Director's Corner, Sunday, June 28, 2026
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
As another incredible camp week comes to a close and a new one begins, I’m feeling a mix of gratitude and some bittersweetness, as we said goodbye to our amazing rookie campers this morning. Over the past two weeks, a few dozen Makor campers came to Beber for the first time and shared countless laughs, made unforgettable memories, discovered new talents, and grew friendships that may last a lifetime. It’s been such a joy to see each rookie camper smile, explore, and make the most of every day. While it’s never easy to say goodbye, I’m already looking forward to seeing this year’s rookies back at camp next summer! Thank you for a wonderful two weeks, rookies!
One of our Beber Jewish values is love of Israel, and we celebrated this love today with Israel Day! Today brought plenty of excitement, creativity, smiles, and Jewish pride. First thing in the morning, campers and staff alike showed up to flagpole in festive blue and white outfits, where we proudly sang Hatikvah together led by our wonderful Israeli counselors and staff. I watched this contagious energy continue into today’s hobbies and cabin activities. In an incredibly meaningful cabin activity, campers wrote notes and prayers and gave them to our Israeli counselors to bring home to the Kotel, or Western Wall, in Jerusalem.
Today was more than just a chance to dress up. It was a glorious reminder of the beautiful traditions and community that come with being Jewish, and an opportunity for campers and staff to learn more about the Jewish homeland and its diverse, welcoming culture. Laughter filled every activity today, and Israeli flags were hung up and worn. Israel Day at camp is incredibly special, it is an ode to our Israeli campers and counselors from over the years, an occasion to learn about and celebrate Israeli culture and traditions, and a reminder of the beauty of being Jewish.
Not only did campers get to celebrate Israel Day through today’s programs, we also had some scrumptious food for the occasion. The day began with a shakshuka breakfast (with optional scrambled eggs), followed by shawarma for lunch, and, finally, a classic Beber Camp Sunday night barbecue.
This evening, we continued the Israel Day fun with some absolutely incredible divisional evening programs:
Makor: Our Makor campers participated in one of the most time honored Beber Israel Day evening programs tonight–the Israeli shuk! This program brings the lively, bustling Jerusalem Machane Yehuda shuk (market in Hebrew) to our very own Beber Camp dining hall. Campers each received “shekels” to spend on a variety of toys, games, fidgets, and trinkets, and they practiced some impressive communication skills while haggling down prices with our counselor vendors. Every year, including tonight, this evening program brings hilarious conversations and laughter as campers step outside of their comfort zones, bargain, and share their new “purchases.”
Kesher: Kesher also traveled across the world, but to a different destination–Eurovision! Tonight, the world’s largest live music event took place right in our Beber Camp Chapel. Each cabin had a blast doing a lip sync and coordinated dance on the Eurovision stage.
Ramot: Based on the Israeli TV show Anything Goes (Hakol Holech in Hebrew), Ramot had a lot of fun in Crown Hall tonight with a variety of improv games. Each age group (junior, middle, and senior Ramot) joined together to compete to win spontaneous challenges. Our campers got to participate in song trivia, word games, and more as they worked together with lots of laughs and teamwork to earn as many points as possible.
Pios: In the words of some Pios, tonight’s evening program was one of the best evening programs they’ve done yet! Our Pios played baby powder capture the flag, where instead of physically tagging each other, they had to throw baby powder onto each other in order to stop their opponents from getting their team’s flag. Laughs were had, memories were made, and all of their clothing now smells really good.
CITs: Our CITs participated in Cities Trivia tonight! As a group, they played games and learned details about different cities around the world that our current and former staff members are from. Tonight’s program was a really fun way to learn more about both geography, world cultures, and the staff members that our CITs have looked up to for so long and will work with next session!
This summer, as part of fostering our commitment to shaping informed leaders, our CITs, Pios, and Ramot campers have had the incredible opportunity to participate in educational discussions with TribeTalk, an organization that helps Jewish students become engaged, knowledgeable, and confident in understanding and addressing antisemitism. It has been so meaningful for our campers to engage directly with TribeTalk, as it is dedicated to combating antisemitism through education, dialogue, and advocacy. Learning about antisemitism from people who work with this issue every day has helped our campers better understand both the challenges they may face as Jews in the world today and the importance of responding with knowledge, empathy, and action. On this Israel Day, I am especially grateful to the representatives from TribeTalk who have come to Beber. You have encouraged our campers to become informed leaders who can recognize prejudice, stand up against hate, and help build more safe, inclusive communities.
Thank you to our campers, staff, and wider Beber community for an incredible two weeks. I can’t wait for more!
Peace, Love, 3BC,
Michael
Yesterday's song was "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. Congratulations to our correct answers:
- Jenna Cohen
- Andy Whitman
- Meredith Lang
- Amy Bloomberg
- Dana Saltzman
Can you name the artist behind “Uptown Girl?” Hint: he is Jewish! Send your guess to trivia@bebercamp.com, and I'll reveal the answer in tomorrow's blog.