Why Prayer Comes Alive at Camp
Years ago when my kids were little, prayer was inaccessible to them. They would often pray in our synagogue, but I could only get them to do so for short spans and they didn’t often understand the meaning or context of the prayers.
The Jewish Renaissance at Camp
A month ago, I announced the beginning of our local Jewish renaissance. Newly returned from my annual stint at Camp Newman, I am even more convinced, not only of the veracity of that statement, but of its relevance to North American Reform Jewry at large.
Camp Alumna Returns to Talk Racial Justice
When Lena McQuade was 13, she couldn’t wait to have her Bat Mitzvah – but her conservative congregation in San Luis Obispo just wasn’t ready to have a girl on the bimah reading Torah.
A Parent’s Journey from Appreciating Camp Magic to Creating It
Four years ago, my kids came to URJ Camp Newman for the very first time. We didn’t know how it would be for them, but when we picked them up on the last day, standing by their new life-long friends, they were glowing with light and love.
Fearless Campers Use Clay and Poetry to Express Emotions
In Hagigah Poetry and Claymation Yetzirah, campers wrote dozens of poems and created original animation shorts. This workshop required headwork, handwork and the unleashing of emotions.
Unpacking Camp
With the first sessions of camp ending, we have already brought home one of our children from camp. After spending two weeks at camp there is lots to share, but sometimes kids need a bit of prompting to get all the details about camp that you have been waiting to hear.
A Visual Tour of Our Hagigah Art Specialties!
During our first two weeks with Hagigah, these creative rising 10th grade campers were on skill-learning overdrive, crafting, printing, cooking and improvising up a storm. Each camper chose one minor (hizdamnut) and one major (yitzirah) specialty, each led by an incredibly talented faculty member.
What the Camp Photos Don’t Show You
For the past two weeks I have been part of the faculty at URJ Camp Newman, which affords me a unique perspective: I get to see what happens at camp as both a rabbi and a parent.
Mosaic-Making: A Microcosm of the Camp Experience
This summer at URJ Camp Newman was my eleventh in a row as an artist with Hagigah, the arts track for 10th and 11th graders. As usual, I spent a few hours a day for two weeks cutting paper with them; after all, that’s what I do in my “real” life outside camp.
Bonim’s Super Powered Week of Self Discovery
Look! Up in the Beit Am. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Bonim! Between meeting the Jewish Tzedek League, to learning Israeli dances, to pool time, our youngest cape-crusaders flew through the day tackling fun challenges and through them, discovering the essence of their own super powers.