Camp Tavor Glossary
Check out this extensive Camp Tavor glossary, which includes the inside scoop on all of our beloved Tavor-isms!
At camp, we work to integrate the Hebrew language throughout our daily lives by referring to various physical locations,
age-groups, positions, roles, and activities using Hebrew. We use Hebrew as a way of connecting our rich and robust cultural traditions and developing our personal Jewish identities and our greater sense of Jewish community.
Sometimes the Hebrew that we use at camp is pure conversational, other times, it is Hebrew that has evolved within the Habonim Dror movement and is more unique to our own community.
We always work to provide English translation in our materials (including our website) to ensure that everyone, long-time Tavor families and new families, can engage with the enriching way we use Hebrew at Tavor.
We hope this glossary is a helpful tool.
Exciting News: Get the inside scoop on Camp Tavor’s adoption of the suffix “imot”!
Curious about our use of the Hebrew suffix “imot”?
In 2015, Habonim Dror passed a resolution at Veida (Habonim Dror’s decision-making seminar that takes place every two years) to make our Hebrew suffixes more inclusive of all gender identities. In traditional Hebrew language, “im” is the male plural suffix and “ot” is the female plural suffix, and a mixed gender group is referred to using only the male suffix (e.g. Bonim, Garinim, chanichim, etc).
“Imot” was adopted in an effort to use language inclusive of all genders. Use of “imot” is a linguistic change that feminist movements in Israel have begun to adopt. We are excited to integrate this change within our Camp Tavor community, and we are doing so in partnership with the other Habonim Dror machanot (camps).
Beginning in the summer of 2016, we have begun to integrate the new gender-inclusive suffix into all of our camp language. We now refer to amelim as “amelimot”, chotrim as “chotrimot”, etc. We have been introducing the new suffix during hodaot(announcements) and madrichimot (counselors) and chanichimot (campers) have been integrating the new language into conversations and discussing the importance of inclusivity.
The new suffix exists to proactively welcome all chanichimot (campers) into the Tavor community and ensure that everyone feels included when we make references to a group of people. We hope that you can integrate this new suffix with your existing Tavor-isms and help us ensure that Tavor is a welcoming, inclusive, and affirming place for all people.
Have more questions? Out tzevet (staff) would love to talk with you! Give us a call or send us a note.