justin Shelton’s prayer to the rain gods was to no avail but the head honcho believed that the event was still an unmitigated success.

“The course was great. The venue was great. We were hoping for more rain to get more mud happening but I believe the participants enjoyed the course nonetheless. It was good to see the kids running around and getting some exercise out in the fresh air.”

The recurring theme of a longing for a muddier and wetter day continued as Queensland’s Eli Mitchell gave me his thoughts on the Challenge.

“The Raw Challenge was good fun. I really enjoyed the slip and slide and the bubble machine. Maybe next time add more mud.”

The day was capped off with a variety of novelty races as youth leaders and management alike competed against participants. Watching Maccabi NSW president Danny Hochberg running the obstacle course dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and rainbow afro wig was certainly a sight that had to be seen to be believed!

After an awesome day at the Raw Challenge, the bar had been set and it was up to our Israel themed Lila Lavan (White Night) to live up to the lofty expectations of participants. It certainly did not disappoint, as DJ Jesse Bloch returned to the decks to keep the party going all night long - or at least until our designated 10:30 pick up time…

Snacks were on offer to compliment the wicked beats being dropped by our very own JB, as a drumming performance from ‘The Rhythm Village’ drew interactivity from the crowd. Situated in a warehouse-type building with Israeli flags donning the walls, white party 2k16 will go down as quite possibly the best social event of the entire Carnival social program.

Team VIC’s Angel Cohen was a big fan of the atmosphere at White Night. “Last night at white night was really fun and the music was really good and I had a great time.”

Lexi Levy agreed with her fellow Melbournian stating that she believed we “need more parties like white night!”

It was a long albeit exciting day at #MaccabiCarni, hopefully participants will get lots of sleep and will arrive on Monday raring for our final day of outdoor sport. Check back tomorrow for an update on sport and Monday night’s foam party!

Thanks for reading!

By Jake Rosengarten

Day Five: Shabbat + Show Night!

Central Synagogue welcomed Carnival participants with open arms on Friday night as a beautiful service brought in Shabbat. Beautiful singing from the choir and the beautiful interiors of the shule ensured a service which was appreciated by the scores of Carni kids who were on hand to witness it. Tradition saw Saturday designated as a day off from Carnival activities as interstaters were given some time to get to know their billets and the city of Sydney in any way they saw fit.

Following the exit of Shabbat, participants flocked to UNSW’s Science Theatre for the aptly named ‘Show Night.’ Boy, did they see some show! We kicked off with a wonderful set by our very own Zak Fleisher, all the way from Perth, Western Australia. Zak got the crowd going with a covers of ‘Lonely Boy’ by the Black Keys and ‘Do I wanna know’ by the Arctic Monkeys before finishing off with two wonderfully crafted original songs.

The talent boasted by our youth leader ranks was on display shortly thereafter as Zak was joined on stage by NSW’s very own Tayla Cohen and Victoria’ Orren Chabat who burst into an impromptu version of Justin Bieber’s summer anthem ‘Love Yourself.’ Only to be joined by the entire youth leader body as participants in the crowd took the invitation to join them on the stage and bust out some bars to the Biebz. However, it didn’t take long for a Kanye-West-style interruption saw a change of tone as Omi’s Cheerleader, the song of #Carni2015 was belted out by the 500 strong crowd encompassing leadership, management and participants alike in a rare show of unity.

However, the show was just heating up – Stage Hypnotist Bill Wheeler then kicked us into overdrive with a showing of hypnosis which, quite literally, mesmerised participants. Wheeler’s act saw participants and leaders alike put to sleep with the click of fingers as well as dance moves some never knew they possessed and finally impromptu bursts of the chicken dance whenever a certain easily recognisable piece of music was played. Be sure to ask your child all about Bill’s act, and especially if they were involved. Something tells me they’ll all be giving very similar answers…

Bill wowed the crowd for one and a half hours of hypnotic fun, which to some more felt like a quick five minute nap! After a wonderful set and an unbelievable show night, the fun had to come to an end as the clocked clicked past 11. Show Night never fails to amaze and 2016’s edition was no exception to the rule.

Today (Sunday) sees participants engage in our gruelling five kilometre long Raw Challenge course in St Ives which is sure to see some muddy fun for young and old alike! Check back tomorrow for a detailed report of the goings-on at the Challenge!

Thanks for reading.

By Jake Rosengarten

Day Four: Community Day!

Community day is one of the most important staples of the Carnival schedule. It allows 

participants a chance to learn about and become a part of a number of important organisations and institutions in and around the host city who make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves. 2016 saw Carnival participants head to 16 different locations around Sydney to help those in need, learn about their heritage or become educated on other important societal issues and ways we can fix them. Originally 19 wonderful organisations offered to take on participants but unfortunately due to weather activities at Clean up Australia, Save the Children, North West Disability Services and Easy Care Gardening had to be cancelled. A big thank you must also go to Chabad North Shore who offered to take participants at the very last minute!

Community Day organiser Leanne Shelton was over the moon that all her hard work paid off and culminated in a fantastic day of volunteering for all. “While it was a stressful morning of sorting out last minute relocations, all of the reports I’ve heard have been very positive,” Shelton said, “I’d like to thank all the organisations for coming on board and I hope everyone had a memorable experience and will continue to do more volunteering in the future.”

Continue reading down the page for summaries of each individual volunteering experience!

Advantaged Care - Bondi Waters

The 8 Participants who did their volunteering at Bondi Waters Aged Care facility began their experience with a tour around the building before engaging in an inter-generational game of bowling involving both kids and residents. Next, participants sat and ate lunch with residents in the dining room whilst mingling and enjoying each other’s company. Finally, the participants helped residents in their preparations for Australia day.

Resident Pat Kenny had the following to say about Maccabi Carnival’s successful visit to Bondi Waters.

“They have fitted in well and haven’t made any noise. The kids are very well-mannered, something which you don’t see a lot in kids their age these days. I think it’s a lovely concept; years ago there wasn’t anything like this. The residents have really enjoyed having the kids here.”

Animal Welfare League NSW

Participants who volunteered at the Animal Welfare League opened their day by preparing a morning meal for the cats residing there and also had the opportunity to feed it to them whilst brushing and grooming the adorable felines. Following this, participants played with puppies and took a few lucky canines on a walk before engaging in a mini-training session with command and rewards for the dogs.

Arthritis & Osteoporosis NSW

A Brainstorming session about how to raise awareness for arthritis saw participants come up with various ideas for arts, crafts and games to be undertaken at camps run by host organisation Arthritis and Osteoporosis NSW. The kids then helped with administration tasks such as sorting brochures and opening mail.

Assistance Dogs Australia

Fundraising for assistance dogs Australia in Sydney’s CBD was incredibly successful and culminated in the raising hundreds of dollars for their organisation. The highlight of the day was the opportunity to meet a woman whose nephew was the same age as participants and is a beneficiary of the charity.

B'nai B'rith Courage to Care

Courage to Care put on an amazing program for our Maccabi participants; explaining the power of propaganda and the media and, the importance of standing up against bullying and discrimination. The kids then had the opportunity to listen to a holocaust survivor’s story and then create their own powerful posters on a social issue important to them. Some incredible posters were designed which displayed amazing thoughts from our future generation about important societal concerns.

Chabad North Shore

Volunteers at Chabad North Shore had the opportunity to spend time helping out in their vacation care as well as baking challah amongst other activities.

Friendship Circle NSW

Carnival participants were given the opportunity to spend a morning playing games, sport and bonding with Friendship Circle members. Split into groups of three, all participants were able to forge relationships with their Friendship Circle partners at a one on one level. Carnival participants walked away with a new perspective on people with special needs and a desire to ensure that Maccabi and their respective societies becomes more inclusive.

New South Wales participant Ryan Mayer was glowing about his experience at the Friendship Circle:

“We had a lot of fun and it was really interactive with the kids. I loved the person I was working with; she was super great. It’s an awesome experience to be with these kids and learning how they work and feel because a lot of their emotion comes out. It feels great to give back to the community. I’ve never really felt like this when doing community service; we’re making a real difference to real people which is the best thing someone can do.”

Jewish House

Volunteers at Jewish House helped pack gift bags whilst organising the kitchen and cupboards with a stocktake of all the donated food and supplies Jewish house have received. Proceeding this, participants also helped tidy up the house so it stays in tip top shape for the clients who stay there.

Our Big Kitchen

The 65 Carnival kids who visited Our Big Kitchen in Bondi had the opportunity to bake challah from start to finish as well as making cookies for the homeless.

Our Big Kitchen’s Laya Slavin had only good things to say about the participants who she guided through the baking process.

“Maccabi kids are fantastic and have a real ruach about them. It isn’t just challah dough; they are experiencing a lot more than that. Each child has made 2 challahs today. One will be going to their family or their billet’s family and the other is to give to someone to put a smile on their face. They will also be making cookies for the homeless. The kids have been really well behaved and look to be having a great time.”

Oz Harvest Food Rescue

Kids who spent the day at Maccabi’s Offices with OzHarvest spent their time organising and sorting the donations made by Carnival participants this week. They listened intently to a presentation by a representative of the organisation and ensured the foodstuffs were ready for collection.

Stand Up: Jewish Commitment to a Better World

Icebreakers. Listened to the story of Yarrie Bangura, a Sierra Leonan refugee and basically linked it to Jewish responsibility. Because our grandparents too were persecuted it’s our responsibility. Got some inspiration from posters about freedom and liberty and painted a canvas each about what it meant to stand up for what we believe in. Thinking about what we can do to stand up for everyone.

SummitCare Nursing Home Randwick (Frenchman's Lodge)

Participants who visited SummitCare Nursing Home Randwick spent their day meeting the residents and assisting with other activities.

Sydney Jewish Museum

The Sydney Jewish Museum was the biggest of our volunteer locations in terms of the number of participants taken on. 100 Carnival kids spent Community Day at the SJM learning about their heritage and the history of the Jewish people. Beginning with a guided tour around the museum, the participants also heard lectures from SJM staff as well as being treated to a testimonial from a holocaust survivor.

“It’s nice but also sad to see what happened during the World War Two period and hearing from the survivors,” said Tal Levin of Western Australia, “I think learning about the holocaust enhances our Jewish connection and is really important so we never forget what happened in the past.”

Thread Together

Thread Together is an organisation that collects off-season clothing from big clothing brands and donates them to the less fortunate. Participants helped to organise the clothing into sizes and categories so that they were ready for distribution. There were over 140,000 pieces of clothing on site and the organisation is able to help a multitude of charities all over the country by providing them with these clothes.

Together for Humanity

An organisation where there were representatives from 4 different religious beliefs. Amongst the representatives were a Muslim, a Jew, A Christian and an atheist. The participants had the opportunity to ask questions and answer questions around each different stream of faith. Following this, the kids participated in a few different activities which encouraged them to critically think about different global issues and scenarios relating to different cultures and religions.

Wesley Mission

Participants were set the challenge of feeding a homeless person in the best way possible for just $5. The kids learnt a lot about the multitude of reasons why someone may end up homeless and were left with a greater knowledge of the world surrounding homeless men, women and children.

Thanks for reading.

Written by Jake Rosengarten.

Photos by Jess Cohen and Talia Binkin.

Day Three: Heat Waves and Pool Raves

Sydney put on its best Melbourne impression on Thursday as the weather shifted from one extreme to another. We began the day with in blistering heat with the mercury hitting a scarcely believable 40 degrees as participants sweated through their morning sporting exploits. Somewhat fortuitously, today was scheduled for indoor sports with futsal, basketball, volleyball and rock climbing on the agenda for the morning session.

It was clear to those who inquired that participants had only one thing on their mind today. “It is extremely hot, all I’m doing is looking for shade and air conditioning wherever I can find them!” proclaimed Riley Kovkin of New South Wales. Victorian Sam Rudzki shared Riley’s train of thought, “is it air conned?” Sam asked me longingly before quickly added, “Because if it is, I’m there!” before I even had a chance to retort.

Despite a fairly enjoyable morning sporting session, chaos quickly ensued as participants complained of heat stroke, exhaustion and tiredness. Following lunch, as the temperature continued to climb, a decision was made by carnival management to cancel our afternoon sporting session (which was due to comprise of futsal, basketball, volleyball and tenpin bowling) due to health risks associated with the weather.

“We were really looking forward to playing basketball with our friends,” said Felix Moses and Liyam Rabinowitz of New South Wales and Victoria respectively, “although everyone is sweaty and tired and we completely understand the decision to cancel.”

Following the departure of participants from the sporting arena, an equally perilous weather situation threatened to ruin yet another event. A nasty looking storm front was poised to strike Sydney and its surrounds during the evening – during which time, the kids of Carnival were meant to be enjoying a pool party at Botany Aquatic Centre. A decision was put off as long as possible before eventually deciding to go ahead with the party despite the potential for further rain.

“The forecast wasn’t looking great but we made a decision based on what we could foresee,” stated Carnival manager Justin Shelton, “after seeing how well all the participants enjoyed the night I’m glad we went ahead with it. Despite a few showers here and there the night was a success.”

Participants echoed Justin’s sentiments as many noted the arctic conditions on offer in the water. “The music is pumping and we’re having loads of fun, but the water is freezing!” asserted Georgia Goodson and Jasmine Simon, both native Victorians.

In summary, despite the temporary obstacles thrown our way by Mother Nature, the Carnival schedule managed to go ahead almost entirely as planned – with the exception of afternoon sport. Tomorrow is community day and will see participants head to various organisations located in and around Sydney to volunteer some of their time to those who need it most. It is a very important day for Carnival and Maccabi, one which will hopefully see the kids represent their community to the best of their ability.

Thanks for reading.

Tune in tomorrow evening for another instalment of all the news from #MaccabiCarni!

By Jake Rosengarten

Day Two: Sport in the heat and a boat party meet and greet

As Sydney turned on a scorcher the participants of Maccabi Carnival 2016, albeit reluctantly, hit the sporting fields. The mercury continued to rise as the kids tried their hands at netball, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, touch football, football, tee ball and AFL Nines. Sessions were split up between social and competitive sport as we aimed to accommodate the sporting needs of each and every participant.

Outdoor sports organiser Michael Puterflam believes that the changes made to the sporting side of Carnival this year have paid off. “The introduction of a split between social and competitive sport means that the kids who really want to play can do so, whilst also providing more relaxed options for the kids who would rather just chill.”

Puterflam added, “This year our youth leaders have been assigned to sports in which they already possess a skill and/or knowledge. Each leader is paired up with a team of kids who they stay with for the entirety of a sporting session, thus allowing time for bonds between the two to develop. Our first goal is to get everyone playing sport, and today I feel we achieved that.”

Participants of ultimate Frisbee were taught a variety of skills essential to a game which was foreign to many. “We learned to throw it flat and in the right direction through a variety of games which were really fun,” stated Elya Tal, Chloe Pamamull and Holly Feldman (All VIC), “the coaches were really great and taught us well enough that we would now be capable of playing with friends in the future.”

Western Australian Zach Nepper spent a session playing football – an activity which led to him meeting people from a number of states. “It was fun to be able to play with new people. I was in a mixed team with people from New Zealand, New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland, some of whom I have now formed friendships with. It was really good to have a run around.”

After a seriously long day of sport which was not made any less tiring by the blistering sun, came a short break before meeting at Rose Bay Wharf for the first social event of the Carni calendar. The harbour cruise is a staple of a Sydney carnival and has been a tradition for a number of years. The scenery through the harbour including the world famous Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge left no one unimpressed and no selfie untaken.

Many participants spoke of the uniqueness of these views to the Sydney landscape. Western Australia’s Tal Ram and Adam Gootman spoke fondly of their experience aboard the cruise, “The music was really great and it was amazing to take in all the Sydney scenery, the vibe was awesome and the atmosphere super chilled.” NSW’s Eve Lemberg and Paris Spennato remarked at the “difference to the other discos” as they enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Sydney harbour.

Whilst some kids offered more thoughts than others, Daniel Epstein perhaps offered the best all round summary of a great first social event for 2016. “10/10 and the DJ is unbelievable,” glowed the New South Welshman. Something I like to think is a fairly accurate review of an evening which left everyone looking forward to the rest of the packed schedule in store over the next seven days and nights.

The tunes were provided by local Sydney DJ and Jew Jesse Bloch, who himself is a former Carnival participant. Jesse is our resident Carni DJ and will play at a number of the social events at this year’s Carni. Additionally, an on-board canteen was run by the Maccabi Swimming Club.

A long day comes to an end. Tomorrow should prove not quite as tiring or draining on participants as they undertake their sports of choice in entirely indoor venues. If today is anything to go on, it should shape up as an absolute cracker of a day!

Thanks for reading.

By Jake Rosengarten

We’re back… Maccabi Junior Carnival kicks off in Sydney!

427 participants aged between 11 and 15 flooded terminal two of Sydney Domestic Airport early on Tuesday morning, accompanied by their 48-strong leadership team, as the 34^th annual Maccabi Junior Carnival kicked off with a ruckus at the baggage carousel. Despite the marshalling of our youth leaders, something which almost anyone in the eastern suburbs could tell you was revealed; Jewish parents have little to no patience. Amongst the chaos of the airport, Carnival manager Justin Shelton quipped, “I’m super excited to get started on what should be a great carnival. It’s amazing to have the kids here from all over the country, as well as from across the ditch in New Zealand.”

Parents and participants alike echoed supreme leader Shelton’s statement, “This is our first carnival and we’ve heard only good things. We have two billets, one from Victoria and the other from Western Australia and we’re looking forward to a week of fun!” remarked Andrew and Noah Klein. However, Carnival’s youngest participants were looking for a little bit extra… “Do we get any benefits?!” was the question young New South Welshmen Gabriel Sperber and Jordan Harrity had for me before I shrugged my shoulders and died a little inside upon hearing they were born in 2004.

Gabriel is Carnival’s outright youngest member at 11 years, 3 months and 29 days and he says he’s up for the challenge. “It’s challenging being the youngest here and could be a bit awkward with a billet who is a bit older than me… but I’m ready to take on the challenge!”

It’s NSW Team Manager Joel Weiner’s second year in the job and he’s more excited than anyone for a home Carnival. “Everyone here in NSW is thrilled to jump straight into it and are hoping that all the planning pays off. We aim to make it the best experience for each and every one of the kids who have made the trip down to Sydney.”

After settling into their homes for the week, participants made their way to Hensley Field where the first sporting event of the Carnival program took place in the form of an athletics carnival. Events included runs of 100, 200 and 800 metres as well as field events long jump and high jump – each broken into two age categories per gender. There were some outstanding performances in our events, including a remarkable feat from NSW’s Jake Sperber who managed to jump a distance of 5.37 metres in the long jump. For those of you unfamiliar with long jump, that’s a pretty darn big jump… the full winners list will be published at the bottom of this post.

NSW competitors Jay Hirchowitz and Felix Moses were big fans of the place of athletics at Carnival, “I think this is a great initiative and one which should be compulsory to compete in. Those that came today had good fun and a great experience – one which I think everyone would benefit from.” Their fellow blue Daniel King added to their thoughts, “It’s a real good way to get to know who the good athletes are. Through Carni I know people I wouldn’t normally know and can make friendships I wouldn’t normally make.”

The Western Australian contingent had the longest journey of any team to arrive at Carnival and it certainly took it out of some of their members. Nalani Gleeson and Nelly Shufrin opted not to compete but still made the effort to support their friends at the long jump. “We had fun today cheering our friends on and making sure they tried their best,” the pair stated.

Sharne Schloss-Waters and Layne Thompson with the Jocelyn Kann memorial flame as named after their grandmother.

The VIPs: Justin Shelton, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, Tom York OAM, Tom Goldman OAM, Danny Hochberg, Representative of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Representative of Waverley Mayor Sally Betts. (L to R) Photo: Jess Cohen.

At the completion of the sporting aspect of Carni’s opening day came the formal element where we officially ushered in the start of the 11^th Junior Carnival held on the shores of Sydney. Emcee Joel Grunstein ran the show as speeches from Justin, Maccabi NSW President Danny Hochberg and Carnival patron Tom Goldman were preceded by a welcome to country performed by Sydney Roosters players Connor Watson and Latrell Mitchell. The national anthems of Australia and Israel were performed by Doron Chester. Many spoke of the importance of Carnival as it was emphasised that over 17,500 Jewish young people have now participated in Australia’s largest Jewish youth event since its inception in 1982. Finally, the Jocelyn Kann Memorial Flame was lit as Maccabi Junior Carnival was officially opened much to the delight of the crowd.

After a long day, participants were then picked up from the venue as they ventured home to prepare for the hectic schedule they are to endure over the next week.

Tune in daily for your latest fix of Maccabi Junior Carnival News!

Thanks for reading.

By Jake Rosengarten

Long Jump:

Boys – Jake Sperber (5.37m)

Girls – Marley Kuran (3.83m)

100m:

6/7 Girls – Ashley Zukowski (15.6 sec)

8/9 Girls – Jessica Rich (15.7 sec)

6/7 Boys – Matt Nurick (13.5 sec)

8/9 Boys – Gregg Allen (13.2 sec)

800m:

6/7 Girls – Gabi Goodridge (2:57.3)

6/7 Boys – Nathan Spielman (2:50.1)

8/9 Boys – Sammy Guttmann (2:30.3)

Welcome to Maccabi Junior Carnival 2016!

As Maccabi Junior Carnival gets underway for 2016, this blog will act as your window into the goings-on down in Sydney. 

Each post will feature recaps of both sporting and social activities, as well as various other weird, wacky and wonderful stories to arise from the ranks of Australia's largest Jewish youth event.

Our daily updates will ensure that you don't miss even a single minute of the jam-packed schedule undertaken by participants at #maccabicarni.

So keep us bookmarked and be sure to drop in each and every day for your Carni fix! 

Also, be sure to like us on Facebook (@MaccabiJuniorCarnival) and don't hesitate to like and share our posts!

Thanks for reading,

Maccabi Junior Carnival 2016

The Final Post!

Final Farewell:

All good things come to an end. Unfortunately, Maccabi Junior Carnival is now over for 2015 and thus this will be my final blog post. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who jumped on board and supported us, whether it be by reading the blog, liking the Facebook, following the Instagram or anything else. Thanks so much!

Sport wrap-up:

As we headed into the finals of each sport the skill as well as the excitement was at an all-time high. In a number of sports a final went right down to the wire with teams overcoming adversity to take out the title. There were some nailbitingly close finishes at MSAC in the basketball finals with Victoria taking out every division other than the year 8-10 boys category.

Soccer and futsal had the spoils shared equally between NSW and Victoria as the athletes tried their best to bring home the gold for their states. Overall, it was a great sporting showing throughout the week as the participants were really impressive in their effort and skill. A full list of the winners can be found below.

                                                                     WINNERS:

Last Socials – Club night + Foam Party:

Carnival’s penultimate social event was club night, held at Alumbra nightclub, featuring some quality DJs and a cameo rap performance by Jewish rapper Adam Freed, better known as Freeds. The kids partied in the life of clubgoers as they danced the night away. The party raged on for hours as participants continued to groove to the music and socialise with each other for the second last time.

The final night of Carni 2015 featured a foam party held at Caulfield Bowls club. There was entertainment aplenty as participants enjoyed partying as a group for the final time, ensuring that their final moments with their interstate and international friends, new and old, were spent partying.

The foam pit was a huge hit with the kids, a constant rotation of participants were in and out of the pit, generally covered head to toe in foam. The smiles on the participant’s faces as they romped around in the foam pit were a joy to witness.

Other entertainment included DJs CJ and Jay Levy, who kept the party going and the dance floor full to great effect. Whilst a picture slideshow of Carnival ran in the background, kids also had the opportunity to create their own flipbook, as well as engage in some virtual sport thanks to Rentertainment.

As the hours passed, the party came to a close and teary farewells came thick and fast as interstate companions parted, some for the first time since the forming of these friendships. It was amazing to see the kids’ outpour of emotion at the ending of Carnival, an indicator that leaders and organisers had done a great job in providing these kids with a week they will never forget!

Final thank you from Organisers:

Finally, on behalf of the Organising Committee for Maccabi Junior Carnival 2015, I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended Carnival, to the parents, volunteers and everyone else who helped make this event run so smoothly! Without you guys Carnival could not be a reality, thanks a bunch! 

That's it from us. Melbourne was a great success. We hope to see you next year in SYDNEY for CARNI 2016! Written by Jake Rosengarten. Photos by Paul Topol and Zack Garkawe.

NEON RUUUUUNNN!

Sunday night’s Neon Run must go down as one of the great successes of Maccabi Junior Carnival 2015! Participants and leaders alike ran (or walked) the 3.1km track around the Sandown Racecourse, stopping on 3 different occasions at DJ sets around the track.

The atmosphere was electric (no pun intended) as the brightly coloured clothing and accessories donned by all shone under the UV lights and under the light of the moon, whilst not a single one of our DJs disappointed. Each and every one delivering a flawless set which got everyone moving and helped establish this event as the new benchmark for partying at Carnival!

“By far the highlight of Carnival so far,” said Carnival manager Justin Lipson. “The culmination of brilliant ideas challenging the status quo of Carnival events, volunteers spent the majority of Sunday preparing for what was an event I’m sure participants will remember for many years to come."

Participants’ and youth leaders’ thoughts echoed that of the man who put together the stunning event. “I’ve been a leader a youth leader on two Carnivals and the Neon Run was by far the best social event I’ve ever been to,” said NSW youth leader Yoni Hochberg.

Whilst the only gripe Victorian youth leader Luis Goldbaum could conjure was that it was “more like a neon walk!” Valentina of NZ said that “There was always something to do. It wasn’t just another party, it had an aim.”

The final station of the event was a huge party in which participants let loose surrounded by neon colours and amazing music. Such a party, the likes of which has never been seen in Carnival history. The overarching success of the event thanks largely to the help of a huge group of volunteers, has ensured a place for the neon run or a similar event to be maintained on the Carnival schedule!

Stay tuned each day of Carnival 2015 to catch up on all the highlights from on the scene. Written by Jake Rosengarten. Photos by Paul Topol and Zack Garkawe.

Day 5: Pool Party and Community Day!

Fun in the Pool!

At the stroke of 9:30, as the Sabbath took its leave, the participants of Carnival 2015 made their way to Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre (GESAC) to attend one hell of a pool party! GESAC was soon abuzz with excitement as kids donned their cozzies to swim in any one of the multiple pools on offer.

The outdoor pool did not prove the most popular as temperatures plummeted, whereas indoor there was a plethora of different options. The waterslides were the hot ticket item as participants lined up for huge lengths of time to ride. Zahra from WA commented that “the waterslides were fun but the line was super long,” whilst Matt from NSW was just thankful that “the water was warm.”

The party lasted two hours, with our DJ providing some tunes that got everyone into party mode throughout the night. A great time was had by all; the only issue voiced by some was that the party did not last long enough! It was a great evening and again lived up to the high standards set by previous socials! Tamar of WA called it “the best party yet!”

Community Day:

In recent years, Community Day has become a staple of the Carnival calendar, as participants are sent out into the wider community to volunteer in some capacity. There were a wide range of different volunteering options undertaken this year…

Jewish Care

A large number of Carnival youth headed to Jewish Care for their volunteer work, wherein they were separated into different groups, learning about various aspects of the organisation whose headquarters they spent their day in. They were taught about the practical runnings of Jewish Care and its place in the community, as well as spending time with residents. They were taught interactively, through an array of icebreakers which endeavoured to impart information upon them in an enjoyable fashion. A number of young volunteers from the community also helped out in teaching the kids about Jewish Care.

Citywide - Black Rock

Out at Black Rock, a number of participants helped Citywide, a conservation group, in weeding and cleaning up the area. They spent the day doing so before heading back to the city where they were collected. “It’s a great thing,” said NSW’s Matthew of his volunteering experience, “it’s a nice break from sport and it feels good to give back to the community.”

Challah for Hunger

Some participants were based at Central Synagogue and volunteered helping make ‘Challah for Hunger’, which they baked and then ventured out to sell. They managed to raise a significant sum of money for this unbelievable organisation, which donates the funds it raises to various Jewish charities. The kids seemed to enjoy both the process of making the challah as well as the distribution. “It made me feel like eating… also it’s nice to be able to give back to the community,” said Tayla of NSW, who volunteered with Challah for Hunger.

CoastCare - Altona

Some carnival participants made a slightly longer trek to put their gardening skills to good use in the baron wasteland that is Altona. Assisting with the conservation of plants; participants watered and rendered growing trees in the desolate land, doing their bit for the environment. The work done by our Carnival youth will play a key role in ensuring that plant life in this rural area continues to thrive, their efforts will essentially ensure the survival of these precious trees.

As the temperature gauge turned up in Altona as did the hunger of the participants and soon enough lunchtime rolled around much to the pleasure of the kids. Following lunch, they completed their volunteer work, indulged in a well-earned stroll along the beach and headed back to familiar territory, where they were picked up.

C-Care

Yeshiva was the location of another community program activity. C-Care, an organisation which director Shlomo Nathanson explained essentially performs the function of feeding Jews living below the poverty line in isolated areas. The organisation endeavours to have volunteers often visit the same clients, thus forging a relationship between the two and offering those in need some valuable support. The participants worked hard in the kitchen, slicing and dicing roast vegetables, potatoes, carrots, cabbages and fruit salad, whilst others slaved away to bake some biscuits. The volunteers did a marvellous job and the food which they prepared will go towards feeding someone living below the poverty line.

Emmy Monash

Some volunteers headed to Emmy Monash, where they participated in a number of enjoyable activities, games and conversations with the residents of the home. During the initial phases of their time there, participants were paired up with a resident and were asked numerous questions aimed to facilitate them getting to know one another. Next, some residents told tales of their own sporting endeavours. One of whom was an ex-Leeds United footballer and another the featherweight boxing champion of Poland! Finally, Israeli dancing was participated in by both residents and participants alike. “It was nice seeing the inter-generational interaction and the level of respect the participants displayed for the residents,” commented NSW youth leader Tali Binkin.

For some it was a relatively new experience but for Victorian participant Monique Lustig, Emmy Monash was nothing new at all. Lustig spends 2 hours of her time ever Sunday morning volunteering with residents with dementia. She commented that is was “nice to spend time with different residents and to see other people at Carnival also volunteering at Emmy Monash!”

Stay tuned each day of Carnival 2015 to catch up on all the highlights from on the scene. Written by Jake Rosengarten. Photos by Paul Topol and Zack Garkawe.