Where Are They Now? Alumni Spotlight on Rogie Sussman Faber

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Recently we sat down with OSRUI Alum Rogie Sussman Faber

When were you at camp?
I was at camp 1981-1989:  Kallah Aleph, Chavurah Bet, Mosh Bet, 2 years of Chalutzim, Avodah ’88 (the library move!), and Machon ’89.  I’m still tight with many people from camp.

You are co-owner of Vogue Fabrics.  Tell us how Vogue is answering the call for medical supplies during the COVID-19 crisis.
We have been supplying big corporations like Ford Truck in Louisville and Atlantic Gasket in Pennsylvania that have been tasked with making plastic shields for hospitals.  We also are supplying every quilter who needs elastic so they can sew masks and we’re supplying companies with fabric for making masks and gowns.

Shabbat in Moshavah

Tell us a fun fact or story from your camp days.
I desperately wanted to go to Chalutzim, but I didn’t know any Hebrew other than abba and ema.  So I helped a friend research the double helix for his science paper, and he tutored me in enough Hebrew to pass the entrance exam.  My favorite activities were British Haganah, Israeli army night, Shabbat dancing in Port Hall, and I really did enjoy running all the books from the old library up to the Bayit in Avodah – tons of schlepping and sweat, but we were the right crew at the right time. In Chalutzim we took a canoe trip, and when we rounded the bend on day three we arrived at Wisconsin Dells.  That was so much fun!

Rogie’s Chalutzim Reunion

How has camp impacted your life?
When I met Debbie Friedman I was able to sing every single song she played. I started lighting Shabbat candles at home in high school because of camp, and I still do today, no matter if I’m at home or on the road. I feel a deeper connection to my history and culture because of everything I learned at camp.  Activities I remember vividly include staking out our “territory” in 1920’s Palestine before the people on horseback came to get us, Israeli dancing and learning the Salty Dog Rag, and study time with Rabbi Herman Schaalman (z”l).  I could go on and on. It was the best time, every summer.