Two days ago we began to create a picture of common memory… The story we share. As Jews, we were all at Sinai, experienced diaspora and the atrocities of the pogroms and holocaust. These stories give us a common memory, a method of keeping us together, a method of united us and a method for us to live our lives. We all bore witness (atem edai) to many things regardless of whether we were there and regardless of whether the event even occurred in history.

At Har Herzl, this memory is clear, the story is present. Each grave of the presidents and each grave of the soldier that died for his country tells a story of love and sweat put into the fabric of Israel. Yad Vashem, our second stop, told an even greater story, a story of devastation and atrocity. I had not yet been to the new Yad Vashem, an incredible Landmark and I learned the most visited location in all of Israel… Why? The answer is simple… because it is a common memory… not just for the Jews but for all people. Across time, every culture or geographic region has experienced a similar atrocity.

I don’t want to concentrate on the stories themselves, because we can all agree that they are emotional and moving stories. What is more poignant to speak about is the way in which we tell the story and how we can tell our own story… This was the topic of our day. What is the story of camp, and how can we help to craft this story. What is the story of our campers? What is the story of our staff? are they one in the same. At camp, not everyone person the same story, but what we can do is frame guidelines where one will develop their own story. Let’s first start with the camp’s story…

It starts with a vision… a vision of committed committed congregations that felt Reform Jews of the northeast needed a place of their own, where members of communities did not have to feel Jewish alone… This camp would be a place where Judaism thrives. They did not call Eisner an Institute for Living Judaism for no reason. Exploring the word institute, the image of cabins and campfires are not the ones conjured, but rather a place where learning growing thrives. The word for institute in Hebrew is Machon which also means foundation. It is no coincidence that this Hebrew word has two definitions. Our Reform Camps are the foundation for Reform Jewish living. Our camps are where children come to begin or continue a Jewish Journey that will last a lifetime. Eisner’s mission ends with the phrase that “you are not required to complete the word but nor are you free to ignore it”. This is truly the foundation we have laid. A building’s foundation typically starts with laying concrete… The concrete is the lasting feeling that will be woven through the fabric that will be woven through a camper or staff member’s life. The pillars of the building are the values we instill. The story starts with the foundation of living Judaism! The story is generations of campers, their families and staff members who have had their lives shaped by camp. It doesn’t matter if you become a Rabbi, that’s not the goal. The story is that a camper or staff member who attends Eisner Camp grows up to be a Jew with Kavanah (intention in their lives), an active member of their Jewish community, who acts justly and thoughtfully in his/her life. The story does not end there… It is not enough to stop their. Just as camp’s mission statement says, we must “Inspire others to join us in this holy work”. Kind of like Pay It Forward. A colleague said to me recently “It is our job to make kids smile” and I though about it for a moment and replied to him, “That is not enough. If I wanted to make kids smile, I could be a stage performer, but I am not. I am the Assistant Director of a summer camp” and I continued on, “If you want to say that we make people smile, then I will add the following to your quote…’Our job is to make people make other people smile” and the way in which we do it is up to us.

When we look back, every camper will have a story, a similar story, a similar memory that includes friendship, relationships, Tikkun Olam, living and breathing Torah, and strong community. Campers will grow up to have strong values, particularly within their families and among their coworkers and they will tell others they live, behave and work in a certain way because camp laid the foundation. This is the camper’s story, and the details will be different but the memories are truly the same.

We were all at Sinai.

If you like the clip you can call Ma’aleh Film School and get the films… www.maale.co.il.

Particularly at camp, we are forced to have relationships with all of those around us, whether we see that person all day long or for a fleeting second. Camp is a highly emotional, highly energetic, constant and ongoing environment. Most people at camp are young and passionate about their interests and experiences. It is easy for barriers to go up quickly. At many Jewish camps, staff come from America, Israel, England, Australia, Eastern Europe, etc. There is excitement before the summer about meeting new people and becoming one community… But it has always seemed to me that wherever I have been, people tend to stick with what’s familiar. Americans with Americans, Israelis with Israelis, and so on. That is not to say that these counselors do not get along… often they do, but there is often a social divide. The support staff are not inferior to anyone else, in fact the contrary… they are the foundation, the support for camp to work. None of this is new information and another obvious barrier.

My question though is Do we let people in enough? Do we let our campers in? our staff? or is there a pre-built wall. I am not talking about appropriate or inappropriate conversations about ones personal life, but are we really and truly letting down the barrier so that we can build the relationships necessary for our camps to properly flourish. We tell our counselors to create “Aha!” moments or "Jewish Teachable Moments.” It’s nearly impossible to create the Jewish teachable moment, but I can have the knowledge and language to create an environment where Jewish teachable moments will happen. These are the moments that build Jewish relationships whether they are between campers and staff or staff and staff.

As camp directors we are educators… but the challenge is acquiring the knowledge and then conveying that knowledge to counselors without it seeming trite. Counselors need to actively speak with God and use Jewish language to create Jewish relationships Counselors must articulate words of Torah to their campers… It is NOT enough to act as the Torah says… We must know why and we MUST convey that to our campers. If I am a counselors and can really speak to a camper about his dreams and talk about Theodore Herzl’s dreams… But it is not enough to just talk about that story, as a mentor they need to make the story their own. Use Jewish history, Hebrew, culture, and people to contextualize the story. Make every time you speak with a camper a moment to remember, and open the door for moments that will live in their memory forever. My point today is educate yourself, find your story, and TELL IT in a way that others can understand.

Today, I stood, atop Har Tziyon understanding the value of relationship, (having been their once before 10 years ago, I was bored to tears by the tour guide). I hadn’t been shown the right things, or was not aware enough to see them. Our Guide brought us to the Room of the Last Supper, a place where groups of Christians were overwhelmed with emotion in group prayer and group experience. Ascending then to the Tomb of David, I witnessed a soldier, tzitzit and keepah, Siddur in hand, rifle on his back, praying intensely… a stark contrast. Atop Har Tziyon, I peered down as our guide pointed out an old Arab cemetery, sandwiched between a Holocaust memorial and the building we had just ascended. Our Guide (Steve Israel, an incredibly insightful teacher), asked us about the connections we made. For me, I was moved by the community created by the Christian group… almost to the point where I would have struck up a conversation with them about their holy space. I felt discomfort in David’s Tomb next to the soldier and other Ultra-orthodox men in prayer. I should have had more in common with the Jew, but a conversation with the other Jews could be difficult because of assumptions about both of our sects… and a conversation with Christians may have been easier to strike up because there is a common understanding that we are not alike in our beliefs, a perfect environment for learning from each other. Who would I build a better relationship with? I suppose I won’t know until I strike up that conversation.

That’s today’s story. Build Relationships… Not Walls, even when it is difficult.

Just came from the security fence… wall… barrier, depending on where you are. We just left so I thought I’d upload this… Reflections to come later.

Prior to arriving in Jerusalem, we spent the afternoon at Shorashim, a park and learning center dedicated to Kibbutz Gezer. The unique part about Shorashim is that every space, every garden, every structure tells a story. The Havdallah garden smells of sweet spices, the benches tell the story of creation. Kids have built every part of the park… It makes you think about the spaces at camp. Are we using them properly. Often a camps cleanly painted buildings and fresh cut grass are elements that make camp presentable for those attending and those prospective families, but are there spaces on camp that can tell a different story… What spaces do we have on camp that just by looking at them are inherently Jewish. Could you walk around camp and never know that the camp is a place where children explore their Jewish Identity, connect with God and with their community. Much like the Tzofim Beit Am at Eisner Camp (www.eisneralumni.org), spaces tell a story, even if it is not obvious. Even though at camp, the tradition might be singing and the space does not matter, because it is singing that is the tradition, space can create a powerful memory and powerful connection, if you tell the right story and use the space in a manner in which campers will find meaning. A dining hall’s story might be of the white on shabbat and the fresh made challah, watching everyones faces as they enjoy together… A pool might be where a camper first learns to put his face in the water. What are the elements of a meaningful moments… Is space a part of that. The cop out answer would be something like “A view of the Grand Canyon”… of course that can be meaningful, but I guess today’s thought is about how to make a seemingly profane space be something holy.

Saturday was a pretty relaxing day… Had the pleasure of seeing Eric Chafetz, Josh Laurence, Miriam Farber, Laurence Jacobs, Nir Alon, and Dan Bleichman. Most of the day was rest, with a bit of text study and in the evening a great dinner with some camp alum!

It is truly incredible how rich Tel Aviv is with culture… you just have to know where to look. We are all struggling with the question, “Why are we here?” forcing each one of us to bring it back to camp, not in a literal way, but examining the intention behind the founders of Tel Aviv and bringing that same ideology back to camp.

The day started off with a visit to Binah, a modern day secular Yeshiva. Secular Yeshiva? Huh? Doesn’t make much sense, but is really  a cultural center for modern Judaism. This is a place where students who never expected to experience Jewish study, learn a great deal about their communities and how Israel is synonymous with Judaism (an obvious idea to us, but sometimes difficult for secular Israelis). The morning text study was a great way to begin the day… At tale of how Hillel would give half of his money every day to the shul and the one day he didn’t have it he ws not let in. He was forced to peek in from the chimney and nearly froze to death, causing his fellow congregants to have to bring him in and do work on the sabbath to keep the ill hillel from freezing to death and therefore acknowledging that they were profaning shabbat but that it was okay. An interesting conversation insued about the guard and the men in the community… Was the guard who didn’t let him in part of the community and why did it take so long for the men to notice that hillel was not present. Who do we notice in our communities at camp? Who do we often leave out unintentionally or intentionally? Was it right for the guard not to let him in because he didn’t have the money? When is it okay to make exceptions in our work and personal life?

The second part of the day was spent at the Ruvein Rubin museum examining his art and how it portrayed Israel and Tel Aviv. This was some great artwork but I was struck by the christian imagery over and over… A painting that mimicked the last supper of Da Vinci, Rubin’s self portrait holding a pomegranate, lamb.

One of the most compelling pieces of the day was standing outside the home of famed poet, Bialik, speaking about the study group he set up near his home and near the synagogues… Tel Aviv would exist with Judaism thriving and study would be a part of that.  The founders of Tel Aviv, set out to create an Ir HaKodesh (a holy city), a term that you would rarely hear about Tel Aviv, and yet Judaism thrives everywhere in this city. What was compelling about Bialik and Ben Yehuda (two great wordsmiths of Israel), was that so much was based on language… Israel would be successful because the language of hebrew was being spoken… When we use hebrew at camp we are intentionally doing this to imply a Jewish atmosphere. Just as hebrew is incorporated in synagogue life or camp life, so it is in hebrew to help give Israelis an identity, a deliberate move by earlier settlers of Israel to make the land on which they settle holy and make the city of Tel Aviv, Ir Hakodesh, a holy city.

I didn’t mention it in my first post, but a powerful beginning to my trip was sitting next to a Catholic Priest from the Knights of the Order of the Holy Sepulcre, a branch of the Franciscans from the U.S. We began to speak about our religions and I was moved by this preists passion for Israel even though he had not been. At the end of the conversation, the father handed me a blessing on a card… He told me he would pray for me and that I should pray for him… I told him “Deal”, and so I guess I will do that. A great way to frame a trip to Israel, but thinking about how much it means to those other than Jews… Muslims and Christians alike.

URJ Assistant Directors at Yitro - Tel Aviv Beach Overlook

Just arriving in Israel, the typical feeling of one who arrives in in srael is overwhelming… Tired. 10 hours on an airplane with intermittent and sporadic bursts of sleep, stemming partly from the gentleman in front of me who feel the need to access the bin above my head approximately 16 times (and that was only counting the times while I was awake).

Stepping outside, I was greeted by air at least 40 degrees warmer than New York. We were immediately greeted in the airport by our guide, Shalom Orzach, a brilliant man with passion for education and Jewish camp and Shani, our resident authentic Israeli for the trip, and logistics coordinator. Our first stop was an overlook with Yafo (Old Jaffa) in the distance to the south and the beach front directly in front. We were met by Abe Silver, a man who I quickly discovered had an unequaled passion for the city of Tel Aviv. One might question why our first stop on a religious based trip would be Tel Aviv, but the answer to that question became quickly obvious.  Abe pointed to a spot in the distance, a location of a high rise hotel, one of the many in Tel Aviv, and showed us a photo of 60 settlers who in 1909, decided that Tel Aviv would be their new city. All that was, were miles of dunes, an unsuspecting place for a major city that one day Israelis would refer to as the “New York of Israel,” although as a resident New Yorker, I find it difficult for anyone to compare any other city to New York.

Abe’s unequaled passion taught us about these committed Jews and how they created a city where rabbinic Judaism was no longer at the forefront of life. This is not to say that Judaism was not present, but what had been the focal point of eastern European life could no longer be in this new city. Judaism would be woven through its culture. Bialik, an important poet in Israel’s history, said it well upon seeing the atrocities of the Kishniev Pogroms. While he recognized the events, he did not criticize those committing the pogrom, and dismissed them as beasts. Rather, Bialik, in his poem labeled the Jews as pathetic, because after the massacre where women were violated, all the followers of those eastern Europeans could ask their rabbi’s was “Can we be with our wives?” because the answer words of Todah/Talmud say otherwise.. For us the answer woulld be obvious and Bialik rejected this idea of Rabbinic Judaism and fueled the fire for a Tel Aviv rooted in Judaism in a different way.

I asked myself after this day, “What does this have to do with camp?”… Not every moment is obvious, but this seemed clear. 1) If you have a dream and the reality seems far away, do not adjust the dream, adjust the reality, just as the Jews transformed Tel Aviv (literally “Old New” City). A City created by 16 year olds, could easily be youth, or Olim campers creating the future for the kids of camp. If you have a dream, adjust the reality… not the dream. 2) Our Judaism, as we know is adaptable, which we often do in camp. The obvious root is not always the best root and the best root is not always the obvious root. Tel Aviv is not a city built on a grid, but a city where the streets are actually shaped like Jewish stars or menorahs… Subtle hints of Judaism, where everything behind every decision made in creating this city was done intentionally with Judaism as its base.

Getting off of the bus now… I will try and update this blog every day, but I make no promises at this point, it is only the first day.