It is so strange to be writing the words “this is the last Shabbat of the session.” Time has flown by – the camper arrival on Sunday was followed by a game show and OLYMPIC GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT on Monday, and that was followed by trips (overnights and day trips) on Tuesday and Wednesday. We caught our breath on Thursday and then it was Friday. Challah, services, singing, dancing … and FINALLY the reveal of the Airy Olympic teams and colors. Saturday extended our Shabbat celebration, and also saw the 2024 installment of Outdoor Day.

The middah (value) this week has been kindness. We have certainly seen kindness over the past two weeks while the middot were hospitality and respect. So many values go hand in hand. When we think a little deeper about kindness, ideas like “caring” and “generous” come to mind. It is special to see a box full of nominations where people are caught in the act of being caring and generous.

Let me also share a personal anecdote about kindness. When a staff member completes 3 summers on staff, they earn status in the Order of the Leaf – a staff alumni group. Of course, some Leaf inductees (thankfully) remain on staff for several more summers, but some cannot. The induction ceremony and celebration used to be on the last night of camp, but in recent years we have held the event on the Sunday of Turnover (the break between camp’s 4- and 3-week sessions). Typically, some staff will miss the event due to schedule conflicts. This summer, we knew in advance about two such conflicts, and the leadership of the Order of the Leaf organized a mini ceremony for these staff. I was in attendance.

The Order of the Leaf was founded on the ideals of friendship, service and loyalty. Those traits stand out for staff who give their time and effort to camp. At today’s special event, kindness was at the root. It was worth the organizing and coordination to hold the intimate event with near and dear friends. The inductees deserved the moment. This wasn’t something that was expected to happen, but people who are caring and generous knew how much it would mean.

During Saturday morning Shabbat services, we take time to recognize nominated campers and staff who demonstrated the middah of the week. Those “mensches” (good, selfless people) are awarded certificates, a bracelet naming the value in English and Hebrew, and a photo opportunity together with the Mensch mascot dolls.

Some of those images accompany this blog post. Congratulations to these KINDNESS mensches!

Please keep following what’s going on up at camp through our wide array of information – emailed updates from Unit Leaders and Division Heads, Facebook and Instagram posts, daily posted photos, and our new microposts via your Campanion app.

Shavuah Tov – have a good week,

Marty