Shanah Tovah – Happy New Year!
It has been wonderful to see so many of our camp families on our OSRUI virtual programming throughout the summer and to see your smiling faces in our Zoom boxes and social media feeds. But, we know it hasn’t been the same as the magic that exists when we are together in Oconomowoc! As our Jewish calendar turns to 5781, we are excited to start to share information with you about our plans for an in-person summer at camp in Summer 2021!
The OSRUI team has worked tirelessly, in partnership with our colleagues across the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), to begin to prepare for next summer. We have had numerous conversations with our medical advisors, with residential camps that operated in Summer 2020, and with partners at the Foundation for Jewish Camp and American Camp Association. We will continue to work closely with our partners over the next several months, and into the summer, to offer a safe camp experience for our community.
Registration will open in mid-October, right after the Jewish holidays.
Throughout everything we do, especially in planning for next summer, we are guided by our most sacred value – the health and well-being of the children, staff, and faculty that are part of our community. While some elements of camp may look a little different in 2021, we are committed to delivering the same excellence you’ve come to expect from us, complete with the joyful laughter, new memories, and love of Judaism that can only come from being together in Oconomowoc.
As we’ve seen in so many facets of our lives, the best practices surrounding COVID-19 are continually changing. Through the next nine months, we will remain nimble and responsive to ever-evolving state and local standards and protocols, in partnership with our team of medical experts. Our camp families are our most important partners and we will share information with you from now through the time your campers are with us about the steps we take to ensure the health and wellbeing of our community.
Finally, I am also so grateful to each of our camp families for your support through what has been a difficult time for camp, our community, and our world. Thank you for your encouraging emails, warm phone calls, and generous financial support. All of us on the OSRUI staff team and lay leadership are grateful to be a part of a community that cares about each other like ours.
So, grab your sunscreen and water bottle, put on your hat and closed-toed shoes, and let the countdown to next summer begin.
With deep gratitude to each of you,
Solly Kane
Director