My counselors this year were awesome! One was from Australia, one from New York and one from England – she eats like the queen. We tried to teach her not to cut her hamburger. The tennis specialist and I had a secret handshake. The beds are so comfortable; I can fall asleep in a minute. We have a time during the day when we can join a club called a Chug – there are like a thousand things you can choose from. I joined glee club because they needed a redhead to play Annie and I sung, “The Sun will come out Tomorrow”.
Shabbat at Capital Camps is just magical. Everyone spends two hours getting ready and gets all dressed up. We walk down the Hill together and sit in the amphitheatre. We have 45 minute services where the younger kids lead the prayers. We then have dinner – chicken, challah, and string beans, Birkhat, and then Shira and Rikud. “Shira” is singing and “Rikud” is Israeli dance. Sounds boring, but it’s amazing. I don’t think I stopped dancing and singing all night. And it’s the weirdest thing. I was singing in Hebrew. And I know nothing in Hebrew! But when I was there under the stars, dancing with some of my best friends and belting my heart out, the Hebrew meant something. It was this closeness to Judaism I had never felt before, not even at home on Shabbat or at synagogue.
My parents tell me that I went to the JCC preschool where I did lots of Jewish activities but I don’t remember them. My parents also said we celebrated the holidays at home singing Jewish songs but I don’t remember that either. I do remember being “made” to attend Religious School in preparation for my Bar Mitzvah. Religious school wasn’t bad, I just didn’t see the point. I didn’t connect to that type of Judaism. Then three years ago I went to Capital Camps. To say it was a life changing experience sells it short and if you are a camper, you know what I mean. I made Jewish friends, learned the Birkat Hamazon and other prayers, and discovered that spirituality can be felt deep in the woods. I found my connection at Capital Camps. So for me, Judaism isn’t the definition found on Wikipedia. It isn’t found at a temple or in Israel, reading a book or lighting a candle. It is found being part of a community that shares a common heritage and sings around a campfire. Camp made being Jewish cool.
My counselors are awesome! I’ve had counselors from all over the world – from different places in the U.S., from England and from Israel. I’ve learned so many different things from all of them, but most of all they are fun, kind, and always have time to listen to what you have to say. Oh, and they let us go mattress surfing!
