Director's Corner, Saturday, June 27, 2026

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...

One of the things I love about writing these nightly blogs is that they sometimes push me outside my comfort zone. Tonight is one of those nights.

I don't often write about Torah portions or Jewish teachings. In fact, this is probably the first time I've ever done so. I'm not a rabbi, and I certainly don't pretend to be one. But today I found myself genuinely moved by one of our Jewish Life programs and by the lesson behind this week's Torah portion. Ironically, our Shabbat theme today was courage, so perhaps writing about it is my own small act of courage.

There is a special feeling around camp on a Saturday morning.

The lake is still. Birds fill the air with song. Campers wander to breakfast on the Island a little more slowly than on a typical weekday, greeting friends along the way. Some (almost 70 campers) gathered with Trudy before breakfast for bird watching. Others found their way to the hammocks (which were cleaned up last night), the playground, or simply a quiet conversation with friends. It is one of my favorite times of the week because camp seems to take a collective deep breath.

Saturday's meals have their own rhythm as well. Breakfast on the Island is always a favorite, lunch featured deli sandwiches, and dinner was baked ziti before we gathered for Havdalah. There is something special about lingering over meals on Shabbat and simply enjoying being together.

In one of the Jewish Life programs today, we recalled a Torah portion that tells the story of Balaam. He was sent to look at the Israelites and find fault with them. Instead, when he looked, he saw something beautiful. Rather than speaking words of criticism, he proclaimed, "Ma Tovu" or "How good are your tents."

I couldn't help thinking that this is a wonderful lesson for camp. Every day we are surrounded by opportunities to notice what's missing, what's imperfect, or what didn't go quite as planned. But we're also surrounded by kindness, friendship, courage, laughter, and joy, if we choose to look for it.

That idea echoed throughout the day.

Lara and our Jewish Life team created a wonderful camp-wide activity called the Ma Tovu: Find the Good Challenge. Cabins spread across camp with iPads looking for examples of kindness, teamwork, courage, beauty, and belonging. They photographed campers helping one another, beautiful places around camp, and moments that often go unnoticed. They interviewed people about what makes Beber special and discovered that finding the good isn't something that just happens. It is something we choose to practice.

Our older campers also explored Judaism in creative ways. One group imagined new Jewish holidays built around timeless Jewish values and human needs, encouraging creativity while helping them see how Judaism continues to evolve through values that remain relevant today. Another created vision boards about future trips to Israel, dreaming about the places they hope to visit, the experiences they want to have, and the connections they hope to build. Neither program was about memorizing facts. Both invited campers to see Judaism as something living, something that continues to inspire creativity, values, and dreams for the future.

Another highlight of the afternoon was our Mishpacha program. One of the things I love most about Mishpacha is that it intentionally brings together campers of every age, along with counselors and TLPs, to build relationships across camp. Today's challenge had each Mishpacha working through ten different team activities, from Human Knots and silent birthday lineups to tarp flips, human alphabets, shoe scrambles, and freeze-frame relays. None of the challenges could be completed by one person. They required communication, encouragement, patience, and teamwork. It was another reminder that camp is at its best when everyone contributes and everyone belongs.

The spirit of the day carried well beyond our Jewish Life programming. Each division enjoyed its own version of Maccabi baseball, whether it was tennis baseball, frisbee baseball, or kickball baseball. The pool was packed during free swim as campers escaped the afternoon heat, laughing with friends and making the most of another beautiful Wisconsin day. Everywhere I walked during GA, I saw campers playing Diabolo, organizing pickup games, relaxing in hammocks, or simply enjoying each other's company. Sometimes the best parts of camp aren't scheduled at all. They happen naturally when kids are together.

As the sun began to set, we gathered for Havdalah. It is always one of my favorite moments of the week. We leave behind the peace of Shabbat and step into a brand-new week carrying its light with us. We also recognized this week's Cabin Clean-Up winners O3, B3, A2, T1 and Yurt 5. While the recognition is certainly about clean cabins, it is really about something bigger. Taking pride in the spaces we share is one more way campers demonstrate responsibility and respect for our community.

Standing together as one community, I found myself thinking once again about Balaam's words.

Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do isn't change the world around us.

Sometimes it's simply changing what we choose to notice.

Today our campers practiced looking for the good.

If our campers leave camp with the habit of looking for the good in themselves, in others, and in the world around them, I think they'll discover exactly what today's song reminds us of: it really is a wonderful world.

Yesterday's song was "Brave," by Sara Bareilles. Congratulations to our correct answers:

• Jenna Cohen
• Carly Pinzur
• Meredith Lang
• Nikki Miller
• Patty Shalhav
• Amy Bloomberg
• Dana Saltzman

Can you name the artist behind today's song? Send your guess to trivia@bebercamp.com, and I'll reveal the answer in tomorrow's blog!