10 minutes of Torah
URJ Camps = Community
Most all of us who have ever been URJ camp campers, staff members, or parents of either, have said or heard others say something to the affect of:
1. 1. "I have made the best friends of my life at camp." And/or,
2. 2. "At camp I can really be myself and be accepted for who I am."
These and similar statements are testimonials to the wonderful communities we create each summer in our camps. In the world outside of camp, we belong to various communities. We relate to them and identify with them. Membership in these communities helps us establish our identities. Our families, synagogues, neighborhoods, and hometowns serve vital roles for us all. Our camps, our cabin groups and units give us the same feelings of connection, but even more intensely. Why is that?
Each Shabbat morning at camp, as we celebrate the reading of our Torah portion, we sing, "Al Shlosha D'varim Ha Olam Omed. Al Ha Torah, Al Ha'Avodah, V'Al Gemelut Chasadim." The world stands upon three principles; Torah, worship, and acts of loving-kindness. These principles are keys to understanding the intensely emotional, social, and identity-building communal experiences our children benefit from at URJ camps. Most of us never link strong camp friendships with the Jewish lifestyle of camp. I think it is undeniable that we are bound together by more than just living together in cabins, units, and camp communities. The mortar that binds us so strongly is the result of mixing Torah and Avodah, Jewish education and worship, in youthful and meaningful ways. These Jewish experiences are surely heightened by the settings in which they occur. Communal living linked with Klal Yisrael is a most powerful adhesive.
The third principle, Gemelut Chasadim, acts of loving-kindness is also crucial. "Everyone's a winner at Goldman Union Camp," is heard around here so often that it's almost a cliche. But there is truth in that expression. Our URJ camps are dedicated to creating family-like groups in which everyone feels accepted, valued, and even honored. From the moment a camper walks into camp, he or she becomes a member of the community. Counselors build their cabin groups so that no one is left out. Unit heads and program directors plan programs precisely to enable cabin groups to bond. Counselors are instructed to recognize and publicize each child's talents. When we eliminate some of the social obstacles we encounter in daily life, the walls come tumbling down. Removing unhealthy competition from within the group helps campers realize that everyone has something to contribute, and no one need be excluded. Diminish economic dividers and "I can really be myself at camp," becomes the motto of the day.
The hidden element in our camps' community-building successes can be readily seen by anyone observing our staffs at work. URJ camps employ hundreds of college students. We place them in positions of great responsibility that require high levels of cooperation and creativity. Serving as a staff member in one of our camps has an immeasurably positive impact on a college student. The three principals of Torah, worship, and acts of loving-kindness support camp staff members in the same way as they support campers. Just like campers, counselors and unit heads are supported by the three principals of Torah, worship, and acts of loving-kindness. For staff, Torah means "Teaching." Counselors are asked to teach the Jewish lessons of the day. First they must learn them, and then they are able to teach them. Staff members teach Jewish/human lessons at every turn. They feel the good they are able to impart.
Many staff members come from difficult and often identity-diminishing lives on campus. At camp they find life to be uplifting and encouraging. Avodah, worship, in this regard often takes the form of appreciation for being given the opportunity to help others, to concentrate on the positive, to celebrate life together, to make a difference. For many, camp is the first opportunity to learn how to be a role model and how to actually perform acts of loving-kindness. Counselors never forget the time they helped a child. Years later we recall turning a tear into a smile. These are usually the first parenting lessons our college children receive. The message is incredibly powerful. Learning and living these lessons together in a community makes the communal experience all the more intense.
Our URJ camps certainly stand upon the three principles. The first is Torah; learning and teaching the history, heritage, and values of our People. The second is Avodah; worshipping, celebrating Shabbat, and appreciating the opportunity to do so together as an extended family, a holy community. The third is Gemilut Chasadim, acts of loving-kindness; recognizing the value of each individual, helping each other live together in peace, and ultimately making the world a better place.
Rabbi Ron Klotz, Director, URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute