by Josh E. This will be his 3rd summer at OSRUI. Josh wrote this article for his temple bulletin.
I believe that every person has their own happy place. For some, it’s a beach; for others, it’s a great snow hill. My happy place is only a few miles away from my house, on the shore of Lac La Belle. It’s called OSRUI (Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute). Next summer will be my third time at OSRUI camp, and July 19th can’t come quickly enough. To give someone an idea of what makes OSRUI awesome, I put together my TOP 10 OSRUI facts:
# 10 is Playing Gaga. Who would have known that playing a game in an octagonal pit with a group of people using a soft foam ball could be so much fun? Although the game rules sound simple, it can be very challenging and nearly every camper at OSRUI plays it at one time or another.
# 9 is Chug. A Chug means an elective activity, and every camper can decide what he or she wants to do. There are so many choices: art, music, cooking, sailing, basketball, teva (nature), digital arts and martial arts, to name just a few. Every activity is supervised by at least one specialist in that respective area. I did art my last two summers, and I absolutely loved it.
# 8 is Oconomostock, more commonly known as O-Stock, one of the three all-camp talent shows. A camp favorite, it always has a fun theme and is full of laughter.
#7 is Etgar, Hebrew for “challenge.” The Etgar challenge course includes activities with names such as the Leap of Faith, Flying Squirrel, Swing by Choice and Alpine Tower. There’s also a zip line as well as a number of other elements. I have attempted to climb the Alpine Tower twice, have done Flying Squirrel and Swing by Choice. I have not yet reached the top of the Alpine Tower, but from what friends tell me, the reward for doing so is a stunning view.
# 6 is the lake, Lac La Belle. Campers swim every day, either at the pool or at the lake. With free swimming, tubing, boating, canoeing, water-skiing and a great beach, I doubt that another camp can top that or match the beauty of Lac La Belle.
# 5 is the Maccabiah, otherwise known as Color Wars. The games begin with an unbelievable opening ceremony. Last year, the Oconomowoc Fire Department truck drove into the camp, squirting out tons of water. It was followed by a group of bagpipers. Campers were split into four groups: Red (Adom), Green (Yarok), Yellow (Tsahov) and Blue (Kachol). Each team participated in many fun activities, and the final “meshuganah” race determined the winner. Although my team, Yellow (Tsahov) came in third, I still had an amazing time.
Josh and his friends on Shabbat during Summer 2015.
# 4 is Shabbat. An evening like no other, it starts with a special Shabbat service, followed by a delicious dinner. It’s a great sight when the Chadar Ochel opens up and a couple hundred people gather into the large, welcoming space. Following dinner, the whole camp gathers for Shabbat Shira, where we sing songs and different camp units perform comedy acts.
#3 is the one, the only, Jerry Kaye. Jerry is the OSRUI Director, and is one of the funniest and nicest people at camp. There are really no other words that could be used to describe Jerry. It doesn’t take much to realize how much Jerry loves camp and all of the campers. He and his wife, who is a head nurse, do things with smaller groups to get to know everyone. Last summer they invited my group over to their house for a BBQ dinner. It was awesome!
#2 is the Camp counselors. The nicest, happiest people at camp, they will do whatever it takes to make sure that all campers have awesome times. The counselors at OSRUI are extremely fun and make summer unforgettable. Counselors return to OSRUI year after year, so they develop great friendships with campers. While most live in the U.S., many come from Israel. All of my counselors were amazing, and definitely play a big part in why I love OSRUI.
#1 is Making new friends! For someone who only has a handful of other Jewish kids at school, it’s amazing to spend several weeks living with so many Jewish kids, learning about our religion and heritage while having the time of our lives! OSRUI has definitely become the highlight of my summers. There’s no other place that has made my summers this much fun, yet it also brings me closer to my religion. So… what are you waiting for? Sign up for OSRUI today!