National Thank Your Counselor Initiative

We have learned so much at summer camp. Camp taught us to appreciate "the great outdoors", to build community and to have the confidence in ourselves to try new things. But, most of all camp taught us the power of standing for the growth and success of others. In honor of all the camp counselors that stood for us over the years we are establishing the "Thank Your Counselor Initiative" and announcing the first ever National Thank Your Counselor day to be celebrated on the first Tuesday in August.

This initiative is designed to encourage you to reach out to and thank your camp counselors from your past or present that have made a difference in your lives. You can to acknowledge your counselor(s)--past or present--on Facebook.

We also envision that on August 3, 2010 that camps all over the country will encourage their campers, staff and alumni to acknowledge their current or former camp counselors by saying thanks through calls, cards or some creative camp way. Join this event on Facebook.

Please invite all your camp buddies to join and let's see what can happen.

A few samples of people who have thanked their counselors:

"Special thanks to Rachel for starting me out strong in '99. Rachel and Shanna for dealing with me and being legendary in '04/'05." --Becca

"As a life long camper/counselor at Henry S. Jacobs Camp and now a camp director of a the Birmingham, Al JCC camp, I wish to thank all who influenced my life positively as a camper and guided me as a counselor. You are the people that taught me about the value of camp and influenced me so much that I became a camp director. And now, my goal is to continue that tradition and give every child I see a smile and a positive experience." --Betty

"I don't know who he is, but the Canoe tripper who took my bunk out of a trip in Algonquin when we were in Tziirim, that guy changed my life. It rained the whole time and it was the best canoe trip I've ever been on in my life. We were like Indiana Jones in the jungle looking for some lost treasure. Thank you mystery Canoe Tripper!" -- Toby

"Thank you Whammy for being Whammy when I was 8 and now at 42. Thank you Jordan, for freeing my from that Hanging Wedgy at the Eddie Cantor. (Jordan's son was my son's counselor for the last 4 weeks and my son raves about him!) Thank you Howie, my first counselor in Unit C. Thank you Ira! Thank you Les! Thanks to Kenny, for the amazing round ups!" --Marc

This project is organized by Daniel Reiser and Josh Goldsmith.

Solidarity March for Gilad Shalit

Cross-posted on URJ Camp Coleman's Blog

In honor of Tisha B’Av—the holiday commemorating the many tragedies of the Jewish people—the Machon and Machon Adventure Programs organized a Solidarity March for Gilad Shalit. Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas in June 2006. Four years have now passed, and Shalit has still not been returned to his family. In that time, he has been kept in total isolation and has been denied visits from humanitarian aid groups. The Machon participants felt a strong connection to him, given that he is close to them in age. Shalit was 19 when he was captured.

“I’m only 17, and I know I haven’t experienced enough of life yet, so I’m sure Gilad hasn’t either.” -Alex

On the day of Tisha B’Av, the whole camp dressed in blue and white and marched from the office to the dining hall. The Machon prepared blue wristbands to give to every camper, and every staff member received a blue armband that said “Free Gilad.” We carried balloons, Israeli flags, picket signs reading “Support Gilad” and “Peace Now,” and a giant banner with a picture of Gilad on it, while somber Hebrew songs played on the P.A. system.

The dining hall was decorated in blue and white, and when the march arrived, the Machon read a letter they are sending to Gilad’s family, describing the day’s activities.

North American and Israeli staff members joined together to offer a prayer for Shalit. The original prayer was written by Coleman’s drama specialist, Craig Thompson.

There are many casualties of war in this world.

Let Gilad not be among them.

There are many unhealthy people in this world.

Let Gilad not be among them.

There are many unhappy people in this world.

Let Gilad not be among them.

There are many lonely people in this world.

Let Gilad not be among them.

There are many people without hope in this world.

Let Gilad not be among them.

There are many captive people in this world.

Let Gilad not be among them.

There are many silent people in this world.

Let us not be among them.

We pray to you, O God, for the safe and speedy return of Gilad Shalit to his family in Israel. And in the meantime, we pray that he is healthy and safe, and that he find peace in the love of his friends and family and comfort in the knowledge that we are not silent, that people around the world are actively working to bring him home. And let us say, Amen.

Additionally, members of the camp community signed the following petition:

“We demand that Hamas abide by international humanitarian law and afford Gilad Shalit his rights to proper medical care. Moreover, we ask that Gilad be afforded the right of communication with his family and the outside world, and we ask for the immediate end to his inhumane treatment. We also ask that Gilad be returned safely and in good health to his home and family in Israel as soon as possible.”

The whole camp is now participating in a run-a-thon to raise money for the Keren Maor Foundation, which supports Gilad solidarity events around the world. Staff members can pledge a dollar amount for every lap they run around the lake. The initiative is called “Exercise Your Freedom.”

View video from the march on Vimeo.
View photos from the march on Flickr.

Gilad Shalit Stamp

Several Coleman staff members and I are planning a Solidarity March for Gilad Schalit to be held on Tisha B'Av. The whole camp will dress in blue and white and march from the misrad to the chadar ochel, carrying balloons. Every camper will receive a blue wristband to wear for Gilad.

In addition to the march, staff will "Run For Freedom" to raise money for the Keren Maor Foundation. Staff will literally exercise their freedom while wearing an arm band reading "Free Gilad."

To create these 200 arm bands, I carved a rubber stamp to use as a template. Below is a slideshow of the process.

Monit HaKesef--The Israel Cash Cab

Cross-posted on URJ Camp Coleman's Blog.


Take a ride across camp on Monit HaKesef--the Israel Cash Cab! Answer five questions about Israel correctly before reaching your destination and you win a prize. Miss two questions, and you gotta hoof it.

Chalutzim Trip--First Session

Cross-posted on URJ Camp Coleman's Blog.

This week, Chalutzim spent 4 days out of camp on the Chalutzim trip. Campers explored the theme of “Discrimination, Tolerance, Acceptance” as we crisscrossed the Southeast.

Our first day took us to Atlanta, GA. In the morning, we explored what it feels like to be blind, as we opened our other senses at Dialogue in the Dark. Dialogue in the Dark allows campers to experience everyday scenarios in complete darkness. At the end of the simulation, campers sat down with their vision-impaired tour guides to “dialog” about living in blindness.

“It was interesting to experience the challenges that people who are born blind go through everyday, and feel how they overcome that challenge.” –Preston

Later that afternoon, we went to The Temple in Atlanta to learn about the Temple bombing in 1958. The Temple was targeted for advocating for civil rights, and stands today as a symbol of Black-Jewish relations. Campers would experience echoes of the Temple Bombing the next day at Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church.

“It’s really amazing how deep intolerance can go, for someone to be able to bomb a place of God. It’s also amazing that some Jewish people were able to reach out to reach out to the Black community to show support during this ugly period of American history.” – Sara

Campers learned about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the MLK Center in downtown Atlanta. At the Eternal Flame next to Dr. King’s grave, campers considered similarities between Dr. King, Yitzhak Rabin, and John Kennedy, all assassinated leaders who spoke out for peace at different moments in their careers and who are memorialized by an eternal flame. Inside the museum, we learned how Mahatma Gandhi influenced King’s non-violent methodology. After the museum, campers reflected on Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Campers made dream pillows stuffed with lavender, encapsulating their own hopes and dreams.

That night, we saw the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals, 5-0.

We spent our second day in Birmingham, AL. In the morning, we toured the 16th Street Baptist Church, a center of civil rights leadership, which was infamously bombed in 1963, killing four little girls. Next door to the church, we toured the Civil Rights Institute and learned about the history of segregation and the quest for integration. At the end of the museum, we learned about modern struggles for freedom and the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In a beautiful park in Birmingham, campers learned about Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a civil rights advocate who marched with Dr. King in Selma, AL. Rabbi Heschel famously said, “When I marched in Selma, I felt like I was praying with my feet.” Campers explored what it means to “pray with your feet”—what foot print they will leave behind and whose shoes they would like to fill.

That afternoon, we had fun at Alabama Adventure Amusement and Water Park. That night, we went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D.

On Wednesday, we traveled to Whitwell, TN, home of the famous Paper Clips Holocaust Memorial. The middle school in this small bible belt town was learning about the Holocaust, and a group of students couldn’t imagine the number 6,000,000. They set out to collect 6,000,000 paper clips, in order to fathom the weight of this atrocity. Their project caught the attention of the national press, and they ended up receiving in the mail more than 20 million paperclips. They put 11 million on display—in memory of all the people, Jews and others, who were murdered in the Holocaust. The display is housed in a German cattle car that was formerly used to transport Jews to their deaths. This stunning memorial in the unlikeliest of places is a symbol of understanding and acceptance, and was an inspiration to our whole group.

“At first, it kind of seemed like a random place to have a Holocaust museum, but then, it kind of made sense. It shows that you can have an emotional attachment to an event that happened even if you don’t have a personal attachment.” –Michael

We camped that night in Ocoee, TN, and woke up early the next morning to whitewater raft the Ocoee River.

“Civil rights is human rights. So everyone must contribute even if they don’t have a personal attachment. There’s that Holocaust quote [by Pastor Martin Niemöller]: ‘First they came for the Gypsies, and I did nothing, because I wasn’t a Gypsy…’ Or, in the words of Bobby Harris: ‘If one of us has got a problem, we’ve all got a problem.’” –Harry