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Now that the summer is over, our campers and staff members have transitioned home, reunited with families, started the new school year, and returned to “real life.”  Family Camp 2022, our final Camp Yavneh program of the kayitz, wrapped up on August 28th, which also happened to be Rosh Hodesh Elul.  It was fitting timing for the end of our season, and a naturally perfect moment to move into our post-summer evaluation and reflection.

As we know, Elul is the time when our tradition compels us to delve deeply into the year that is coming to a close, to consider what we have experienced and learned, and to contemplate when we succeeded and when we missed the mark.  This process is an essential step of every Jewish individual’s annual journey, but it also can and should be a significant moment of reflection for our communities and organizations.

After an incredible summer at camp, we reflect with pride on the ways the Camp Yavneh program and people helped positively influence the lives of 562 campers and 250 staff members.  We remember the incredible experiences from Kayitz 2022: not only the big and beautiful “masoret moments” like Zimriyah, Maccabiah, and Yom Yisrael, but also the small yet powerful moments of growth, chesed, and pure joy; the camper who served as shaliach tzibur for the first time at morning tefilot;  the Gefen camper who was initially anxious about the agam but swam every day and even moved up a level in his instructional swim class; the K'firim camper who helped her Israeli bunkmate who was new to camp and struggling with English; the madrichim who comforted their chanichim on the first night of the session when everyone was missing home; and the Arayot camper who found their first “best friend” this summer.

We must also consider the ways we may have missed the mark over the summer, whether it be on an individual level (a hurtful conflict between bunkmates; not always doing such a great job of making sure your post-nishnush litter ended up in the trash can; repeatedly arriving late to kitah, etc.), or on a communal level (the group of chanichim who regularly fought with their madrichim about nikayon responsibilities; the full session campers who did not make an effort to welcome the new second session campers; the cluster of campers who gossiped about someone in their chug, etc.).  I am sure all members of our Kayitz 2022 community can recall at least one time this summer when we succumbed to our yetzer hara or made a choice that hurt someone, even if inadvertently.  In a kehillah kedosha (a holy community) like ours, despite good intentions, mistakes are still made and people and groups still have rough moments.

As the new director of Machaneh Yavneh, I am taking this time to reflect both on the ways I personally missed the mark this summer, and on the times when I should have helped our community do better.  Our staff team is learning from the results of the camper and staff satisfaction surveys, and analyzing feedback from staff exit interviews and post-summer parent conversations.  I am grateful that we have this period of time dedicated to taking a critical look back and to considering both the ways we succeeded, and the ways we fell short, this past summer.

In two weeks we will arrive at Rosh Hashana, the start of 5783.  We will sing together “Hayom Harat Olam,” today is the day when the world came into being.  It is an incredible gift to be able to start fresh each year, to accept what we have learned, and to commit to doing better in the year ahead.  Our Camp Yavneh leadership takes this opportunity extremely seriously, and in the coming weeks and months we look forward to sharing some of our Elul reflections as well as our plans for moving forward in the New Year.

May we all have a meaningful and productive final two weeks of 5782!

Shabbat Shalom,

Mazal Tov To The Following Campers Who Are Celebrating Their B’nai Mitzvahs In September:

Orli Waitman (Kfirim), Jonah Mendelson (Kfirim)

Yom Huldedet Sameach To Our Chanichim Celebrating September Birthdays:

September 1 - Ezra Goldsweig (Gurim); September 2 - Lani Baker (Arayot); September 3 - Ezra Geballe (Gurim); September 4 - Leor Hochstein (Leviim), Meital Hochstein (Leviim); September 5 - Ayelet Fishman (Arayot); September 6 - Ava Wahl (Leviim); September 7 - Ayla Hurwitz (Gefen), Leah Sydney (Gefen), Yaira Sydney- Marshak (Gurim); September 10 - Ori Farren-Greenwood (Leviim), Rachel Krause-Grosman (Leviim); September 12 - Rafael Gross (Gurim); September 14 - Eitan Samuel (Gefen); September 15 - Noah Zadeh (Gefen); September 16 - Barak Schnarch (Gurim), Joel Lederman (Leviim); September 17 - Gabrielle Mamane (Maalot), Sammy Silverberg (Gurim); September 19 - Gabey Silverberg (Gefen), Zach Khasani (Gefen); September 20 - Lyla Dynner (Maalot); September 21 - Lucy Foster (Kerem); September 22 - Naomi Luria (Kfirim); September 23 - Hadara Ancowitz (Gurim), Max Zelemyer (Leviim), Shaya Gersch (Gefen); September 24 - Anya Heiden (Kerem), Maor Baker (Maalot); September 28 - Assaf Duker (Arayot); September 29 - Alana Marcus (Gefen), Izzy Schonbrun (Gurim), Nava Litt (Maalot); September 30 - Ella Shapiro (Arayot)

Yom Huldedet Sameach To Our Alumni Celebrating September Birthdays:

Ilana Abramson (K’07), Inbal Armony (K’19), Tav Aronowitz (’08), Isaiah Baker (K’17), Avital Benedek (K’05), Gabe Berkowitz (K’12), David Brenman (K’08), Jesse Brenman (K’12), Ravi Brenner (K’13), Benjamin Breslow (K’19), Ezra Brownstein (K’15), Carrie Budd (K’84), Jason Cohen (K’21), Nadav Cohen (K’21), Simona Dalin (K’04), Beatrice Fellman (K’15), Benjamin Forstadt (K’15), Gabe Gelbtuch (K’03), Nathan Gilson (K’06), Annika Gompers (K’12), Jonathan Gradman (K’00), Samantha Greene (K’17), Leah Greene Pack (K’05), Lily Guttentag (K’09), Mindi Harris (K’04), Amanda Hills (K’12), Adin Insoft (K’14), Tani Israel (K’19), Abigail Jacob (K’17), Melissa Jacobs (K’97), Rachel Jarrett (K’01), Emma Jonas (K’21), Robert Kaitz (K’02), Yonah Kalikow (K’19), Amanda Kaplan (K’15), Nava Katz (K’14), Liora Katz (K’19), Maya Katz (K’19), Eliana Kimmelmann (K’19), Doron Korinow (K’98), Ben Lanckton (K’84)
Jonathan Leeder (K’94), Jordan Leff (K’69), Rachel Lefsky (K’05), Sarah Lefsky (K’05), Pam Levanos (K’82), Leora Levitt (K’16), Sam Levitt (K’19), Rachel Levy (K’12), Rachel Linsider Bekritsky (K’92), Lisa Lippman (K’80), Ilana Marcus (K’02), Sarah Miller (K’10), Grace Milstein (K’10), Ethan Nestelbaum (K’19), Mathew Paisner (K’01), Joshua Pankin (K’06), Tamara Peterman (K’15), Sarah Pomeranz (K’13), Madison Rodman (K’11), Josh Rosen (K’13), Emily Rubenstein (K’20), Jack Rubins (K’17), Peri Sadinoff (K’21), Sarah Salinger (K’13), Ben Shimshak (K’97), Shira Solomon (K’09), Shoshana Spencer (K’06), Ma'ayan Thee (K’16), Neta Thee (K’17), Jeffrey Trey (K’85), Rebecca Warren Golan (K’92), Sara Waxman (K’12), Shuli Weinstein (K’16), Sasha Weiss (K’99), Zachary Werner (K’05), Nava Winton (K’14), Elijah Wolfson (K’01), Gregory Zuckerman (K’82)

Mazel Tov To:

Nathan Abelman (K’07) on his marriage to Rachel Occhiogrosso

Maya Feldman (K’10) on her marriage to Jonah Harris

Sam Kann (K’11) on his marriage to Hannah Ephraim 

Meital Galler (K'14) on her marriage to Josh Elkouby

David (K’05) and Carly Ehrlich on the birth of their daughter, Emmy Rae Ehrlich. Mazal Tov to grandparents Barry (K’70) and Ruth (K’70) Ehrlich

Our Condolences:

Baruch Dayan HaEmet to Alan Hershman (K’74), Jordan Hershman (K’76), Shari Hershman Holstein (K’78), Jake Holstein (K’09), Aliza Holstein, Elana Hershman and Jacob Hershman, on the passing of their beloved mother and grandmother Bernice “Bebe” Hershman Rosenstein.  Bebe was the beloved nurse at Camp Yavneh for many years in the 1960s and 1970s.  Bebe’s brother-in-law Moshe Avital (z”l) served as Camp Director and her sister-in-law Anita Hershman Avital served as Girls Head Counselor.  We extend our condolences to the Hershman Rosenstein families. May Bebe’s memory be a blessing.

Please keep in touch with us and share your milestones, simchas, births, passings, news & updates. You can send details and photos to Adina@campyavneh.org