CBI Blogs

As I looked back at some of the blogs from the past few summers, I noticed that this is the time of year I often write about camp. It makes sense, since this is when I’m usually preparing to pack my kids and me for Greene Family Camp, my home away from home. I’ve had the honor of serving on faculty for 4 summers, with this summer making year number 5. Amazingly, this will be my 19^th summer at GFC!

It may seem strange that an adult would relish the opportunity to attend summer camp each year, but I really do feel it is an honor and a privilege to spend 11 days with hundreds of campers, counselors, staff, and faculty in Bruceville, Texas. Serving as faculty is also a privilege I am afforded as a member of the clergy team at CBI. This allows me the chance to spend quality time with the many CBI students who attend GFC each summer. In fact, CBI had more campers at Greene during session II last summer than any other congregation!

Faculty at camp do many different things.

We teach. Each faculty member is assigned to a unit (or sometimes more than one unit). During the day, we run education for that unit, helping them connect more deeply with Judaism, values, and one another. In addition, we provide b’nei mitzvah tutoring for those campers who will be called to the Torah in the coming months.

We sing. Some of the faculty (like the amazing Sarah Avner!) are fantastic song leaders. They help lead song session and elevate the energy during the most joyful moments of camp. And for those of us who are not song leaders, we sing loud and proud with the campers, enjoying every minute.

We help lead T’filah (worship). Whether it’s during the week, at siyyum (closing ritual of the day), or on Shabbat, faculty help campers and staff connect with prayer. We help campers find the confidence to lead parts of T’filah. We help song leaders learn new parts of the service they didn’t know before. We assist those who want to read Torah, sometimes for the first time.

We hang out with campers and staff. One of the best parts of camp is spending time with everyone. From the youngest campers to the first-year counselors to the international staff members to the year-round GFC staff, faculty get to know so many people at camp. Occasionally we provide support for those struggling with big emotions. Often, we get to hear about the cool, new activities the campers tried for the first time (shout out to the zipline and other ropes elements!). Most of the time, we get to listen to campers navigate friendships and life at camp. All of the time we get to connect deeply with our fellow lovers of camp.

We have fun! Above all, camp is fun. It’s exciting! It’s joyful. It provides new experiences and different opportunities. From kid to adult, camp combines Judaism, meaningful experiences, friendship, and fun.

I love returning to camp year after year because it’s a lot of fun. But more than anything, I love seeing our CBI students living their best lives, making life-long friendships, and enjoying being surrounded by other Jewish kids who just “get it.” And I love that I get to do it right alongside them.

So, if you’re looking for me July 6 until July 16, I too will be living my best life at Greene Family Camp, just “an hour north of Austin, a century south of Boston, a little west of Waco, you can’t get lost, so…”