Introducing your Summer 2026 Super-Values!

Last summer, GFC’s Cornerstone Fellows brought a burst of creativity to Tekes Boker (morning ceremony) by introducing the endlessly fun concept of GFC Super‑Values. Each Fellow stepped into the role of one of our core values and helped bring them to life in meaningful, memorable ways for campers.

This year, your 2026 Cornerstone Fellows are back to revamp Tekes Boker, reviving our beloved Super‑Values, inventing new ones, and showing campers how to model GFC’s values both inside and outside of camp. You can expect fun, spirit, and surprises all summer long, courtesy of this incredible team.

Below, you’ll find a special message from each Cornerstone Fellow/Super-Value. After all, counselors are real‑life superheroes. Reporting for the first time from the Summer 2026 Cornerstone News Network, here are your Cornerstone Fellows:

Abby: Hineini Hero Hey y’all! It’s Abby and I am so excited to be the newest Hineni Hero at camp! Hineni means “presence” in Hebrew, and I am so looking forward to promoting it at camp. I resonate with the value of presence for many reasons. As a staff member who did not grow up going to GFC, I didn’t know the magic of camp before arriving for the first time last summer. I didn’t know what to expect, but through being fully present with my campers and with other staff members, I was able to experience all the wonderful magic that this camp has to offer. There’s so much going on at all times, and in order to truly appreciate it all, we as staff members and campers need to be present – because if we aren’t, we might miss the magic. Ways we can be present at GFC can include participating in camp traditions such as Maccabiah (if it happens), singing camp songs like Follow Me to GFC, and dancing at Israeli dancing or in spontaneous flash mobs in the Chadar Ochel (dining hall). We can also be present by creating connections with each other and understanding one another. By being present at camp and experiencing all the magic, I loved my time working at GFC so much that I decided to come back this year. The magic of camp is what keeps both campers and staff members coming back year after year, and I am so excited for what is to come this summer!

Gabrielle: Kehillah Kedosha Cowgirl Hey GFC Community! I’m Gabrielle and I’m so pumped to come back to camp this summer and to promote the value of Kehillah Kedosha (Holy Community) as the Kehillah Kedosha Cowgirl! In my 11 years at GFC, the thing that has always kept me coming back (other than Shabbat Shabrownies) is the beautiful community I find at camp. The community that exists at camp is so uniquely welcoming, supportive, and encouraging for campers and staff alike. This camp community is made strong by everyone at camp, from the youngest Bonimers to the pink elephants that are rumored to be spotted from the Alpine Tower. The most fulfilling aspect of my job as a counselor is the opportunity to work on cultivating our Kehillah Kedosha to help give my campers a camp experience as special and meaningful as possible. Attending the Cornerstone seminar this year helped me realize even further how beautiful the GFC community and the Jewish camp community in general is, and I can’t wait to experience and contribute to this Holy Community again at camp this summer!

Emma: Captain Kavod Hey fam! It’s Emma, AKA Captain Kavod, and I am so totally hyped for camp this summer! I am also so totally hyped to be a representative of one of camp’s core values, “kavod.” For those who might be unfamiliar, these values all work together to make camp as amazing as it is, making sure everyone is happy and healthy while at camp! I especially connect with my value, which means “respect” in Hebrew, because I personally consider it to be one of the keys to living a happy, love-filled life. Respect is more than just basic kindness and consideration, though it absolutely involves those things too. Respect means an appreciation for others, for the world around us, and for oneself, which is then shown through that kindness and consideration. This value acts as a testament of love, and I think it is a beautiful value that I am honored to be representing at camp this year! However, aside from respect, I think another part of camp that makes it such a fantabulous (a word I made up because fabulous and fantastic weren’t good enough) place to be are all of the mementos and art pieces done by past campers and staff! One of my favorite mottos is “make your mark,” and that is exactly what the other fellows and I will be doing this summer! Both literally, and figuratively ;). See you all soon, and we can’t wait to welcome you to caaaaaaaaaamp!

Evan: B’tichut Baddie Hey there dedicated blog readers! I’m Evan and I am so excited to represent safety around camp this year as the infamous B’tichut Baddie! B’tichut (which is Hebrew for safety) is a value that I really resonate with because I’m all about playing it safe and easing into new experiences when I’m ready. I’m someone who likes to take things at my own pace and choose challenges that feel fun, not terrifying, which is why it took me 10 years at camp before I did the zip line (which I can now confirm is very safe!).With this, I believe that safety isn’t only physical, but also something that occurs within our brains, which is why I feel it is always important to look out for everyone around you to provide a safe space to anyone who may need it. As I continue to grow older and older at camp, I’ve come to appreciate the art made by campers in every building around Greene more and more, and I believe it is important to preserve this vibrant part of camp as renovations and upgrades are made to buildings that may need it (even art needs a safe space sometimes). If only there was some sort of art archive (maybe even an ART-chive) so that everyone can experience the magic of camp art??? Now that would be pretty cool. Stay tuned for a very special Cornerstone project…

Sydney: Reut Rockstar Hi y’all! My name is Sydney, your newly appointed Reut Rockstar. For those who don’t know, reut means friendship in Hebrew, and this value is part of what makes camp so special. Throughout my 11 years of attending camp, I have found it’s the friendships I have made at GFC that keep me coming back. It is this sense of reut that gives me the comfort and confidence to explore new opportunities and push myself in a safe space. This summer, I am looking forward to helping the camp community foster greater connections! With this in mind, I am hoping to implement super exciting projects at camp with the other fellows (how exciting are they?!). They are SO exciting that we are going to need everyone’s help to make it happen… and maybe a few paint brushes too… Your Cornerstone Fellows along with the entire rest of the GFC Staff can’t wait to welcome you home so soon! Stay tuned for more from your Summer 2026 Cornerstone News Network, next time from Bruceville! Shabbat Shalom from GFC!

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WHAT A DAY! We exceeded our goal and raised over $125,000!

Thank you to our amazing supporters!

Our GFC community came together in a powerful, generous, and deeply meaningful way. This community showed what is possible when we all come together.

Because of you, more children will be able to experience the magic of camp.

This is not just fundraising. It is an investment in belonging, identity, friendship, leadership, and the kind of Jewish community that stays with people throughout their lifetime.

To every donor, every supporter, every person who shared, encouraged, gave, and believed we could accomplish our goal, THANK YOU! You made this happen.

We did it together!

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Erin and Marisa Reby

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Growing up I was always a sporty kid, but at camp it felt different. Spending countless hours in the Newlam playing basketball judgement free, allowing me to hone my skills, play against the boys and older campers, and hearing the cheers from the bleachers made the work I was putting in feel more momentous and impactful. GFC also allowed me to try new sports such as fencing, roller-blading, and beach volleyball, which helped me gain new skills (balance, strategy, and footwork) that I could use on the basketball court that I would not have learned anywhere else. Eventually, all of this hard work enabled me to play NCAA basketball at New York University, and accomplish an even greater feat – become the Basketball Specialist at GFC.

I now work as a development manager at an organization called Team IMPACT, which matches kids with serious illnesses and disabilities to college sports teams. This job combines my two biggest passions – sports and working with kids and families. Just this past month, I had the opportunity to plan two field days for over 300 kids, and when I was out of ideas and at a roadblock in the planning process, I quickly turned to old evening programs my counselors planned for me and program outlines I created for my campers. Remembering the immense excitement I felt at camp immediately brought back the joy to my job, and I can’t wait to share the camp magic with a new group of kids and college-athletes learning the importance of giving back to their community.

GFC has transformed me into the leader I am today. The support you receive from counselors, peers, and the environment camp creates allows you to try new things, feed off the encouragement from your friends, and learn how to live and work as a team. This version of camp magic has transformed me into the successful woman I am today. I hope you will consider giving to Greene Family Camp on the upcoming Camp Giving Day (May 7) to create this same camp magic for the next generation at a place where every Jewish kid can grow into the best versions of themselves and continue to make the world a better place.

Shabbat Shalom,
Zoe Makler

Zoe at Team IMPACT Field Day

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When our campers and staff drive through our gates, they step away from school pressures, labels, and routines, into a place where they are known, supported, and free to grow. Days are filled with friendship, challenge, laughter, and traditions that stay with them long after summer ends.

Passover reminds us that freedom is communal. We say “we were slaves” because transformation happens together. At GFC, that lesson is lived daily: in cabins that feel like family, Shabbat moments that ground us, and shared experiences that shape who our campers become.

Camp Day of Giving is coming up on May 7, and we invite our GFC families and alumni to be part of this ongoing journey. Your support helps ensure that future generations of campers can experience the magic of GFC. Whether you give, share our story, or help spread the word, your participation makes a meaningful difference.

As we move from the Passover table toward the summer season, I am grateful for our GFC community that continues to choose connection, growth, and joy. Thank you for being part of the GFC community today and for years to come.

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Erin

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There’s nothing like driving to camp and turning onto Smith Lane. You get butterflies in your stomach and your heart starts to beat a little faster. I spent countless summers at GFC, as a camper, unit head, and education director and I felt it every single time I drove up to the gates! This time I was in the car with my eight year old son, five year old daughter and husband…talk about coming full circle! We were about to spend our weekend at GFC’s Family Camp, and as we made our way down Smith Lane, those exact same feelings came back, as if they had never left.

This was our second time coming to GFC Family Camp, with the hope that our son would get a taste of what camp feels like and would commit to signing up for the summer. I didn’t realize that the weekend would end up being not just for him, but also for me. I got to see camp through the eyes of my kids; filling up their cups over and over with (bug) juice, dancing after every meal, singing along with Loui Dobin during the campfire, and watching them look up at the stars as we walked down the long road from the Chadar Ochel (dining hall) back to our motel room. I got to live these moments with MY kids and it brought me so much joy. They felt comfortable at camp, like it had already become their special place. My son looked at me and said, “Mom, can I live here?”

Not only did we get to spend the weekend as a family, we also got to experience it with my camp friends and their kids. Two other families from my Avodah (staff-in-training) year, and many summers prior, spent the weekend with us. Our kids ran around, together, as if they had spent summer after summer there already. It felt like the camp magic was already in their blood. My daughter looked at me and said, “Mom, I loved today!”

Camp was a place where I always felt like my true self, and coming back it felt just the same. Of course, there are a few new buildings and different names for camper units, but ultimately it still feels special. My son feels it too, I can tell. He’s ready, and while it’s bittersweet that I can’t watch him in action at camp, I know he’s going to have the time of his life. I can’t wait to drive down Smith Lane to drop him off for Bonim A this summer. This time, I don’t think I’ll be the only one with butterflies! See you again in June, GFC!

-Sara Edelman

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This week, we feel the shock and heartbreak of yet more violent acts against the Jewish community. Our hearts are with the Jewish communities in Detroit and around the world who are experiencing devastating acts of antisemitism.  

Strength (gevurah) calls to us not only as the strength embodied by the security personnel and Temple Israel clergy and leadership; it also refers to a quieter strength. It is the courage to choose connection, to live our Jewish values, and to gather together. At GFC, we teach our campers that strength is not only physical might; it is moral courage, spiritual resilience, and the willingness to support others. Strength is standing with our extended Jewish family no matter how many miles separate us. This week, that family includes our friends at Temple Israel of Detroit who are grieving, healing, and rebuilding. 

Our Torah commands us to respond to violence not with despair but with presence. We offer our time, our prayers, our advocacy, and our unshakeable solidarity. We stand with the Temple Israel community and with the entire greater Detroit Jewish community, praying for healing, safety, and strength.  

As we enter Shabbat, may the Source of Strength bring healing to Temple Israel, protection to all who guard and serve our Jewish institutions, and courage to each of us as we continue building a world rooted in justice, compassion, and peace. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Erin 

Read URJ’s statement on yesterday’s attack on Temple Israel of Detroit here.  

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My connection to camp started when I was about eleven. That first summer in Bonim wasn’t the easiest for me, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever come back. But two years later I decided to try again, and that summer changed everything. I made friends, felt at home, and finally understood why people loved this place so much. From then on, camp became a constant in my life.

I missed Kibbutz in the summer of 2020 like so many others, but the following year brought something completely new…the very first Chalutzim session. It didn’t replace the experience I had hoped for in Kibbutz, but it was still one of the most memorable summers I’ve had.

Later I joined Avodah, which gave me a whole new appreciation for how camp works behind the scenes. The next year I became a counselor. Working with kids pushed me in ways I didn’t expect, and after that summer I decided to step back and figure out what I wanted to do next. I tried college, worked different jobs, and eventually chose to spend a year in Israel. I took classes, interned in two bakeries, and learned a lot about myself along the way.

While I was in Israel, I talked with Lainey about returning to camp in a different role. She suggested logistics, and it turned out to be exactly where I belonged. When I came back, it felt like stepping into the right place at the right time. I loved the work, the pace, and the feeling of being part of something bigger. I must have been doing something right, because I was invited back for the next summer, and I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Working behind the scenes at camp is fun for me, and I know that my contribution to creating camp magic counts for something.

Camp has shaped me in more ways than I can count. It’s where I’ve grown up, found lifelong friends, and discovered what it feels like to truly belong. There is nowhere I’d rather be.

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My camp journey started when I won a scholarship to spend 4 weeks at GFC as a 10-year-old. (Yes, our sessions were a full 28 days!) Summer after summer I returned as a camper, counselor, and unit educator. Being on the professional team as an assistant camp director inspired me to become a rabbi. Rabbinical school solidified that camp is where I belong and where my rabbinate should be centered.  

I am so fortunate that I get to share the magic of camp with hundreds of campers and staff each summer and connect with our families, alumni, and supporters all year long. Part of this connection includes working with our amazing Camp Committee and Leaders Council (past GFC Camp Committee chairs), a group of staunch GFC supporters who give of their time, talent, and treasure to ensure that every generation feels part of this kehillah kedosha (holy community). 

Two weeks ago, our Camp Committee and Leaders Council spent the weekend in Bruceville, together with our professional team, learning and dreaming. We spent part of the weekend sharing our camp stories. Marisa Reby, GFC’s Development Manager, challenged us to succinctly share why camp is important to us. Each person’s “passion pitch” highlights what is so special about GFC that encourages them to stay connected and involved. 

There were a few themes that arose from these stories: connectedness to the Jewish community, being your authentic self, and the incredible impact of lifelong friendships. 

Greene Family Camp exists because of the people who love it. This year, we’re inviting our entire camp community to share your “why.” When you share why GFC is important to you, you help keep our community strong and connected for generations to come. Every time you share a memory, a moment of growth, or a reason you believe in camp, you strengthen the invisible thread that connects past, present, and future GFC families. 

Maybe your child found their confidence on the ropes course.
Maybe your first summer as a camper turned into a role as a counselor, and then into a lifelong commitment to Jewish camp.
Maybe you’re a donor because someone once invested in your summer and it changed your life. 

These stories are sacred. They remind us that GFC is more than a place. It’s a community built on shared purpose and shared heart. This year, we invite you, our families, alumni, supporters, and friends, to tell us why camp is important to you. 

Tell us the moment camp changed you.
Tell us what brings you back summer after summer.
Tell us the friendships you treasure, the traditions you carry, and the memories that still make you smile. 

When we share our stories, we deepen our community.
When we share our “why,” we inspire others to discover their own.
And when we speak about the importance of camp, we keep camp magic alive for generations to come. 

So go ahead and tell us. What’s your why? We can’t wait to hear your story. Please take a moment to record your 30-45 second portrait video and upload it to this link. As we get closer to Camp Day of Giving, we would love to share these with the community. 

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If you were to ask someone from Greene Family Camp Session One if they knew Carmen Bernstein and Margo McAlister, not only would they scream “of course!” but they might mention how those are the girls that are always holding open the PAC (Performing Arts Center) doors for song session or shira. What they might not know is how fast we stack our chairs and sprint out of the Chadar Ochel (dining hall) to hold open said doors as soon as the youngest unit, Bonim, is dismissed to the PAC.

Hi! We’re Carmen and Margo and we’ve been going to camp for 7 and 6 years respectively. At GFC we’ve tried our fair share of activities including but not limited to arts & crafts, ziplining, swimming in the pool and the lake, gardening, and cooking. While we went to preschool together and live in the same town, camp brought us closer than ever before.

Holding open the doors might seem like something random, but it truly means “camp” to us. On Friday nights when all of camp is together, getting to say “hello, welcome, and Shabbat Shalom” to everyone feeding into the PAC for Shira from dinner fills our hearts. This past summer we realized that the small act of kindness in being human doorstops helps us get to know the whole camp and connect with everybody.

Early in the session campers and staff would go by, with maybe a smile or a mumbled “thank you” but it didn’t take long for the whole camp to learn our names. By the end of camp this past summer, we counted over a hundred high fives and heard more “Shabbat Shaloms” than ever before. For us, holding open the doors to one of our favorite summer experiences helped us bring the joy of GFC magic to our whole camp family.

Through this experience we’ve learned to take the first step and help other people find their camp magic. We see this every time the S’ganim teens end up in a mosh pit singing along to Or Zarua happy as can be, or when we get our own mini door holding helpers joining in to help us spread Shabbat cheer.

The camp community makes these moments shine as bright as stars in the sky (stop cringing, you know you love it), no matter how small they are. So this Shabbat try and find one small moment to make a difference to someone else and yourself – the door is always open.

Love always,
Carmen and Margo (Kibbutz ‘26!)

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Last week our professional team met in person for a 2-day retreat to kick off the new year. We came away with ideas and excitement for all aspects of our work, all with a spirit of collaboration, accountability, and through a lens of seeing each individual in our community for who they are.

We are dreaming big! From program innovation, to facility enhancements, to expanded leadership pathways, we’re committed to building on everything that makes GFC a place of belonging, growth, and joy. We can’t wait to share more as the season approaches.

We are thrilled to welcome our newest Camp Committee members: Robyn Burck (Houston), Lauren Lipsky (Plano), and Brandon and Jenny Mark (Houston). Each brings unique talents and perspectives that will help us build the next 50 years for every member of our GFC community.

To all our returning committee members – thank you for your steadfast leadership. To our new members – we cannot wait to partner with you in the sacred work of making GFC the transformative place it is. Our camp committee will come together at a retreat later this month for our Winter Meeting.

Even as we look to this new year with hope and excitement, our hearts are heavy following the recent arson attack at the historic Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi. As a Jewish camp dedicated to creating a safe space that fosters community, friendship, and feeling connected to Am Yisrael (the Jewish people), we stand in solidarity with the Beth Israel community.

DONATE TO REBUILD BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION HERE

2026 will be a year of growth, joy, resilience, and connection. As we prepare for the months ahead, we do so with immense gratitude and deep love for our community, and unwavering hope for a world where every Jewish space is safe from hate.

Thank you for being part of our Greene Family Camp family. Your support made 2025, our 50th year, incredibly special; we can’t wait for all that this year holds!

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Erin

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