Director's Corner, Thursday, August 7, 2025

Thursday, August 7, 2025

See You Again 

It's been a long day
Without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way
From where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

I can’t believe it—it’s our final day and the last blog of summer 2025! Time has flown by. After a delicious French toast breakfast, we gathered at Crown Hall for the opening ceremonies of Best of Beber and the grand finale of our Fine Arts Fest 2025, where a few more bands took the stage.

Best of Beber is a special break from our usual routine, offering campers a chance to explore a variety of activities all around camp. Each camper received a passport and, in a group with a counselor, set out to enjoy some last-minute fun. They roasted marshmallows, took a loop around the aquapark, shot hoops, petted animals at the farm, and even zoomed down the zip line. We also had carnival inflatables set up! Other popular activities included making friendship bracelets, dipping candles, and recording songs.

We also held a sailing regatta where campers competed for the coveted Beber Cup and an archery contest for the Golden Arrow. Some campers tried to experience everything on the list, while others stuck to their favorite activities.

After Best of Beber, we headed to the dining hall for a quesadilla lunch, followed by an afternoon of packing. Bunks spent the afternoon gathering clothes, packing their bags, and cleaning their spaces. Once everything was packed, they loaded their luggage onto trucks for the journey home. Campers then enjoyed some free time watching staff play basketball and volleyball as well as playing frisbee, having a snack, and reminiscing until our final dinner barbecue on the Island.

After dinner, we returned to Crown Hall for our closing ceremonies, kicking things off with a lively rendition of the Beber Boogie. Various hobby areas presented special awards, including archery, music, arts and crafts, Mahjong, sailing, and Swim the Lake. Each area created unique and meaningful awards that truly reflected their spirit and celebrated the achievements of the recipients.

Next, we presented the Jane Beber Camper Award. Jane Beber, the daughter of our founder Sam Beber, loved camp and was known for her impressive dancing skills. This award is given each session to a camper who truly embodies her spirit.

Staff also had the opportunity to submit nominations for our Beber Belief Awards. Several staff members received certificates for categories such as Pride and Ownership, Spirit and Fun, Kindness and Gratitude, Health and Wellness, and Jewish Values and Connection. The room was filled with cheers for these deserving recipients. The final award, the Ron Kaplan Staff of the Session Award, went to CJ and Ruby for their outstanding session and daily embrace of the Beber spirit. They are true role models, embodying Ron Kaplan’s dedication and work ethic.

Several staff and CITs celebrated their 10th summer at Beber, sharing highlights of their camp experiences and receiving the coveted 10-Year Blanket. We also honored staff members celebrating their B’nai Mitzvah summer after 13 years at Beber, presenting them with a beautiful plaque to commemorate this achievement.

I want to share part of a 10 year speech:

“Before starting camp in 2016 I was a shy and closed off girl. Camp brought out the best in me – this place gave me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and I couldn’t be more grateful. That’s one of the many reasons I’ve come back every summer, but here are some more:

1. The egg salad and cinnamon rolls. Two things I never eat at home, yet are so good at camp.
   
2. The 10-year blanket. This blanket is worth the tuition of 10 summers here.
   
3. Sailing. Every year I said “one day I’ll be a sailing specialist.” This summer I finally got that role.
   
4. My birthday. Having my birthday at camp beats an awkward family dinner back home. I use “it’s my birthday excuse” for at least a week and get away with it.
   
5. My sister, Sophie Golden. Sophie set the bar high. Having her as my big sister at camp made me want to be someone others could look up to, too. Thank you Sophie for being my role model and really nice to me at camp.
   
6. Havdalah. I have been one to secretly prefer Israeli dancing to song sesh, but it does not really beat prayers to Israeli dancing. It’s the highlight of my week.
   
7. Lake Beulah.
   
8. To go Pio summer — I used to hear people talk about Pio and then I got to live it. Going to Israel with 48 of my best friends made every summer leading up to it completely worth it.
   
9. The counselors — Julia Bessen, Izzie Strauss, Izzie Baron, Morgan Morris — the type of counselors I wanted to be. Shoutout to my CIT girls: Bradley Eason, Nia Chlipala, Michal Getz.
   
10. My age group — we’ve grown up together from campers to staff, we’ve become the people we used to look up to. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to grow with.

Lily Weinstein — whether we’re at home 1000 miles away or at camp, thank you for being my person.

Leaving this place is hard, and it gets worse every year, but no matter where I go, the version of my camp helped shape will always remind me of my happy place. Thank you Beber for the best 10 summers; I couldn’t be who I am today without you.”

Our staff are racking up the years, as we also celebrated several 15 year milestones. We even celebrated Trudy for 30 years and myself for 35! 

Campers enjoyed a final slideshow and song session, commemorating their time here this summer. We ended the night with Shehecheyanu, "Bless This House," and "Tucked Away," leaving not a dry eye in the house. The tears and hugs showed just how much this place means to everyone and how they eagerly wait for "10 for 2," as we say here at camp. I will miss seeing all of your kids every day and wish them a year filled with LO HE HA (Love, Health, and Happiness). This has truly been a special summer!

The tears and hugs were a reminder that even though our time together is ending, the friendships and memories will last. Just like the song says, "It's been a long day without you, my friend," and we'll have so many stories to tell each other "when I see you again" on the shores of Lake Beulah. Thank you for a wonderful 50th summer!

P.S. Congratulations to the following who knew that Chris Brown sang "Forever”

• Jessica Fonoroff

P.S. - Today’s question: Who sang the song "See You Again”?  Email your answer to trivia@bebercamp.com for a shoutout in my next blog sometime before Summer 2026!