by Rabbi Allie Fischman, Camp Director

Last Shabbat, we celebrated joyously with a full house and full hearts. We prayed, ate, danced, and sang our hearts out! Adding to our Shabbat joy, we took a moment to rededicate our space by affixing our new beautiful mezuzah to the main door of our Chadar Ochel (dining hall).

The mezuzah was crafted with love by Ronda Kapp, a talented artist influenced by Helen Burke – important to know as the mezuzah is built using metal salvaged from Helen Burke’s work by our own Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan after the fire in 2017.

Ronda built for us a grape vine from the salvaged scraps, and now, a piece of our history, a reminder of our sadness after the fire, and a symbol of our perseverance as a community will greet us each time we enter our dining hall.

The mezuzah, which is rather long, was built to be a physical symbol of our welcoming, inclusive community – low enough for anyone to touch and kiss it before entering – whether you are 2 years old, use a wheelchair, or are six feet tall.

The mezuzah now complements the beautiful stained-glass window installed by Michelle and David Plachte-Zuieback in summer 2021 that features the quote from Micah “And you shall sit under your vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid.”

As we go from strength to strength, may we continue to build this space as just this: a welcoming, beautiful, safe space where all may come, and none shall be afraid.

Special thank you to Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan and Steve Krause for investing in and shepherding these two art projects. We are so grateful to both of you!