Director's Corner - June 17, 2025
June 17, 2025
Home
Just know you’re not alone, ’cause I’m gonna make this place your home…
That line summed up today at Beber. The sun was blazing, the lake breeze was refreshing, and everywhere I turned, campers were finding their stride. They were making connections, taking on challenges, and feeling more and more at home.
We had great energy across camp. I joined some penalty kicks on the soccer field, tried (unsuccessfully) to keep up in the dance studio, and watched campers cheer each other on at the challenge course. It was one of those days that reminds you how special this place is.
Meals Today:
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, hash browns, fruit, and yogurt.
- Lunch: Grilled cheese, tomato soup, and crispy onion rings—plus our very first POKE bar! Campers built their own bowls with rice, salmon, tuna, veggies, and sauces. Huge hit with the older kids.
- Dinner: Beef tacos, Spanish rice, refried beans, chips, salsa, and guacamole.
But the real story of the day was Mishpacha Night.
At Beber, Mishpacha, Hebrew for family, is more than just a program. It’s a living expression of one of our core Jewish values: Sacred Community. Once a session, we group campers of all ages into family units led by our oldest campers as Imas and Abbas. It’s a night of mentorship, laughter, creativity, and connection.
Through games, cheering, and shared stories, we saw new friendships spark and familiar faces step into leadership. Mishpacha reminds us that camp works best when we take care of each other, when everyone feels seen, supported, and celebrated. These are the kinds of bonds that last long after the summer ends.
This year’s Mishpacha Kickoff began after our evening fire drill. Campers met on the basketball courts, then found their Mishpacha leaders, CITs and staff holding signs with group numbers. From there, each Mishpacha headed to their own space for name games, group challenges, and meaningful moments. The energy was high, the laughter was constant, and the connections were real.
What makes Mishpacha truly unique at Beber is that once you're in a group, you stay in it for your entire camper journey. The group grows and shifts as campers age in and out, but the core remains, familiar faces, shared memories, and a sense of belonging that stretches across years.
And something new this summer: every Saturday after lunch, campers will now spend time in their Mishpacha groups for a weekly hangout and project. It's a new way to deepen those connections and strengthen that feeling of camp-wide family.
Earlier in the day, I visited the B’rit Kehilah cabin activity with Makor and Ramot, where campers created cabin covenants that will guide how they live together this summer. In Makor, they added handprints, their names, and adjectives they hope to be known for to a cabin poster—small acts with big meaning. These conversations help lay the foundation for kindness, inclusion, and shared responsibility.
That focus on kindness didn’t begin today, it started long before summer.
In the off-season, we spent real time asking: how can we help create an even kinder, more respectful camp community? One step we took was to involve you, our camp families, in that process. This year, we asked you to sit down with your camper to read and sign the Code of Conduct together before camp. That shared understanding matters, and it showed tonight as campers lifted each other up, sometimes literally, during Mishpacha games.
From B’rit Kehilah to Mishpacha Night, today was all about how we live together with care, how we lead with kindness, and how we build a sacred community, one handshake, game, and high five at a time.
Last night’s song was “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince, and we had a record-breaking 16 correct responses!
Shoutouts to:
- Galite Shafer
- Jennifer Stern
- Jill Rivkin
- Caryn Mark
- Dana Saltzman
- Rick Bloomberg
- Anne Reaven
- Jamie Raybin
- Amy Bloomberg
- Heather Carp
- Jessica Fonoroff
- Sarah Salomon
- Daniel LaDeur
- Stephanie Shaikun
- Andy Whitman
- Tracy Coleman
Let’s break 20 tonight—are you reading this? Who sings the lyric: “Just know you’re not alone, ’cause I’m gonna make this place your home”? Email your answer to trivia@bebercamp.com for a shoutout in tomorrow’s blog!
Laila tov,
Michael