Each night, campers and staff at the Steve & Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken JCC in Eagle River, Wis., form a circle overlooking beautiful Lake Finley, place their right hand over their left hand, hold hands with the person next to them, and begin their bedtime ritual: together they sing the Shema and “Rod Hayom” (“Day Is Done”).
While the campers and staff at Camp Interlaken aren’t necessarily thinking about their Jewish futures during the summer, studies have shown that young adults and children who attend Jewish camp are more likely to become active participants in their Jewish communities as they grow.
Camp director Toni Davison Levenberg hopes to “send each camper home at the end of the summer a better version of him or herself.” Toni and her team use camp’s core Jewish values of Kehillah (community), B’tselem Elohim (being created in G-d’s image), Tikkun Olam(repairing the world) and Eretz Yisrael (love for the land of Israel) to accomplish that goal. The camp team maintains and promotes an atmosphere where Judaism is accessible, fun and cool.
Camp Interlaken campers design their own daily schedules, focusing on the activities that peak their interests and drive their curiosity. Each camper has the opportunity to be the best at something. They develop independence, problem- solving skills, and confidence while they make lifelong friendships under the supervision of their role models.
Max, a 10th grade camper, said: “Camp is my home. I love camp more than anything else. I’m so lucky I get to have this experience. I’m very excited to come back as a counselor in the future to give campers the same experience I had.”
For more information on the effect Camp Interlaken is having on our Jewish community, visit www.campinterlaken.org.
Steve & Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken JCC is a program of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, which is a partner agency of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
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