By Rabbi Anne Persin, Temple Beth-El in Dubuque, IA and Moshavah Segel

I am a Mosh rabbi.

Today I logged over 9,000 steps, baked over 400 shrinky dinks, tutored 6 kids for bar/bat mitzvah, planned 2 different services, offered my shoulder for a counselor to cry on, and laughed and sang and smiled the whole day through.

I am a Mosh rabbi.

Every year I have been on segel (faculty) at OSRUI, I have had the pleasure of being attached to Moshavah HaTeva, one of the downstairs eidot (units) – the two eidot down the hill from main camp where the kids sleep in MASH style tents roughing it a bit more than the rest of the camp.

I am a Mosh rabbi – and I love it!

We study the Jewish values of bal tashchit (do not waste/destroy), shmirat ha-adamah (care of the earth), and tikkun olam (repairing the world). We learn and live these lessons throughout our days at camp and then, we take them out into the world.  Immediately after our 1st shabbat, we will head out into the wilderness for a 3 day hike, bike, canoe, or rock climbing tiyul (trip).  We will then do it again and again before the session is over.  Each time we leave camp we grow; we become better inhabitants of the world because we become better stewards of the world.

I have seen the transformation up close Mosh tiyulim (trips) make on the chanichim.  With each trip they are more aware of the world around them and more intimately connected to it.  But I have also felt this transformation myself.  No matter how old I get, every tiyul  brings me closer to this awesome earth we live on and more aware of how we as a community impact it for better or for worse.

I am a Mosh rabbi.  As long as I have the stamina (and as long as they let me), I will happily walk up and down the hill 4 times a day for two of the best weeks of my year!