Camphill Village Copake
Camphill Village Copake
Camphill Village USA, Inc. 84 Camphill Road Copake, NY 12516
Winter 2017
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Cover photo: Paula Levai filling ĂŠclairs in the bakery.
A leopard at Bandipur National Park. Photo by Richard Neal.
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Village Happenings Festivals 5K Trail and Fun Run
The Holy Nights By Kristina Labaty
The first annual 5K Trail and Fun Run in November was a hit! Some of us ran through the woods and hillside of the Village, crunching the fallen leaves and motivating each other along the way. Others took a leisurely walk or jog (or baby stroller) around the peaceful Ring Road in the Village, and all were greeted with cider and snacks upon crossing the finish line. Some even ran in different cities and states to show their support! We were so happy to raise funds for our Village with such a social and healthy activity. Thank you to all who attended and donated. We hope to see you back here in May for the second annual 5K Trail and Fun Run for All Abilities (details in the Upcoming Events section).
Marian Scharr at the start of the race.
Photos by Samantha Leonard-Tilton
Lisa Millette and Susie Taube at the finish line.
Michael Desmond and SaraMae Kline after the race.
Tavius Sims and Tony Bacon at the finish line.
A group begins their race around the Ring Road in the Village.
Each year from December 24 until January 6, we celebrate The Holy Nights. Normally, we step out of our regular work rhythm during this time. There are days when we have no regular work at all, and there are days we work only half of a day. We create this different rhythm to commemorate the day Jesus was born in the manger until Epiphany when The Three Kings came offering gifts to the baby. Allowing for a different outer rhythm lends to a certain inner quality that is built during these days. How we fill those twelve days and evenings depends on the group that volunteer to organize them. Here, we try to let the festivals be renewed each year so that they are living experiences. Each person or group can feel free to bring a new approach. For example, this year’s Holy Nights group managed to incorporate our theme of the year into the celebrations. For those who are not aware, our theme of the year is “The Social Art: When and Where”. This theme infused many of the gatherings. Phil Drake gave an afternoon presentation about The Noble Eightfold Path and drew a relationship to our year’s them, for example. By leaving a new group free to recreate what we bring to The Holy Nights, these twelve days become imbued with a special vitality.
Apart from the altered work rhythm of either having no work or only afternoon work, we also uphold a different social way during this time. The houses often invite other houses or individuals in the evening to sing around the Christmas tree and play games. Open-faced sandwiches become regular fare (with Christmas cookies for dessert, of course).
Ernesto Martinez sprinkling a mix of gold, frankincense, and myrrh throughout the forest on Three Kings Day, the last of the Holy Nights.
I walked slowly out of our beautiful Fountain Hall and stood gazing for a moment at the Hall Pond. The ice was somewhat melted on the top and reminded me of eyes moistened from tears. The electric lights someone had hung over the pond for late night skaters hung low over the now thawed water. I began to wonder to myself if this warmth was merely physical or if the warmth and love present in our hall had somehow permeated the very physical surroundings in which we live.
Many of the regular meetings that happen are canceled also, so that people have time to prepare for all the socializing. These gatherings around the tree are so much fun! We sing and play charades. It is so bittersweet when January 6 comes and the tree needs to go away. I feel this special I am so grateful to be a member of a way of coming together carries us as a community through the rest of the year. community that takes the time and care to create such a festival life. After the Shepard’s Play this year,
Village Happenings Festivals Yuletide Fair
Achievements Candlemas
CQL Accreditation
By Brooke Hogan Our first Christmas Yuletide fair at the Fountain Hall in Copake was very special! We never had one because the village is used to going to local fairs instead. Anyway it was amazing. We had a lot of our products available and goodies to drink and eat. We had local people come, especially from other Camphills in the area. Everybody contributed in everything to planning, money, food , and setup! We had music and a short play by one of our houses in the village and lyre music. Thanks.
Ice sculptures glowing with the soft flame of tea light candles lined our stairs and walkways during our annual Candlemas celebration. The February festival marks not just the presentation of Jesus at the Temple, but it celebrates the energy waiting to burst from the soil and in the natural things around us. Greg from Russet House read Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snowdrop,” before we enjoyed cups of hot herbal tea outside of Fountain Hall. Randy Simon and Julie Boothroyd outside of Fountain Hall on Candlemas
JinHo Yang lighting a candle inside an ice sculpture.
“The accreditation process was a pleasant one and the vision and mission of CQL align nicely with ours.”
In November, Camphill Village USA received word that we have been awarded accreditation from the Council on Quality Leadership (CQL). This is a milestone for us; one that recognizes our excellent work and aligns our goals of personal integrity and opportunities for personal growth with those of a nationally respected non-profit that seeks to evaluate and improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. A few words from Kerst de Jong, our Executive Director: “The accreditation by CQL is an important step for Camphill Village and confirms that the Village is on the right track and is actively pursuing the achievement of a high personal quality of life for those who live in the Village.
Brooke Hogan and Ingmar Fredrikze at the fair.
Proceeds from the event were donated to Peaceful Bamboo Village in Vietnam, the Spikenard Farm and Honeybee Sanctuary in Virginia, and Edna Adan Hospital in Somaliland in East Africa.
The accreditation process was a pleasant one and the vision and mission of CQL align nicely with ours. The NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities embraces the personal outcome measures as formulated by CQL.”
Camphill Movement
Places We Go
Hooked on Giving Sarika Jaswani opened her crochet business with two goals in mind: keep her customers warm with handmade goods, and donate all of the proceeds to charity. Camphill Village has been honored to receive several donations from Sarika, totaling $600. “There’s not a free moment that I’m just sitting doing nothing; my hands are always moving,” Sarika says. “In my home, if you open something up, you will have yarn balls rolling over you.”
“Once there were refugees that I got to know of, so I donated crocheted blankets and stuff,” she said. “Whenever I get to know of an opportunity I can help, I do that.”
Crochet was a childhood hobby, but Sarika is a doctor, and her studies began to take up most of her time in her teens. But after she was married, she began staying home, and was able to rekindle her handmade hobby. She began making things for her children, and then friends started asking for crochet goods. Sarika now sells on Etsy, a popular online marketplace for artisans. She named her business ArtInCrochet because many of her items are accurate likenesses of popular cartoon characters.
Sarika learned of Camphill Village through Sony Shivdasani, the mother of a villager named Rukin, who has always played an active role in our community, even from Atlanta, where she lives. “I wanted to do something for special needs children, and all of the volunteer positions, unfortunately, would always be full. Rather than waiting for an opportunity to be of help, I created an opportunity for myself,” Sarika said, adding that she also sees her work as an opportunity to bring some peace of mind to the parents of kids with special needs. It only adds to her motivation.
“Usually you draw it, but I make it out of yarn,” she said. “Any character, be it “I cook, clean, I take care of my kids’ Sully (from the movie Monsters, Inc.), be classes and school and bus stop, and it Ninja Turtles, or whatever my kids use I see to it that I have at least have six to to watch, I used to make.” eight hours a day for crochet. “It’s like For years, before starting her Etsy a prayer every day, and if I don’t do it, business in April of 2016 out of her I feel like my day was incomplete.” home in Georgia, Sarika donated crocheted items to orphanages and cancer hospitals. Sarika Jaswani wearing a dress she crocheted.
The Anne Ratner Concert Series to benefit Camphill Village
The Borromeo String Quartet. Photo by Christian Steiner.
Concerts are held several times a year to benefit the Village. Visit AnneRatnerConcertSeries.org Several weeks ago, I went to New York City to attend a concert with my sister Karen and my brother-in-law Sam. The concert was part of the Anne Ratner Concert Series. I listened to music, which was played by excellent musicians. The concert took place in someone’s apartment. I really enjoyed
the concert because the music was so beautiful. I had an amazing time with Karen and Sam at the concert. After the concert, we had a fantastic dinner. The food was delicious. After dinner, I started to get tired, so I said goodbye to Karen and Sam. Then somebody from Camphill Village took me back
home with a group of other Villagers. I did not come back to Camphill Village until 12:30 a.m. Overall, the concert in New York City that I saw with Karen and Sam was absolutely incredible. It was an experience I’ll never forget. - by Patricia Cinnore
Places We Go India
In October, a group of Villagers boarded a van in Camphill Village and began their journey to India. Here is Ricky Hauptman’s account of the month-long trip.
Left to Right: Kumar Mal, Mishka Zuckerman, Roswitha Imegwu, Billy Spillman, Elvira Neal, and Ricky Hauptman standing in front of Mysore Palace.
My Trip to India by Ricky Hauptman Wednesday, Oct. 12: We left the Village at 9:30 a.m. Dries drove us down to JFK and we took off on Air India to Delhi then to Bangalore. Then we took a taxi to arrive at friends at Camphill India on Thursday, Oct. 13. Friday, Oct. 14: We had breakfast and had coffee break. After lunch, a tour of the garden and workspaces, then tea time and supper and singing. Saturday, Oct. 15: we went for a walk and climbed the steps up to see the temples and down again. After supper we had common Bible evening. Sunday, Oct. 16: After we went out to breakfast we went to Bandipur Safari Park and had lunch and went out to dinner.
Ricky Hauptman, a local woman, Billy Spillman, and Mishka Zuckerman. Billy Spillman made a friend on the beach.
and workspaces, and we went for a long Monday, Oct. 31: We flew from Pune walk. Then special friends and guests. to Goa.
Then to Furtado’s and Swimming in the Arabian Sea.
Monday, Oct. 24: We went to a creative workspace and we went to meditation class.
Tuesday, Nov. 1: I went to the Day Center and made a Santa Claus and drawings and I went swimming and Tuesday, Oct. 25: We went to Smilestyle Roswitha told us a story. for lunch, then to Aurangabad to Ajanta Wednesday, Nov. 2: We saw the lotus Caves to see monasteries and Buddhas and spice farms. on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Thursday, Nov. 3: I did a drawing of Thursday: Oct. 27: We went back to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson. Sadhana Village. Then we walked at the ocean, then dinner at the Pentagon Restaurant. Friday, Oct. 28: I was watering the
Monday, Nov. 7: I had a puff pastry course.
plants and a presentation Camphill Movement and 3 days of Diwali.
Friday, Nov. 4: We went to Mapusa Market.
Saturday, Oct. 22: We went to Pune to visit Sadhana Village for a week.
Saturday, Oct. 29: We went to Pune shopping. After supper a celebration at Mahwahaate House.
Saturday, Nov. 5: We went to Ancestral Goa to Big Foot Museum and the shops.
Friday, Nov. 11: We walked around Mumbai, then back to the airport. We flew from Mumbai back to Delhi.
Sunday, Oct. 23: We went to Puria House for prayer, a tour of the houses
Sunday, Oct. 30: I took and oil bath and I did painting.
Sunday, Nov. 6: Then to Old Goa to see cathedrals, temples, and churches.
Monday, Oct. 17: We went on a Jeep and we saw peacocks, monkeys, elephants, and tigers and we slept at night in a hotel. Tuesday, Oct. 18: We went to a bird sanctuary and on a boat ride and we saw a crocodile. Wednesday, Oct. 19: We went to the Lalbagh Botannical Gardens and saw flowers and birds and beetles. Thursday, Oct. 20: I made paper, drew kites and drew designs on the cards. Friday, Oct. 21: I did paper and we had culture evening. Billy Spillman, Mishka Zuckerman, and a guide riding an elephant. Mishka Zuckerman in the weavery at Sadhana Village.
Photos by Richard Neal.
Tuesday, Nov. 8: We sang songs and Roswitha told us a story. Wednesdsay, Nov. 9: We flew again. This time to Mumbai to the Trident Hotel where we slept for 2 nights. Thursday, Nov. 10: We went to the Café Leopold for breakfast, then to Comorabank, then to Gandhi Museum.
Saturday, Nov. 12: One more time on the plane and flew back to JFK, then back home to Camphill Village. Thank you very much.
Valentine’s Day Linda Gradman and Katrina Hoven
Mishka Zuckerman and Lisa Millette
Lulu Viets and Saskia Mungard Cathy Fleming and Rukin Shivdasani
Paul Marcuse and Ricky Hauptman
Valentine’s Day Karaoke Dance Thank you to our MC, our DJ, our karaoke stars and decorators, and to Ariel Turner for taking so many great photos.
Your support of Camphill Village’s Annual Fund makes it possible for us to continue the crucial programs and services that make the Village the special place that it is. Please consider donating by the end of our fiscal year! All photos by Ariel Turner.
Upcoming Events
Social Therapy
Second Annual 5K Trail and Fun Run
Studying Social Therapy at the Camphill Academy
Brothers Anne Ratner and Sisters Day Concert Series June 10
We’re inviting all our friends back to Camphill Village for the 2017 5K Trail and Fun Run for All Abilities! Please note the date change. Our first event in November was a LOT of fun, but we decided spring is a better time to invite all of you to the Village. May is such a beautiful month here in Copake, and we’re looking forward to running past budding trees and babbling brooks, and welcoming more friendly faces to our Village. Don’t forget: This event is for all abilities. You can run through our tougher trails or take a leisurely stroll around Camphill Village. Visit the web site to learn more: CamphillVillage5K.org See you in May!
Students of Social Therapy during puppetry class.
There’s just one more performance in the 2016-2017 Season of the Anne Ratner Concert Series. French pianist Philippe Bianconi will perform in the home of Nancy Wolfe and Charles Sims on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. Stay up to date at AnneRatnerConcertSeries.org Dates for the 2017-2018 Season TBA. Mike Davis (R) and his brother Ken on Brothers and Sisters Day.
Join us in the Village on Saturday, June 10 for the next Brothers and Sisters Day celebration right here in the Village!
Camphill Village is an official campus of the Camphill Academy, where students study a specialized field of caregiving called Social Therapy. Practitioners of Social Therapy bring a holistic, transdisciplinary approach to working with individuals living in and outside of Camphill Village, including social work, human services, medicine, psychology, and nursing, as well as the arts, agriculture, and community building. Coursework varies widely, from the Art of Storytelling to Conflict & Communication, and students gain practical experience living and working within Camphill communities.
Social Therapy is based on the recommendations of Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy— Anthroposophy—the foundation upon which Camphill was created and continues to thrive. Students work from the mindset that they are part of a community, and therefore act as a mirror, whose reflection shapes their environment. Steiner’s Fundamental Social Law States: “The healthy social life is found when in the mirror of each human soul the whole community is shaped, and when in the community lives the strength of each human soul.”
Social Therapy Studying Social Therapy at the Camphill Academy Discovering Myself or “I know what I don't know”: My Journey through the Social Therapy Program in Camphill Village As a student of the fourth year of the Social Therapy Program in Copake, I can say that it has been a life-altering experience. I came to the Village almost four years ago with enthusiasm to deepen my knowledge about the anthroposophical approach to caring for people with special needs. Before that, I lived in Camphill Mourne Grange in Northern Ireland for two years.
Students of Social Therapy in their sculpture class.
Students can earn their certification in one of three levels of the Social Therapy Training Program here in the Village: Certificate in Foundation Studies in Anthroposophic Social Therapy; Paraprofessional Certificate in Anthroposophic Social Therapy; or a Diploma in Anthroposophic Social Therapy. Students can also complete a bachelor’s degree in a field related
to Social Therapy by transferring into a suitable BA completion program after completing the fourth year of the Social Therapy Program. Participating universities include Prescott College, SUNY Empire State College, and Exelsior College. Magdalena Szewczykowska is a fourthyear student of Social Therapy here at Camphill Village, and reflects on her experience below.
we weren’t delegated to bury ourselves in textbooks, which one might expect in mainstream education. Instead, we would go home to encounter our housemates: people with different abilities and needs, and people from different backgrounds, families, countries, and nations.
We were applying our classroom lessons to real, everyday life. Most I enjoyed my time there very much, days, we found ourselves back in the but at the same time, I had a growing classroom with more questions, and need to find out more about the place we often learned to accept the fact in which I chose to live. My first year as that the answers may come tomorrow, a student wasn't easy, but as a person or in 10 years, or (if one believes in who likes challenges, I found it very reincarnation) in next life. There was satisfying and enlightening to gradually never pressure from anybody to believe make little discoveries about myself and in the teachings of Steiner, Karl König my fellow human beings. or other anthroposophists. If you are open minded, you take that knowledge Anthroposophy turned out to be more into your soul and ponder it. And if “down to Earth” than I had initially you decide anthroposophy is not your expected. I had studied philosophy worldview or the Camphill community before in a mainstream college in my is not your way of life, nobody can deny home country, and it wasn't halfway that the knowledge garnered from this as exciting and convincing as studying program is motivated by our good will anthroposophy and living in a Camphill and desire to learn how to live our lives community. From the beginning, there in a most full and meaningful way. was an intimate atmosphere created For example, one of the Camphill by students and teachers in which essentials is about striving to see the everyone stood on the same stage spiritual being in every human being, with an open mind, learning about no matter their abilities or disabilities, human beings and the surrounding and so on. world. Coursework in the Camphill Academy involves some lectures, but I would personally love to see that discussion and brainstorming compose as a universal teaching for everyone the bulk of the lessons. After classes, in the whole world, especially today
when we face so much intolerance and inequality. At first, I found the art of eurythmy quite extravagant and strange. However, after learning about it and participating, I regard it now as a unique and extraordinary way of combining music and movement to—again—learn about myself and all aspects of my being.
The motto “Know Thyself” proves to be true. Know yourself so that you can learn about other people. Know yourself before you judge anyone and anything that surrounds you. Maybe Steiner's language is not the easiest one to understand, especially for an international student, but eventually, I realized that he speaks about the most crucial aspects of life. Whatever I decide to do next, I know that I already use the knowledge I gained in the best possible way, in everyday life. — Magdalena Szewczykowska
Winter Recipe
What you’ll need to collect the sap: • Cold nights and warm days, usually from mid-February to the end of the month, and often the beginning of March in the northeast. This is when the sap is. • A spile (this is what you insert into the tree after drilling the hole. You can purchase a metal one, or a plastic one with a short connecting hose. They’re both inexpensive and can easily be found online or at a local farm store like Agway or Tractor Supply during sugaring season). • Empty milk containers or foodgrade buckets to store the sap. You should collect every day that the sap is flowing. You can store the sap in these containers at 38 degrees Fahrenheit or colder for up to a week before boiling. • Cheesecloth to collect debris when transferring from the collection bucket to the storage container.
Making Maple Syrup at Home
Jars of Camphill's maple syrup.
Enesto Martinez working in the new sugar house.
Ben Berry hanging sap collection buckets.
to start boiling: • A lobster pot • A smaller pot (3 qt. saucepan should do the trick) • A candy thermometer • An outdoor heat source: this can be a metal grill over an open fire pit lined with bricks, a turkey fryer setup, or a propane grill (obviously, use caution any time you’re dealing with an open flame, especially when sugar is involved. You can also check with your local government to make sure you’re adhering to laws regarding outdoor heat sources). • A kitchen stovetop to complete the boil. • A coffee filter and measuring cup (or other vessel) to separate any sediment at the ending stages. • Sterilized mason jars or another container to package the syrup when it’s done.
Many of our readers have tasted Camphill Village’s delicious maple syrup. In late winter, we tap the sugar maples on our property, collect the sap in buckets, and boil it down in our sugar house. But did you know you don’t need a sugar house for small batches of your own maple syrup? All you need are a few basic materials and a day to spend outside watching the sap boil down. *It takes 40 parts maple sap to make 1 part maple syrup. So for every 10 gallons you collect, you’ll wind up with a quart of syrup.
After collecting your sap using the materials outlined before, you can cover your storage container with cheesecloth and slowly transfer the sap from the bucket. Depending on the amount of debris, you may need to clean off the cheesecloth periodically and use patience while pouring.
the point, you can remove the lobster pot and pour what’s left into your smaller pot or saucepan away from the fire. Extinguish the heat source. Now you can finish on your kitchen stove.
Keep boiling until the sap has a syrupy consistency. You can test it by dipping a spoon in, and making sure the syrup When it comes time to boil, fill your sticks to the spoon while it runs off. lobster pot no more than ¾ full away At this point, the sap is more likely to from your heat source, and carefully boil over the pot, so you want to keep move it to the heat source to start an eye on it. This is where you’ll need boiling. The sap will gradually boil your candy thermometer. You’ll want down to ¼ to ½ of the depth of the pot, to turn off the stove when the syrup at which point you can add more sap temperature is 7 degrees Fahrenheit until the pot is back to ¾ full. Maintain above the boiling point of water, which the boil as well as you can while adding will differ depending on your elevation. the extra sap. After your syrup reaches this The boiling sap will take on a golden temperature and you’ve turned your honey color, but will still be liquidy. At stove off, you can grab your coffee filter
and a clean vessel, like a measuring cup. Place the filter over the measuring cup and pour in the sap. If you’re using a paper filter, you may need to fold it on the top, and squeeze the syrup (you’ll wind up using several filters). If using a solid mesh filter, you may need to press the syrup out with a spoon and rinse before pouring more. It’s time to bottle your syrup! Be sure to sterilize and dry your jars, bottles, and caps in boiling water before pouring your filtered syrup. You can keep your refrigerated syrup for a while, but you should use it within two months. If you decide to freeze it, just make sure you’re using a freezer-safe jar or bottle, and you can enjoy your homemade syrup year-round. Happy tapping!
Winter Reflection on Winter
Village Expressions Winter Art and Poetry
A Valentine made by Mishka Zuckerman.
A handmade journal created in the bookbindery by Brooke Hogan, Emily Wallach, and Jacquelyn Bieringer.
Photo by Irena Valujeva.
“Transition to Winter� by Emily Wallach and Brooke Hogan Our daily life and our activity involvement deals with a lot of transitions throughout the spring, summer, fall and winter. In the spring and summer we do everything outside of the box physically, spiritually, and emotionally. We do activities with a lot of energy, enthusiasm and with positive
New Co-workers mindsets, attitudes, and emotions. We do a lot more activities in the spring and summer. In the fall and summer we focus on the inside of our souls and our activities in workspaces or houses. We have a tendency to want to escape, hide, and not be as active, and the light and dark play a role in this as well.
For the light we are loose, open, and we can do more, while in the dark we draw in, think about what's to use in our imaginations and explore our world through the Internet and through what other people say and do. By Emily Wallach and Brooke Hogan
Kai Naor - USA Antonia Goevert - Germany Stefan Linders - Germany Torrey Baldwin - USA Zachary Fischer - USA Brenna Horn - USA Robert Moss - USA