By Rabbi Michael Sommer, Rabbi at Congregation Har Shalom in Highland Park, IL
My family and I have been coming to camp so long that my oldest, David, who started when he was 2.5 years old is now old enough to be in my unit, Moshavah. Typically a faculty parent would not be allowed to be faculty for their child’s unit. But since my unit is so specialized, they’ve allowed me to be faculty for Moshavah as I’ve always done, but simply put David on opposite trips than the ones I’m assigned to.
I arrived at camp Sunday, replacing Rabbi Anne Persin as one of the first two week rabbinic Moshavah faculty. Monday morning at 6:15am I led morning services with my co-rabbi. After breakfast and trip prep we were on the mountain in Devil’s Lake, WI by 1:00pm. Monday through Wednesday we climbed, hiked and camped out at Devil’s Lake. As I write this, I’ve only been off the mountain for ten hours. The mountains at Devil’s Lake are some of the most beautiful in Wisconsin. I gain such peace living this aspect of my rabbinate, sitting on top of a mountain for a few days each year with some of our most amazing teenagers. While I help them with climbing, rappelling, and conquering their individual fears we talk about life, books, music, movies and their lives. I’ve been doing this so long that some of my past chanichim (campers) are now madrichim (counselors) leading the trips with me. I watch them in their new adult forms being there for their chanichim just as their madrichim of days past where there for them.
Camp is a second home for me and my family. Every child of mine has grown up here and spent significant parts of their lives here. Sam was here at 8 months old, Yael at 6 months old and Solomon at 7 months old. Camp is a testament that one can live their rabbinate in shorts and a t-shirt and do just as important work as when I am in a suit and (God forbid;) a tie. While it is often 16 hour days of work for two weeks straight it invigorates my soul and spirit, reminding me how important it is to imbue our Jewish children with a sense of adventure, a love of their Judaism and a natural curiosity about people, and a chance to look inward about the type of Jew they wish to be. It revives me and allows me to return home in hopes of bringing the spirit from here home that we may all raise our souls higher and remain eternally young and hopeful.
Camp means so many different things to so many people. Camp is everything to me. To me, OSRUI represents one of the greatest experiences teaching my kids about themselves and their Judaism. Even at my age it teaches me year after year new things about experiencing and teaching my Judaism. I love all the opportunities it gives me to grow and learn from campers just beginning to understand what being Jewish means to them. I am eternally grateful for the staff who let me in and allow me to be part of their developing lives for a few weeks each year. Camp is a microcosm of what life is all about and the best of what life can be for all those most fortunate to be able to experience life at OSRUI or one of the other URJ camps.
Everyone has a sacred space they call their own. This shabbat as you rest and look inward think about your place in this world that brings you the most peace, the ocean, the mountains, Israel, Spain, Italy, Northern Wisconsin. Find yourself visualizing the moments in your life when you experienced the most peace in your soul. I wish you could all be here to experience Shabbat at camp. I wish you to feel the peace you experience in your favorite place on earth and be able to recall and embrace again that feeling of total peace.
Peace is wherever we create it. It is within us the moment we allow it to flow within us. Even in the midst of chaos we have the power to calm our minds and souls, allowing us to cut through the chaos with our peace.
Camp brings me peace, being amongst some of my favorite people in the world always brings me peace. May we bring peace into this world so that it may share the calm we help create.
Cayn yehi ratzon – May this be God’s will.