By Rabbi Max Weiss, Rabbi at Oak Park Temple in Oak Park, IL and Avodah Segel
Every moment at camp is about connection, connection between chanichim (campers), connection between chanichim and their madrichim (counselors), connection between chanichim and segel (faculty), and connection between people in each of those groups and Jewish life. Of course connections occur within each of these groups occur as well as the large number of weddings that occur between people who were on staff together testify.
This past Shabbat I was overwhelmed by the feeling of connection as everyone stood shoulder to shoulder in the dining hall to sing the Shabbat blessings and join in the shared purpose of welcoming Shabbat with joy. There are not many moments in life when the voices of about 800 kids and adults are joined together in anything. The singing was powerful so was the feeling linking each of us to every other.
Connections permeate everything that we do at camp. I serve on faculty for Avodah, the entering 12th grade students who volunteer to keep camp clean and running. In the mornings we pray, study and discuss and in the afternoon the avodanikim work in the kitchen, the health center, on cleaning crews, at the pool and everywhere else that the camp requires. While we have great conversations in our learning sessions the best conversations often occur on the back of the tractor while on a garbage run or while walking to the dining hall. We faculty members work hard to develop meaningful connections with the chanichim and the madrichim so that we can be positive role models for them and so that we can model what it means to be part of a healthy community.