Shabbat Shalom Camp Airy!

Our Shabbat celebration this week at Camp took on a special meaning following the unprecedented events of Wednesday.. Our campwide Song Session began with Songleader Dan playing old favorites and new melodies such as “Big Rig,” “The Cat Song,” “Shigaon,” “Country Road,” and “Herbie.” Campers and staff all joined in with each and every chorus or hand motion. They laughed about Herbie the housepet, bellowed while counting to 18 in all sorts of languages, and swayed arm-in-arm in unit circles. 

Following Song Session, we moved into what has become one of the favorite weekly activities for campers and staff…Israeli Dancing. Led by Assistant Director Zac, bunks danced, contorted, and whooped it up through favorites like “Bakaleel,” “Golden Boy,” “Zeeben Zeeben.”  There is nothing quite like seeing campers and staff of all ages let loose with their counselors and bunkmates, especially after a week like this one.  Shout out to the 2022 Airy CITs for helping to lead the dances with gusto and “ruach.”

Our Shabbat celebration continued into Saturday morning with Services on the Village Row Basketball Court.  This week, we introduced new campers, and reminded returning campers, about our “Middah of the Week” tradition. Each week we present a value, or “middah,” to emulate throughout the upcoming week.  We invite campers and staff to nominate other campers or staff who demonstrated that middah. At the end of the week, a select few of those nominated earn special, campwide recognition as the week’s “Mensch on the Bench.”

When camp was faced with an unprecedented and unexpected challenge on Wednesday morning, we gathered together and asked everyone to make an extra effort to support each other. What we saw in response was one middah after another. 

Kindness…teamwork…patience…respect…hospitality. We did not have to ask. In the face of adversity, our people rose to the occasion, and in doing so, showed why Camp Airy is such a special place.  

Perhaps more so than ever before, though, the middah of “courage” resonated around the mountain on Wednesday and each day since. We saw it in the firefighters who approached the situation with clear heads and steady hands, with a plan in place and the courage to see it through. We saw courage in our staff and supervisors who mobilized the entire camp, explained the challenges of the day, got our campers downhill safely, and organized a day’s worth of meals and activities. We saw courage from counselors who engaged the campers in those activities, kept them safe downhill, and made sure that the day’s events did not affect their ability to feel safe and supported in their home away from home. And we saw courage in our campers, who maintained composure during a scary situation. 

This week was a hard week. There is no way around that. But as we reflected this Shabbat, we were reminded again that Camp is not the programming, the activities, or even the buildings.  Camp is the people, and this week, we saw the best in them all. 

So long until the next blog,
Marty

This Week’s Birthdays at Camp Airy – 

JULY 3
Sammy
Max
Josh
Harrison
Ryan (Staff) 

JULY 4
Jesse

JULY 6
Tomy (Staff) 

JULY 7
Landon