Know Where You Came From, and Know Where You Are Going

By Rabbi Leah Berkowitz at 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, Pennsylvania

July 24, 2023

Though this was my sixth year at URJ Six Points Creative Arts Academy, this was my first time serving as Faculty Dean. In theory, this means I supervise the other rabbis, cantors, and educators who volunteer two weeks of their time to work at camp. In practice, it means I get the walkie-talkie.

But there was one special privilege I was excited to experience. On the last night of the session, I got to sit with on the stage the rest of the leadership team for havdalah.

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Havdalah singing at camp

Growing up going to URJ Camp Harlam, I thought there was nothing better than being in the middle of a group of people singing. This havdalah proved me wrong. Sitting onstage, I could look out at all the campers, staff, and faculty as they harmonized with the Toby Singer arrangement of the havdalah blessings.

There was something nostalgic about it, like I was looking out at past versions of myself. But there was also something incredibly hopeful about it: I was looking at the future of our people.

We close out each havdalah with Rabbi Max Chaiken’s arrangement of “Eliyahu HaNavi.” It is a raucous moment of joy at camp, with everyone jumping up and singing at the top of their lungs:

So we will not wait a minute more,
to build the world we’re waiting for
Building starts with you and me
and Eliyahu hanavi!

Our theme this year comes from Pirke Avot 3:1, “Know where you came from, and know where you are going.” Being a rabbi at camp reminds me of the Jewish communities I came from, and gives me a glimpse of where the next generation is going, and what they are building.

Rabbi Leah Berkowitz ’08 is an alum of HUC-JIR’s Rabbinical School. She is the rabbi at Congregation Kol Ami in Elkins Park, PA.