Director's Corner - Friday, June 20, 2025

You Make My Dreams (Come True)
‍

‍What I want, you’ve got
And it might be hard to handle
Like the flame that burns the candle...

There’s something about Fridays at Beber that just feels right. You can sense it from the moment we gather at the flagpole in the morning. It’s the start of something special. Our schedule shifts, the energy builds, and the community begins to prepare for one of the most joyful and meaningful moments of the week: Shabbat.

Today was Day Four of Hobby One, and campers are finding their rhythm in each activity. Over at the waterfront, strong winds gave our sailors the perfect conditions to practice maneuvers like jibing and coming about. I watched as they confidently steered their boats, improving with each turn. The zip line at the Challenge Course was in full swing, and down in arts and crafts, hobby areas were bustling with creativity. Ceramics, woodworking, and jewelry making all stood out today.

One of my favorite moments came during O-5 cabin activity, where they took on Luke’s Strength Challenge. Wall sits, planks, and determination filled the space. I jumped in for a round (they let me join), and while I wasn’t quite as agile as the campers, I was definitely inspired by their spirit and encouragement.

Today also marked a meaningful milestone for our oldest campers: the CITs departed for their Colorado Internship. This week-long adventure is a capstone of their leadership journey, and it combines service, teamwork, and hands-on learning outside of camp. We’re excited for what they’ll experience, and for what they’ll bring back. More about this later!

In the afternoon, we shifted into Shabbat mode. Campers skipped their second cabin activity to prepare, donning white clothes for our week one white Shabbat and heading to Hobby Wheel Field for the Shabbat Schmooze, gathering with friends, taking photos, and enjoying the peaceful energy that sets in as the sun begins to lower.  Our photographers were able to capture some of the most beautiful shots of the cabin groups standing in a circle with their hands over each other's heads as we said the prayer over the children.  Seeing the culmination of our weeks worth of building relationships, spreading kindness and welcoming inclusivity could not have been more special.  

Tonight's family-style Shabbat dinner was cozy and full of ruach, with tables overflowing with matzo ball soup, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli, challah, and joyful conversation. Earlier meals today featured eggs and breakfast potatoes in the morning and pizza with Caesar salad at lunch! Solid Friday classics.

Services in the Amphitheater were especially meaningful tonight, thanks in part to one of Beber’s most unique traditions: the arrival of Ruchel, our Friday Night Storyteller. Since 1982, a mysterious, old-world guest has visited Shabbat services to share a story with a moral and a song without the words. With oversized glasses, layered shawls, and a thick accent borrowed from shtetl ancestors (and maybe a little Yente from Fiddler on the Roof), Ruchel never fails to make us laugh, think, and sing. Tonight’s story about an old lighthouse and its dedicated and determined occupant shared the moral that courage is not always loud.  Sometimes it’s a quiet decision to keep doing what is right even when no one believes in you.  Our inclusive service allows everyone to participate and feel connected.  Traditional prayers interspersed with catchy tunes and meaningful readings help to create a thoughtful and inspiring connection with our Judaism.

The evening wrapped up with Israeli dancing on the Ron Kaplan Courts, mixing traditional Israeli dances and some more modern ones all learned this week in cabin activities, followed by an electric song session led by our Beber Music Staff Band, combining camp favorites with Jewish melodies that echo the values we live each day.

Tomorrow we’ll focus on those Jewish values, not in a lesson or lecture, but in the little things: gratitude at breakfast, kindness during cabin clean-up, and pride in cheering each other on as well as some fantastic Jewish programming complete with some cooling off in the water.

Trivia Time! Yesterday’s question was: Who sang “Send Me on My Way?” Answer: Rusted Root Congratulations to everyone who got it right!

• Eric Ritvo
• Shari Graham
• Corey Shapiro
• Melissa Roth
• Dana Saltzman
• Heather Carp
• Anne Reaven
• Jessica Fonoroff
• Amy Bloomberg
• Brooke Lubin
• Dennis Planker

Plus late entries from Thursday’s trivia (Who sang “I Can See Clearly Now?”)Answer: Johnny Nash

• Jill Rivkin
• Eric Ritvo

Today’s Trivia Question: Who sang “You Make My Dreams (Come True)”? Send your answer to trivia@bebercamp.com for a shoutout in tomorrow’s blog!

Shabbat Shalom,

Michael