ONLY At AVODA

Camp Avoda isn’t just a place to spend the summer; it’s a community built on traditions, spirit, and friendships that last a lifetime. 

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LAKE JUMP
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LAKE JUMP

Jumping In the Lake

At Camp Avoda, when you win something big – you celebrate by jumping in the lake. Battle of the Super Teams, Desert War, Color War – there’s no greater feeling than celebrating with your teammates as you cheer and splash around (under the supervision of lifeguards, of course).

The Waterfront Cheer

Every day prior to swim instruction, one lucky camper is chosen to select a creative adjective to describe the refreshing water of Lake Tispaquin. And it goes a little something like this…“Hubba Dubba Wubba, thanks for the “jubilantly rejuvenating” water. Yay Waterfront Staff. Yay Waterfront Staff!”
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Waterfront Cheer
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Zooball

Zooball

We’ve traveled the world far and wide and have never found another camp, club, or school that plays Zooball - a combination of soccer and team handball. Players can dribble like in soccer but can also use their hands and catch the ball if it is kicked or passed by another player. Only a few steps can be taken before you have to pass it off to another player. Don’t step in the crease around the goal or it’s a penalty. Throw it in the opponent’s goal – that’s one point. Kick it in, that’s two points. If you drop-kick it, it’s three points! We also have many variations of Zooball. For younger kids, we use a circle instead of goals called Man In the Middle. When Zooball and Flagrush are played at the same time, that’s called Dead Zone!
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RIGHT OVER LEFT

Right over Left

When you sing the Avoda Alumni song, you always place your right hand over your left and hold hands with the person next to you. This is done either in one big circle, or in little circles by bunk. Plus, there are songs for Bunk 1 Alumni (the Gink Gonkers), Bunk 12 (Go Bananas), and Bunk 14 (Betty Grable Commandoes). When we sing our welcome song, we always wave our beanies in the air in celebration of our guests.
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RIGHT OVER LEFT

Bunk-O-Hitting

One of the most popular pastimes at Camp Avoda is hitting bunk-o’s. Much easier for lefties than righties, if you hit the bunks (or hit it over the bunks) in fair territory in right field on the fly, it’s called a bunk-o. If you hit the Rec Hall, it’s called a rec-o. But beware of Rob the Tree who likes to get in the way. Every camper aspires to hit a bunk-o. When you hit your first one, you round the bases, slide into home and get to keep the ball!

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Bunk-O-Hitting
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Kosher Cabin

Kosher Cabin

Do you have what it takes to have the cleanest bunk at camp? Every day, each bunk is inspected and scored for cleanliness. Only one bunk is lucky enough to win Kosher Kabin and be immortalized with a plaque in the mess hall.

Quiet Please

Got something funny to share with the entire camp? Get your bunkmates together and yell “quiet please" during the meal. Then share your thoughts with the rest of the camp. It could be as simple as “we want the chef!” to recognize a well-cooked meal or it could be joke that makes everyone laugh. Often Bunk 14 lends a hand with a quick “quiet please” to get everyone’s attention when someone is at the mess hall podium.
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Quiet Please
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Birthday Speech

Birthday Speech

Having your birthday at Camp Avoda is something really special. One of the key perks is that you get to make a speech in front of the entire camp and it always starts the same way. “This is my fifth year at Avoda and I like it very much. Senior Soccer, The Blue Express, Guffa’s Gophers, Bunk 1 and Bunk 14 are all #1” None of us are sure how all of these groups can all be #1, but it’s a nice tradition and everyone cheers when their team or bunk is recognized.

Color War

We know other camps have Color War, but CW at Avoda is like no other place. There are so many unique traditions including a surprising and exciting announcement to “break” the event, the legendary path walk tradition where staff members enthusiastically greet their teams (and the judges called “Pink Flamingoes” sometimes fake them out), the way the two teams tearfully break down the benches between them at the Songfest, and the creative ways the winning team is announced.

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COLOR WAR

There are almost 100 years of Avoda traditions - from swimming to the rock in the middle of the lake, the 4th of July (bonfire chip ceremony where campers share what Avoda means to them followed by Bomb Pops and fireworks), made up games like roofball and rafterball - that it is almost impossible to list them all!

Dates & Rates