Whenever I pick up my phone, the first thing I see is a picture of the sunset over Maple Lake. It reminds me daily of a place where it feels like almost anything is possible and where I’ve been lucky to spend the past two summers- and now I can’t wait to be back for a third! I grew up in the UK and went to camp and was a leader in RSY-Netzer which is the British reform youth movement. Going to camp isn’t such a regular thing at home, and I always felt a bit sad that my friends growing up had no real idea of what an incredible experience it is. I always felt so lucky to have had the chance to see what a community run by young people for young people can be like- especially when it feels like everywhere in the news and media people are complaining about teenagers and kids!

When I first came to Camp George I loved that people talked about living ten for two, ten months of the year for the two months of summer. It’s amazing that a place can have that big an impact on you that you think about it and long to be there all year. It didn’t take long for me to find out why that’s the case. The community of staff, the campers, and the faculty who support camp’s running, create such a unique environment where everyone can flourish. My favourite bits of camp are Shabbat, Barak gives back, planning fun spontaneous activities with cabins, and big all-camp moments like the play and dance show. I also love going to EPs (evening programs) in the evenings and getting to know everyone in the different units.

Outside camp I am going into my final year of training to become a Rabbi. I wanted to be a rabbi because I wanted to be a part of creating Jewish communities that make the lives of the people in them more meaningful so that they in turn can make a difference in the wider world. I know so many of the skills I use in my job now, like creative programming, helping people with their problems, and even managing the logistics for big events, are skills that I first got the chance to develop by being involved in camp at home.

When I’m not working I’m pretty serious about collecting sneakers, and I enjoy immersing myself in the world of streetwear and sneaker culture. I have a cat called George, who isn’t named after camp, but she’s a cat so she probably thinks camp was named after her!

Can’t wait to be back at camp so soon, and ready for another busy summer on Maple Lake!!