5 Things I Packed for Camp

Camp Harlam

1. Extra Large Rainbow Jewish Star Earrings – Camp is a place where Jewish campers and staff can be proud of their Jewish identity and explore the humans they are becoming. I want campers to know that rabbis, cantors, and educators celebrate each of them for the unique and wonderful gifts they bring to the community by being their authentic selves.
2. A Pack of Assorted Water Bottle Stickers – I love that I get to have meaningful conversations with campers about deep topics that matter to them. This year, we talked about our concepts of God, each choosing a sticker that represented their personal theological beliefs right now. They chose scenes of nature, lightbulbs, musical instruments, and planets – and got to think deeply about how they connect with their spiritual selves.
3. An “Energy Stick” – You might find one of these in a science classroom – when connected by touching both ends, the stick lights up and makes an exciting sound demonstrating the closed circuit formed by skin-to-skin contact. Re-name this object a “Kedushometer” (from kadosh – Hebrew for holy, and -ometer – Latin for measuring) and you have a tool to delight and inspire a group of campers learning about how connecting with others can lead to holiness.
4. A Theodor Herzl Costume – At camp, we strive to bring to life moments of Jewish tradition and history. Sometimes that means donning a large black beard and black hat to tell the story of the beginnings of the State of Israel. Campers lent their own voices to this conversation by creating new flags for Israel designed with stars, pomegranates, hearts, lions, and other significant symbols.
5. A Camera and Notebook – Ok, these were both on my phone – but I absolutely took pictures and notes of what I learned at camp. It was an extraordinary privilege to work with the first all-female Faculty group to serve Camp Harlam and I learned from each of my fellow faculty members lessons that I will use throughout the year with my own students.

Rabbi Emily Meyer ’10 is an alum of HUC-JIR’s Rabbinical School. She is the creator of Doodly Jew.