Early one night last week while walking to the dinning hall I overheard the following conversation between a camper and her counselor. The camper was clearly upset. And I heard the counselor say, “Let me tell you. You are a good person. You are special and important and there are people who love you.”
This snippet of conversation was with me all night and still, to this day. What the wise counselor said to her camper is what we all want to--need to hear sometimes. It is a value of OSRUI and all URJ camps to recognize that each one of us is created Btzelem Elohim, in God’s image and thus at our very core--we are good, special and deserving of love and appreciation. The activities and programs at OSRUI reflect this value so that whether on the soccer field or in the Ivrit (Hebrew) camp-classroom, in tefillot (worship), on a field trip and in the cabin or tent, our children are seen and treated as children of God, as holy human beings. We all want to feel like we belong and we want our children to know and feel that they have a place in the world and that they are part of a People who care about them. We want our kids to know that they are okay just as they are and that they don’t have to be anyone other then themselves to be loved.
This is my first summer in many years at OSRUI. My ten year old daughter is a first year camper here and when I asked her how she likes camp this summer her response was not only that she was having a great time, but also, “OSRUI helps everyone make friends. I feel good here.” How priceless. That a child can feel so taken care of and ‘okay’ is not to be taken lightly or for granted. It takes an enormous amount of work and effort to accomplish such holy work. I have witnessed staff diligently working long past after the campers are asleep to ensure, to the best of their ability, that each camper is taken care of, and gets what he or she needs, day by day and moment by moment.
I am writing this a bit before Shabbat. Soon the camp will usher in Shabbat with singing and dancing, we’ll wear nice clothes and greet each other with a ‘Shabbat Shalom.” We will share a more peaceful schedule and take in the beauty of both this holy place and of being together. May we continue to be blessed with a most special and competent village to help us raise our children.
