SciTech 2023

I’m not sure which of my classes at HUC-JIR prepared me for helping camp staff color in a “Torah” scroll on the floor of the JLife office, but Deuteronomy does command us to each write our own scroll. Here is a story of the Torah scroll that URJ Six Points SciTech is writing:

Ten summers ago, before the SciTech specialty camp launched, my spouse, Michelle Shapiro Abraham (RHSOE ’96) worked with the Foundation for Jewish Camp as the Jewish content specialist for a cohort of incubator camps. With the new camp director, Greg Kellner, and his staff, they came up with the idea of a Sci-Tech Torah – a scroll that would illuminate the kesher (one of SciTech’s core values – connection) between the two animating pillars (or eitzim) of the camp – Judaism and Science. The Torah scroll – expanded each year, would have two parallel streams – quotes from each portion of the Torah at the top, and a related scientific fact at the bottom. In the middle was a word wave of the SciTech core values.

Camp tradition is that each morning begins with a “Boker Big Bang” a scientific experiment (usually some kind of explosion) and a scientific d’rash on one of the prayers of the nissim b’chol yom from the morning section of the daily service. On Mondays and Thursdays, the traditional days for Torah reading in the market, there is a d’var SciTech Torah – reading a portion from the scroll (which is not yet up to the summer portions) and making it relevant to the campers. It was amazing to see our growing leaders – campers and junior counselors – on the JLife team take Torah and science, and blend them together with such wisdom, excitement, and spirit.

Truly – it is a Tree of Life, for those who find ways to bind themselves and their new outlooks to our ancient words.

Rabbi Joel N. Abraham ’98 is entering his 25th year at Temple Sholom in Scotch Plains, NJ. He recently received his Doctor of Divinity honoris causa from the Hebrew Union College, and celebrated the 10th summer of URJ Six Points SciTech as 3rd session faculty and proud parent of a pioneer camper, now on the leadership team.