Dear Parents,
The word Hineini appears 178 times in the Torah, almost always in the context of answering Hashem’s call. Sacrificing for our Yiddishkeit and Jewish values has been a consistent theme since the birth of our nation and has continued to this very day. The world is full of distractions — some necessary and others concerning — but summer camp offers the unique opportunity for children and staff to learn from role models in the most immersive and impressionable environment possible. This is perhaps our most important “Hineini Highlight”: Developing a love for Torah and the State of Israel.
This past week saw the most incredible set of fun, creative, and inspiring educational programming, with the weekly theme of “To Sacrifice: For our Homeland” woven through all of it. From Shiria 2024: “סיפור של ישראל” to the Girls Campus Production: “ליבי במזרח”, amazing volunteer work with the Israel Chesed Center and Boots for Israel, and capping off with the “Race for the Base” marathon and Yom Yisrael, our campers were not only learning about the gift of Israel — but living it. Of course, we are unbelievably proud to have 176 campers currently traveling through Israel on our Sulam program.
It is not rare to hear an alumnus share that camp made one of the deepest and significant impacts on their Jewish identity. While we are blessed to have a most talented and passionate team of formal educators, with a full time ‘Chinuch Head’ embedded in every division, we know the positive influence of counselors, specialty staff, and peers is what makes the impact of camp so powerful. After all, the word Chavrusa (learning partner) and Chaver (friend) come from the same root — because it’s one’s friends and peers that one can learn the most from.
It’s hard to believe that we will already be bidding farewell to our First Session friends this Monday. We will miss them and had an amazing final week with them, which can be seen in this week’s PreShabbat Video by clicking here or below.
From our home to yours, wishing you and your family a Shabbat Shalom, with prayers for peace and a safe return of our hostages.
Jeremy Joszef
Director, Camp Morasha