Many of my closest friends and colleagues spend a great deal of their time and energy - throughout the year - in an effort to creat meaningful Jewish experience for our young people. For me, there is no more satisfying opportunity and for youth work than time spent at camp (anyone who knows me is now saying "duh"). With its atmosphere, programming, creative and experimental setting - camp provides the best "laboratory" for the richest of Jewish learning, living and growth. This is true for all who attend and participate, from youngest children to eldest returnees and visitors.
We just came back from two absolutely wonderful weeks at OSRUI (http://www.osrui.org/), and again I am so very thrilled to have had the chance to be part of the faculty - a group of talented, dedicated rabbis, educators and cantors who are inspired in their work to build kehillah (community), to express ruach (spirit) and foster kedoshah (holiness) by drawing deeply and practically on the treasures of our tradition - applying them in meaningful ways that connect with (and stay with) the campers, staff and others who make up camp.
The lasting questions that I have is: how do we maintain the sense of active, engaging spirit that saturates the camp environment? How do those who "go away" for 2, 4, or 8 weeks keep that level of positive energetic Judaism in their daily lives? And more so (perhaps the real kicker) how do we share the wealth - and inject even some of camp's power and potential into our "home" communities and congregations? This has been my personal mission for 30 years - and I revel in this continuing challenge.
How do you sustain the best of your experiences? That is, how do you bring it on home?
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