Embrace – July 30th
The end is near, and we’re all starting to feel it. It kind of sneaks up on you.
What it really shows us is the genuine love, the fun, the schtickyness, the friendships, and all those awesome things that make Herzl Camp…well, Herzl Camp. They’re not really unique to these last few days because they’re woven into everything we do here, but somehow they become magnified as camp starts winding down.
You arrive thinking, “Wow, I have six weeks of this,” or, “I’ve got three weeks of this.” Then, all of a sudden, someone says at lunch, “Do you realize we only have four days left?” You can literally watch the change happen across camp, faces shift. Kids suddenly realize this isn’t going to last forever, and their mindset becomes, “I better get everything I can out of this because I don’t want it to end.” They want to squeeze every last drop out of camp.
Quite honestly, something interesting starts to happen. Behavior actually gets a little better, even for those who occasionally enjoy testing the boundaries. (And yes…I was that kid.) But more than that, they lean all the way in. They get more invested in their games, more invested in their programs, more invested in Shabbat.
The Ozrim are already deep into Shabbat preparations. I can hear songs coming out of rehearsals. I hear campers talking about all the things they still want to do before camp ends.
“I want to be in the very front for Israeli Dancing”
“I hope they play that song.”
“We have to stand next to each other at Havdallah.”
They want to win World League, they want to drop a waterski, they want to get up on waterskis for the very first time, they want one more ride on the tube, one more swim, one more sunrise kayak at the waterfront.
There’s been this incredible volleyball game going on in three feet of water down at the waterfront. This group of kids rush there every chance they get, and they never seem to get tired of it. It’s not because they suddenly discovered a lifelong passion for competitive volleyball in waist-deep water. It’s because of everything that comes with it, the laughter, the friendships, the cheering, the belonging. They’re literally soaking in every single minute.
I know I keep gushing about how much these kids love this place, but it’s impossible not to notice it right now, it is everywhere. Camp is fully alive, right up until the very last minute. And most of all, at the last minute!
Some other interesting things happen during this final stretch.
As we head into the last Shabbat, our older campers become incredibly sentimental. They lean into one another. And after song session on Friday night, there will absolutely be tears.
What you’re seeing is an embracing of the moment. An embracing of the experience, an embracing of the fact that, for many of them, this is their last Shabbat as a camper. The next time they’ll be here, they’ll be employees. They’re standing on that bridge between camper and staff, the very bridge I talked about a few days ago, and they know it. They want to tuck just a little more of this magic into their souls before they step into that next chapter of their Herzl journey.
Our Kadima campers are getting ready to perform their play. Rehearsals have become more focused, more serious, more intentional. They know they’ll be performing for the entire camp, and every cast member seems to understand that they’re part of something bigger than themselves.
Our younger campers know something too. They know they’re heading back to school soon. They know they won’t see many of these friends every day anymore. Many of them won’t see their camp friends until next summer. So they’re embracing every conversation, every meal, every game, every dance, every walk between activities. They’re embracing their moments.
And maybe that’s the word that’s been floating around my head all day, embrace.
I love watching our staff embrace these moments too. They become even more present. They think about the memories they’re creating for their campers. They want these kids to leave with the experience they had as campers, or maybe the one they wish they had. I’ve said it before, but I’m incredibly proud of this staff. For the overwhelming most part, they’ve done a fantastic job this summer, and they’ve truly embraced the privilege of shaping these campers lives.
We have one more Shabbat ahead of us.
I don’t even know what the theme is yet, we get surprised too, but I do know what Danya, I, and the rest of our amazing team will be encouraging our campers to do, embrace it.
Embrace the fact that this is your last Herzl communal Shabbat until next summer. Embrace what it feels like to be a proud Jew without any outside noise or distractions. Embrace the beauty of this community and what we create together. Embrace the songs, the prayers. the clapping, the hand motions, the swaying during song session. Embrace learning something new at Shabbat Sichot. Embrace the friendships sitting beside you.
Just…embrace.
Well, folks, thanks for listening to my rambling tonight…or I suppose reading it.
I’ll talk to you on the other side of Shabbat.
And thank you, as always, for sending your kid to Herzl Camp.
All is well. Safely rest.
,לילה טוב
Tommy