Every Friday we’ll be posting a recap of the previous week’s activities in our Passport NYC Camp.

We would like to welcome everyone aboard this incredible journey we have been on and we look forward to sharing all of our experiences with you along the way. The first week of our Passport NYC program has been amazing and of course exhausting. We have joined together to build our camp traditions, culture and of course our community. We shared in our first Shabbat Dinner together tonight and were able to develop rituals that will continue into Second Session and beyond… We look forward to the weeks to come and sharing all the excitement with you! Shabbat Shalom, Have a great week!

FILM
The first week of Passport NYC was action packed and totally exhilarating. We had the chance to meet with our Lead Teacher, Ryan Gielen to begin our journey through the Film Industry in New York City. A couple of
highlights we would like to share with the readers at home:

1. We learned how to write a screenplay in the correct format with a working story arc.
2. We had a chance to pitch our short films to producers at Driver Media Production Company.
3. We learned that confidence is KEY.
4. We are beginning to understand and even see how architecture can make a scene.
5. And finally… we are seeing that the creative use of simplicity can really make an impact.

We look forward to the next 2 weeks ahead and all that the New York City Film Industry has to offer the Passport NYC Film program!

MUSIC
During our rocking first week of Passport NYC we had many different opportunities to try something new, learn something cool and experience parts of the Music Industry in NY City. Jonathan Finegold, our Lead Teacher from the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music has already introduced us to so many new pieces of the industry. It was hard to sum into 5 points what we’ve learned this week, but here goes:

1. Our music specialty discussed the perks and trends within the industry with Jason King of the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music - he was beyond awesome!
2. We go the opportunity to spend time in Brooklyn at BAM!, an R & B concert with Mary J. Blige in Central Park.
3. We embarked on a “Sound” walk through Central Park, learning to listen to the deep sounds within the park for one of our Community Service Projects.
4. We got a tour of the East Village and checked out CBGB’s and various hot music spots where album covers were photographed.
5. We discussed modern music and the Justin Beiber phenomena during our class time with Jonathan at 92YTribeca.

It’s been a crazy, busy week that has left us exhausted but thirsty for more of the NYC Music Scene.

FASHION
From the 92nd Street Y to the Claremont school and everywhere in between, the Fashion Specialty has been traveling New York City checking out the hottest spots in the greatest city in the world! We have had some wild opportunities even within this short time of Passport NYC and we can’t wait to share our highly notable experiences:

1. We got to meet Isaac Mizrahi, sat down in his showroom talking at a table with the man himself! He shared his experiences in the industry with us and we got to tour around the offices and check out his QVC film
studio.
2. Choosing fabrics, laying out patterns and preparing to sew our first project, boxer shorts while meeting with Alicia Cerrone, our Lead Teacher from FIT.
3. During our community service project we were able to help out the people of Housing Works by sorting clothing and hanging the clothes to be packaged together to send out to the stores. We hung up over 1000 pieces of clothing!
4. We spent the afternoon gallivanting around the Metropolitan Museum of Art taking in the Fashion exhibit and working in our sketch books to be inspired by the art surrounding us.
5. On our very first day, we visited boutique after boutique on Elizabeth Street meeting with the owners to learn about merchandising, couture and vintage.

Although we toured 5th Avenue once by bus and once by foot, the excitement of the Fashion Industry keeps hitting us harder each day. We are gearing up for another week of Fashion and we look forward to sharing it all with you next week.

CULINARY ARTS
Chop, Chop, Chop… it’s time to put our knives away and finish rolling out our Challah dough for the start of our First Passport NYC Shabbat together. Before we indulge in another homemade meal, we want to share the five greatest take-aways we have had thus far in the Passport NYC Culinary Arts Specialty. Julie Negrin and Ygael Tresser are our cook-tastic Lead Teachers and already we are learning our way around a kitchen:

1. We got invited into the restaurant LandMarc on West Broadway in Tribeca to meet with the owner and Head Chef, Marc Murphy! He shared his experiences in the food industry as well as some of LandMarcs incredible desserts such as homemade Cotton Candy! We also got a pretty amazing tour of the kitchen and restaurant space!
2. Together in our Kitchen we whipped up Gnocchi that were out of this world. It was group effort of combining grated potatoes, herbs and it’s balling little shape.
3. We had a really great walking tour with Liz on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx (the Little Italy of the Bronx)! We watched fresh mozzarella being made and even got to taste it… and we can’t forget the freshly piped canoli from an amazing bakery.
4. We sipped “Mocktails” at Isabella’s in New York City… Amazing drinks they prepared right in front of us that was crisp and refreshing on a hot day.
5. We began our baking process of the fresh Challah we will all be sharing together over our first Shabbat dinner at Passport NYC. We each braided and created our own Challah and now we can’t wait to eat it all together.

Our knife skills are definitely improving and the initial cuts of the summer are already healing! We are hungry already just thinking about what’s to come!

How exciting it is to be preparing for our first Shabbat (Sabbath) together. Shabbat is a very special time/day, in which we transition from our busy week into a restful, calm and joyful state of being. Each week we will be focusing on a different Jewish community from around the world. This Shabbat’s theme is Eastern European Jewry. Our “specialties” will focus on preparing for Shabbat while reflecting the flavor, sound, style etc. of this part of the world. Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom (Peaceful Sabbath).