Last Monday I returned from a week in Israel.  It had been close to seven years since I was last there.  Any chance I get to go to Israel it is always a great experience and this trip was no different.  This time I didn’t go on a tour or get to sightsee and travel the country, but instead I spent the week at a hotel/conference center in Shefayim about 30 minutes north of Tel Aviv.  The Jewish Agency for Israel who sponsors our summer shlichim (Israeli counselors) hosted us for a week of staff training.  In the past I had not had the opportunity to be part of this training.  It was an incredible week for both me and our shlichim.  Spending time together learning about each other, training, bonding and celebrating Shabbat made for a great beginning of their incredible journey as they prepared to bring Israel to 6 Points Sports this summer.  I hope you enjoy the video they prepared as they introduce themselves to our family.

How do we save the Jewish people? 
With more Jewish day schools or more creative religious education? With greater outreach to interfaith families? By transforming the B’nai Mitzvah process? Or by focusing on Jews in their 20′s and 30′s?

Yes, yes, yes and yes. Much has been written about each endeavor, and undoubtedly we will discover that each offers a significant, if partial response to the challenges our Jewish people face.

We Found the Solution on a Sports Field

To read the rest of this post, please visit Rabbi Kipnes’ Blog

Alan Friedman has been involved in camping since he was 12 years old. His summer camping career began at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, a private boys’ sports camp in the Berkshire Mountains located in Lenox Massachusetts. Over the next eighteen years, Alan continued to spend his summers at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, as a camper, CIT, group leader and program director. In 1993, he became its first full-time Assistant Director and in 1999 was promoted to Director. In these leadership positions Alan was responsible for overseeing the entire camp operation. Alan continually hired the best high school and college coaches to ensure the finest sports instruction and program was available.

In 2006 Alan took his passion for informal Jewish education and summer camping and became the Executive Director of Camp Mountain Chai a relatively new Jewish residential summer camp and year-round retreat center located in Southern California. Alan arrived after the first summer with camp having only 125 campers and went on to grow camp to 550 campers this past summer.

Alan knows from firsthand experience that Jewish camping plays a vital role in the formation of a strong Jewish identity. At Camp Mountain Chai Alan created a place where campers and staff are immersed in a life of Jewish values, creating lasting bonds and friendships, and learning valuable lessons that help them grow and develop as proud Jews. This inclusive community ensured that everyone was supported and cared for.

While growing up Alan was very involved in his local synagogue youth group and was an active participant in NFTY throughout high school. After graduating college he spent ten years working as Senior Youth Group advisor to four different Reform congregations in the northeast.

Alan attended Ithaca College where he earned a degree in Communications and Business Management. In addition to camping, he has had a prosperous advertising career, selling television time in the New York City, Boston and Harrisburg markets.

Our 6 Points Sports Academy is the newest camp in the network of 13 URJ Camps throughout North America. We are privileged to be part of such a rich and diverse network of camps with tremendous staff, programs and facilities.

This August I had the privilege of joining a ‘Caravan’ of lay leaders and professional staff representing the NAC (North American Camp Committee) which is the governing body of the Union for Reform Judaism’s camping system. I am honored to serve as a Vice-Chair of the NAC in addition to my role as Chair of the 6 Points Camp Committee.

What a caravan it was!  It has two distinct advantages.  First, we got to see 4 of our camps in action. And secondly, we got to closely interact with other members of the NAC.  Our large group only gets together twice a year in person, and occasionally more than that via conference call. So spending great time with our chaverim is most beneficial…..and….fun! I know we all do this sacred work because we love it, and we love helping our youth….but it should also be a bit of fun as well.

I have seen each of these camps before, but not during the summer season. Seeing the facilities and interacting with staff while the camp is in was a unique opportunity and my most significant observations were twofold:

First, and most important, the campers faces were truly bright and shining.  It was obvious that they were having a blast.  Friends were walking, sometimes hand in hand, boys and girls too!  Activities were vigorous. And religious observances were significant, appropriate, and absolutely wonderful.

Second,  I observed the quality of the staff. They are wonderful. It was obvious that they cared for the campers  It was obvious that they were having a great time too. I recall back to my camping days when the watchword was “If the staff is having a great summer then the campers will have a great summer”.  The four Directors whom we spent time with are absolutely outstanding! Their level of commitment, their love of Reform Judaism, their love of summer residential camping, all came together with there obviously high level of expertise.  It was great to see and I look forward to the partnership they will form with our new Director Alan Friedman.

So, all in all…it was a fantastic four days. It left me excited by the possibilities for Reform Jewish camping and for our own 6 Points Sports Academy. The wealth of knowledge, experience and vision that we are afforded as part of the URJ camping system is a valuable asset to our future.

Here in Greensboro, N.C., we at Temple Emanuel have devoted much thought, time, and resources to youth engagement for more than a decade. The results have been impressive: We retain around 80% of our B’nai Mitzvah students though the end of 12th grade. Of those retained, some 75% will travel to Israel prior to graduation.

Based upon our experiences, we’ve compiled a dozen suggestions as to how congregations can increase youth engagement.

To read the full blog post visit the Reform Judaism Blog.

One of our values at camp this summer is Shmirat Haguf, or wellness. Obviously at a sports camp, fitness and wellness is a main focus and here at 6 Points we have a unique approach to incorporating wellness into our daily routine.

We start each day with a morning stretch, which helps us to wake up our bodies, our minds and our spirits. Campers entering seventh grade or older may choose to fitness and conditioning as one of their afternoon electives. Additionally our campers have the opportunity to work out with our very own fitness instructor. Lital Palchik, an Israeli shlicha (Israeli Counselor), serves as our fitness instructor and has been helping our coaches add a healthy amount of fitness to the sport majors. When Lital visits one of the sport majors, our campers and staff know they are in for a challenge. Lital designs cardiovascular circuits for her participants to work through as a team.

Shmirat Haguf focuses on taking care of our bodies, as we learn from singing the Dan Nichols penned song; we were created B’tzelem Elohim, in the image of G-d. During our lailah tov (good night) program, our campers create wellness charts to hang in their rooms. The charts serve as checklists for things they could do to take care of their bodies. Examples of items on these charts were drinking water, eating fruits and vegetables, and using sunscreen. Our campers check off the categories as they complete them each day during the session.

What kinds of activities or habits do you practice for shmirat haguf?

Here at 6 Points we take Nikayon (clean-up) very seriously. Each day, dorms are inspected for cleanliness. A weekly competition is held. The stakes: sleeping late on Saturday mornings and bagel delivery to the dorm. Only one question remains unanswered: Who is the mystery cleanliness inspector known as Nikki Nikayon?

Much has been written of late about the magic of Jewish camping. Still relatively new to the camping scene is the 6 Points Sports Academy, the Union for Reform Judaism’s sports camp, hosted at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC, featuring high-level sports training for young Jewish athletes. As Jewish educators, just back from serving as the faculty at this remarkable camp, now in the last session of its third season, we did what many other camp faculty do: lead tfilot, tutor bnai mitzvah students, etc. We also put on our mitts, cleats, swimsuits, and helmets and worked out with the campers on the field, adding a whole new dimension to the idea of being accessible Jewish role models.

In honor of the camp’s name, we would like to highlight 6 “points” that stood out for us about our two weeks at 6 Points:

1. Skills – First and foremost, this is a legitimate SPORTS camp. Campers choose their “major sport” from basketball, soccer, tennis, swimming, baseball (for boys), softball (for girls), lacrosse (for girls), cheer leading/dance (currently for girls, but theoretically open to all) – and spend 3.5 hours each day (except Shabbat) being taught by top-level coaches, with state of the art facilities. This time is supplemented by electives that allow for cross-training, and enjoyment of other sports, and development of additional skills. The quality of campers’ skills – both individually and in team concepts — has grown significantly with each summer. This is true not just as the original campers improve, but comes as well from the addition of more talented youngsters as the camp has grown. The adage “if you want to help someone develop a good Jewish background, give them a good Jewish playground” comes to life at this camp, in a manner that also encourages the development of a solid work ethic.

2. Connection – Connecting Jewish kids with each other is one of the things that Jewish Camping does exceedingly well. And here, there are natural opportunities for gender specific programming due to the nature of the campers chosen sport. Also, over 60% of the campers are male. This is a significant statistic, and one which runs counter to most other gender-based trends in organized Jewish life today. However, it would be a mistake to think that the appeal of this camp is only for Jewish boys. Girls who play sports rarely have the opportunity to receive the same high quality instruction at a regular summer residential camp, much less a Jewish one.

3. Values - Different Jewish values are highlighted each day. Coaches do not only run skills clinics; they also are ready to talk Jewish values with their campers as part of the daily routine. Counselors, staff and faculty build on these moments throughout the rest of the day by awarding bracelets for specific values that the campers earn. This is experiential learning at its best. The campers support each other in every way, from an encouraging hug to a celebratory high five. Also, today’s youth know much more about athletes than ever before. They know their favorite athletes at their best and, like it or not, they also know the business of sports and the behavior or some athletes, coaches, and athletic programs at their worst. 6 Points teaches much more than athletic skills; it also teaches skills for life on the field and off.

4. Spirituality – Athletics often focuses on physical development. How strong are you and what can your body do? We also know that there is a mental side to sports. Pregame preparation, outsmarting opponents on the field and mental toughness all play important roles. Yet, there is also a spiritual side to sports. Locker room and sideline prayers (and whether or not Jews feel included or excluded during these moments) are only the tip of the iceberg. There are moments of gratitude, of hope, and of pain and loss on and off the field. Kids are given a Jewish lens through which to see these moments and a Jewish vocabulary to express themselves. No day at 6 Points goes by without touching on the spiritual side of our tradition, whether through prayers of gratitude at each meal, learning life lessons on the fields of play, or by creating a Shabbat experience filled with a deep appreciation for prayer and rest after a hard week of working out.

5. Israel – There is a unique view of Israel here, seen through the eyes of the Israeli staff members who bring significant life experiences to the table. Rather than lecture about Israeli politics or run campers through a simulated boot camp, the Israeli counselors at 6 Points crafted 30 minute workshops that highlighted the games that they grew up with. One counselor was an Olympic hopeful in badminton who had been at Israel’s famed Wingate Institute. Two other counselors taught their group how to play an Israeli version of hopscotch. Another focused on team building exercises she used during her service as an infantry commander. These workshops helped make the Israelis at camp more “real” and “approachable.” They invariably led to deeper conversations about Israel in the days that followed.

6. Shabbat – The focus on developing sports skills during the week allows for the creation of an overall Shabbat experience that is truly distinct from the other 6 days of the week. Shabbat at camp also features worship services which are more like spiritual pep rallies than anything else. There are a variety of spaces for worship, from an idyllic forest clearing to large flexible rooms. This allows for the freedom to set up the worship space in the round, which can feel like a football huddle. The ruach (spirit) of the worship carries the participants along in a manner they don’t often get to experience at home. It is “normal” to see the worshippers in these services spontaneously rise in the middle of a prayer, especially those being sung. And among the surprising results, one can hear campers calling out “yesher ko’ach” to teammates and opponents for good plays in the field during the rest of the week.

The overall result, once again this summer, was a program that marks 6 Points as a true sports camp, yet one that, also, in profound ways, allows Judaism to be expressed with a vibrancy and holism not often seen in other settings. Kol hakavod – it was a blessing to be part of such a program.

Rabbi Andy Koren of Temple Emanuel (Greensboro, NC) and Rabbi Steve Weisman of Temple Solel (Bowie, MD) have served on 6 Points’ faculty each summer since its opening in the summer of 2010. Robin Shuler, who joined the 6 Points faculty team as a rookie this summer, is the Temple Youth Director of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Charleston, SC).

by J.J. Greenstein, Counselor/Communications Specialist

Now in our third summer, we have 2 brand new song leaders, Daniel Reichenbach and Jason Buckman, who have energized our community and taken our musical efforts to a new level. This year, a music elective has even been added to the list of options for campers to choose from.

Our song leaders also play an important role in reinforcing our camp’s Jewish values. Each morning when a value is introduced, it is accompanied by a song which displays the same theme. For example, shmirat haguf (wellness) was accompanied by B’tzelem Elohim by Dan Nichols

We sat down with Daniel Reichenbach to discuss his experience as a song leader at 6 Points.

What is your favorite part of being a song leader at 6 Points?

DR: “Being able to insert some extra Judaism into the everyday routine is cool to me. It’s awesome to see the kids excited to sing prayers and traditional Jewish camp songs.”

How long have you been a song leader?

DR: “10 years. I picked up my guitar when I was nine and started song leading at 12. I had my first song leading job when I was 14.”

What was your expectation for song sessions at 6 Points?

DR: “I assumed that it would be a challenge to include everyone. Jason and I had to pick a repertoire of songs we though everyone would know. Over the last few weeks that list has grown a bit.”

How has the reality of a 6 Points song session compared to your expectations?

DR: “The challenges are there because it is a relatively new camp with new campers. As the camp gets older and traditions and favorites solidify, song leaders will have an easier job including everyone.”

What has been your favorite moment at camp so far this summer?

DR: “It was really cool to work with Dan Nichols and Alan Goodis when they came for Shabbat. They have paved the way for song leaders like me to be successful at URJ camps.”

Which of the camp’s Jewish values do you think most represents our song sessions?

DR: “We include all of them throughout the sessions. Certainly Kehilah (community) plays an important part. When everyone comes together and links arms for a song it shows a strong bond that can only be felt at camp. As a song leader, I get to display Manhigut, or leadership, for the rest of the camp to follow.”

Got a question for Dan about being a song leader? What are some of your favorite camp songs?