[featured-video-plus]
by Matt Gaskin, Social Media/Marketing Associate
One of the things that attracts people to Camp Newman is how we celebrate Shabbat. Like many other camps, everyone dresses in white, we sing, we pray, we dance. I grew up in a home that took Shabbat pretty seriously. We didn’t get to shul every week, but we all came together every Friday night and lit the sabbath candles, chanted the kiddush, and ate challah after reciting the motzi. My parents also held our hands and blessed my brother, my sister, and I every week. At Camp Newman, as temporary guardians of our campers, counselors get up and spread their hands over the campers and say the same blessing my parents said to me growing up. Then we spread tallitot over the campers, creating a shelter of peace. Campers put their arms over one another, and we sing the Hashkivenu.