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Changing Camp Culture in a #metoo World

As the #metoo movement emerged last fall, I kept thinking – how will we talk about this at camp? How can we utilize the safe space of camp to teach campers about this unfortunate reality of our world? Camp is a place where people feel safe and accepted, yet, like anywhere, this cultural reality creeps in and influences our behavior here as well.

Top 12 Photos of the Week!

Top 12 Photos of the Week!

What better way to show all the amazing things we have done this week than through photos! Here are our top 12 to show off our fun-filled week. Shabbat Shalom everyone!

All Hands on Deck – Fingerprint Mosaics at Camp Newman

All Hands on Deck – Fingerprint Mosaics at Camp Newman

This summer at Camp Newman Isaac and I were asked by Rabbi Allie Fischman to help create some new tallitot (prayer shawls) to be used when the counselors bless their campers on Friday nights. We were tasked with finding a way for each eidah (session) to work together to create a single tallit, at the same time giving each camper and counselor a chance to contribute in a personal way.

The Light Shines Through at Camp Newman

The Light Shines Through at Camp Newman

By Faculty Rabbi Larry Milder, Congregation Beth Emek Give campers ownership of their experience, and they become transformed. I arrived at Camp Newman for my two-week stint as a faculty member, working with 10th and 11th graders in their arts program, called Hagigah...

Speaking Our Minds Through Spray Paint

Speaking Our Minds Through Spray Paint

By: Faculty Artist Isaac & Faculty Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik   The week before camp started this summer, Twitter exploded with Bible quotes protesting the treatment of immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. So much of our Torah seems made for...

WTF! Says the Rabbi to the Teens

WTF! Says the Rabbi to the Teens

That’s what I was thinking, as I sat with the CITs (Counselors in Training) at URJ Camp Newman by the Bay for yet another mind blowing t’fillah (prayer) session. The incisive questions these deep, challenging, earnest young people kept asking had my head spinning. As we analyzed the first prayer on my first morning with them, they kept asking and struggling, contemplating and challenging.

Camp Chat: What did you learn at camp?

Our youngest campers are constantly having new experiences here at camp. With this being a year of new experiences for everyone here at Newman by the Bay, we wanted to know what has stood out for them. To find out we asked them this question: What is something new you have learned at camp?

Alumni Rabbi’s First Erev Shabbat at Camp Newman by the Bay

Alumni Rabbi’s First Erev Shabbat at Camp Newman by the Bay

Last Friday, I along with a multitude of campers, attended my first Erev Shabbat at Camp Newman by the Bay. I had wondered for days before this evening what this first Shabbat would feel like. Would the campers and staff bring in the Shabbat with the joy I was familiar with from both the campers whom I had witnessed first at Swig and later at Newman on Porter Creek Road or will there be a dark cloud hanging over this evening?

Meet Your Camper’s Unit Heads – Session 1B

We are excited to introduce you to… your camper’s unit heads! Also known as Rashim, these counselors will be your primary contacts in case you have any questions about your camper while they’re at camp.

Camp Is Where the Heart Is: Reflections from Opening Day

Camp Is Where the Heart Is: Reflections from Opening Day

Just 251 days after a wildfire destroyed our Santa Rosa home, Camp Newman welcomed our first of over 900 summer campers last Sunday. The optics were different at our temporary location of Cal Maritime – no star on the hill, no favorite camp spaces (yet), and lots of water and palm trees. Yet the sounds, energy, and people were all the same – and all equally jubilant for the summer ahead.