CBI Blogs

*I wrote this post and then realized that it was very similar to Rabbi Levy's post from last week. Great minds think alike!

I have said and written it many times: I would not be where I am if it were not for Jewish summer camp. Spending four to nine weeks at Camp Livingston from 1984 to 1994 were some of the best months of my childhood (FUN FACT: Janet Stein Elam, formerly of Shalom Austin, was my first camp director there). It is hard to describe exactly what it is about summer camp that makes it so great. When trying to describe it to people who have not been, it sounds kind of terrible: “Well, we sleep in crowded, smelly, dusty cabins with other kids, eat terrible food, get bitten by bugs, sweat all day and most nights, sing a lot of Hebrew songs, and usually end up with crud at some point of the summer.” It sounds awful! But it is so wonderful, so magical, I strongly encourage all families to send their children to camp (URJ’s Greene Family Camp is a great choice).

I still talk to several people I went to camp with. One camp friend went to rabbinical school with me and now we are each other’s children’s godfathers. Another called me out of the blue after fifteen years of lost contact to officiate her wedding. Two camp friends in SoCal once visited to surprise me when my congregation there was holding a Camp Shabbat. I even met my wife at camp. I keep making more connections every time I serve as faculty! The connections and the love will always be a part of who we are as camp alumni.

One of the best parts about camp was always Shabbat. At Camp Livingston Kabbalat Shabbat was always outside by “the menorah,” a six-foot tall structure built by a group of CITs in the 70’s, that we would light with jury rigged kerosene candles that left thick, black smoke wisps that could be seen against the darkening sky as we sang Lecha Dodi sitting cross-legged in the grass. Whenever I hear certain melodies today I am transported right back to that menorah with all of my friends around me, welcoming Shabbat as a camp.

This Shabbat we are going to try to recreate that camp experience with a “Campfire Shabbat,” but don’t worry, we will be INSIDE in Smith, with a fake campfire and s’mores for oneg. We will be celebrating the approaching end of the school year, our graduating students, and anyone who is headed to camp this summer.

The next few weeks hold many special Shabbatot for us at CBI. On May 23 we will celebrate Tula Richardson as she is called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah (yes, that’s a Friday!) and on May 30 we will invite participants to share their good news (so as to not overshadow our hard working 13-year-old). Please join us for all of these wonderful Friday evening celebrations either in person or on line. We cannot wait to celebrate with you!