Shoresh Chanukah Escape Room Stumps All (Photo Essay)

By BJLife Newsroom
Posted on 12/13/21

Baltimore, MD - Dec. 13, 2021 - On Sunday, December 5^th, Shoresh families came from all across Frederick, Silver Spring, Potomac, Baltimore, and even Virginia, to gather at the beautiful campus in Adamstown for a holiday celebration like no other. Nearly 160 children, teens and adults joined to enjoy a delicious Chanukah lunch, light the menorah, and participate in a unique activity – a Chanukah escape room!

There was an abundance of latkes along with other delicious items, but the star of the meal was the delectable variety of sufganiot from Pariser's Bakery. The giant menorah was lit by Jordan Palti, who won CIT of the year this past summer, while all the participants joined in to say the blessings. The attendees then moved to one of the two identical Chanukah escape rooms and tried to decipher the clues and determine the code that would unlock the final box. There were seven total steps to take to figure out the solution. Everyone was given the first clue - “Young I am tall; old I am short” - that would lead them to the box of candles. Groups worked together to attempt to figure out each step, getting tricked along the way by items that were not part of the solution but were Chanukah-related. In the 30-minute time frame, no one managed to officially escape, but attendees earned an A for effort. Once the solution was shared with everyone, the last step was revealed - “To get a gift tonight, you will need to find the largest dreidel onsite.” Kids who attended Camp Shoresh quickly realized that the largest dreidel could be found within the 9-hole Jewish-themed mini golf course. They quickly ran across the campus to find Director Rabbi Dave Finkelstein waiting with stacks of wrapped presents.

Every family had a gift to unwrap; most contained books, games or other kid-friendly items, but a few families were big winners. Two families won a scholarship for the 2^nd session of camp, while other families won a $300 Amazon gift card, a $200 Target gift card, and a 65” television.

After the event, the Lazar family shared, “It was so much fun for the whole family and amazing that we could celebrate again with the whole Shoresh family.” It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, and greet some new ones, but most of all, it was so special to conclude Chanukah with our Shoresh family back in Adamstown.