#urj camping

[notaccurateornice]

Just got an invite to a group chat for people I went to camp with, our CIT group from 2009. Apparently we’re doing a combo in person meet up/zoom call on the 30th. It’s literally been 14 years since I’ve seen any of these people. But the best part of being jewish is the community and I’m surprisingly looking forward to seeing everyone.

[hindahoney]

Hi! I had my Bat Mitzvah fairly reccently and am leaving for URJ camp on Sunday. I just want to say finding such a positive blog on here has been great for feeling better about something I feel a little disconnected from

Thank you!! I love seeing more Jewish pride and positivity.

[wrestlingwithtorah]

Queer Torah Study with Rabbi Josh Gischner (he/him/הוא)

Monday, August 23 @ 7PM ET

Suggested Contribution $10

Register Here

Come join your Wrestlers' friends and Rabbi Josh (he/him/הוא) to explore some of Rabbi Josh's favorite queer Jewish texts from rabbinic tradition.  

This class will include opportunities for both large group and chevruta (paired Jewish) study.  

See below for Image Description, a biography of the Rabbi, and more information.

Image Description:  Lots of rainbow flags surrounding the large words “Queer Torah Study with Rabbi Josh Gischner (he/him/הוא). The date of the event is present, ���Monday, August 23, at 7PM ET.”  A large rainbow flag (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) is on the right side of the image, on the left side is a light gray background.  The pansexual flag (blue, yellow, and pink) is being held by a ‘floating’ hand on the lower left-hand corner.  On the top right, there are three flags:  the bisexual flag (blue, purple, red), the nonbinary flag (yellow, white, purple, yellow), and the agender flag (purple, white green).  On the bottom right, two cartoon humans (dressed in the trans colors) are holding up a transgender flag (light blue, white, and pink).

Additional Information: Please email Rabbi Josh Gischner at JoshuaGischner@gmail.com if you have any specific learning needs- I want to accommodate you as best as I can!All WWT events are open to Jews and non-Jews, those partnered to Jews and people who yearn to become Jewish, and anyone who needs a spiritual learning home.This text study will not be recorded.Class operates on a "Pay what you are able" scale. Recommended donation for attendance is $10.00 but no one will be turned away for financial reasons. Thank you for choosing to contribute to this class!You will receive a Zoom link prior to class. Financially accessible options will be available via the Wrestling with Torah Discord. Please email Rabbi Josh at JoshuaGischner@gamil.com for access to our Discord.

Biography of the Rabbi:  Rabbi Josh (he/him) is originally from Rockland County, NY where he grew up in his synagogue volunteering in the religious school and singing in the junior choir. A creative type who is passionate about inclusion, Rabbi Josh is most excited when making the Jewish canon accessible to all ages, and is known to use magic tricks, puppetry, theatre, humor, and other art forms in his work as a Jewish educator. Rabbi Josh is passionate about supporting individuals in discovering their own unique Torah that can transform and better the world.

Rabbi Josh attended the University of Hartford as an undergraduate, double majoring in Judaic Studies and History, with a minor in Gender Studies. Following graduation, he landed in Jerusalem and later New York City to continued his education at our Reform movement seminary, the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. While at HUC-JIR, he spent time working with children and adults of all ages and stages, working in congregations, college campuses, and Jewish camps from Massachusetts to Florida. He most recently served as the Rabbinic-Education Intern and Inclusion Coordinator at Union Temple of Brooklyn; the Education intern at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue; the rabbinic intern at Congregation Sha’are Shalom in Waldorf, MD; and as the rabbinic intern at Temple Beth Am in Monessen, PA. Rabbi Josh is a proud “Pioneer Staff Member” at URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy, co-creating camp in its first year; and most recently founded Wrestling with Torah, a radically inclusive online Jewish learning community.

Rabbi Josh earned his M.A. in Hebrew Literature from HUC-JIR in 2020, his M.A. in Religious Education in 2021, and was ordained a rabbi in 2021.In Rabbi Josh’s spare time, he loves experimenting in the kitchen, likes to paint and get creative, and hang out with his pet parrot Charlie.

[pargolettasworld]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i6zvVILN9M

Some kids prepare for bed by saying “Now I lay me down to sleep.”  Others listen to their parents read Good Night Moon or possibly Go The F*ck To Sleep.  The Jewish equivalent of this, for adults as well as for children,* is the Bedtime Shema.  We give ourselves over, trustingly, into the care of the Divine as we fall into the rest and helplessness of sleep.

This lovely setting is by Jordan Franzel and Lisa Silverstein Tzur.  The text was adapted for a URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) summer camp, and the music would work wonderfully in that setting.  A counselor with a guitar singing one last song to the kids before they go to bed . . .

And let’s be real here, Go The F*ck To Sleep is an adult bedtime story.

[ce-monds]

Muscadines. When I first moved to Atlanta and saw these babies packaged up and prices high as hell, i was offended. They were more accessible & free in the country. These were growing in the #GeorgiaMountains, but tasted just as delicious. #SWGA #Albany #Produce #Muscadine #GrowYourOwn (at URJ Camp Coleman) https://www.instagram.com/p/BptxyoFFqzG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rdj41wbei387

[motownbeat]

i hate that stupid old pickup truck you never let me drive. (at URJ Kutz Camp)

[jewishandmore]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jonathan Freirich (@rabbijonathan)

A jellyfish song to gather everyone together for #Havdalah at #urjcampgeorge (at URJ Camp George) https://www.instagram.com/p/BmE6QLmn91V/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cz94ezfherjt

[nasiknews]

Jewish summer camps return after year of Covid – J.

Jewish summer camps return after year of Covid – J.

“Welcome home.” That’s the message leaders of URJ Camp Newman, the Jewish overnight camp nestled in the forested hills north of Santa Rosa, are imparting to campers this year, after a long and challenging four years away from their Porter Creek campus. Starting June 18, the first batch of more than 300 campers arrived to kick off the highly anticipated 2021 season. The homecoming is momentous.…

[imsopopfly]

Not sure if you’re specifically looking for religious stuff but if you’re not I got a few suggestions -

I really like Mahapecha Shel Simcha by Lior Narkis, it’s fun and catchy

And seeing all the URJ stuff reminds me of all the times we danced to “Jessica” by Ethnix when I went to URJ summer camps as a kid. I know it’s just a silly pop song but it IS in Hebrew and I know a lot of people who grew up going to URJ camps probably associate it with dancing our hearts out after Shabbat supper. I don’t think I could ever think of it outside the context of a Jewish experience anymore.

Lastly, Yaron Hadad’s rendition of Veamok Hayam is probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. Then again every version of Veamok Hayam I’ve heard is beautiful, no matter which tune they put it to.

hey jumblr, im putting together a playlist of jewish music, in hebrew & yiddish (im open to ladino songs, too, i just don’t know any), any recs?

[censynteens]

What are you taking home with you from this trip?

I have always known that Judaism has been a major part of my identity. I have gone to synagogue, LCLJ, and I even go to a URJ camp. This trip allowed me to further explore the Jewish aspect of myself in a critical way. Although I am not immune to antisemetic acts in New York City, I am definitely somewhat sheltered from them. Throughout this trip, I learned that this makes my Jewish identity drastically different than that of Jewish people in communities abroad. This difference mainly lies in countries where both current and prior systematic antisemitism play a major role in the Jewish community and the way Jews practice their faith. I will take this thought home, as a reminder to be thankful for the Jewish community that I am a part of, and to remember that I am also part of a larger Jewish community that has different experiences than I do. 

- Ellery 

[wee5macs]

First ones here! We’re a wee bit early, but we can wait to see the kids! Looking forward to hours and hours of stories 💕 So grateful for the time that John and I had, but it was the hardest 3.5 weeks. I’m so ready to be with my kids again!!Gates open in 3 hours, so I think I’ll just enjoy the silence for a little longer... #urjjacobscamp #missedmybabies #summercamp #timetogohome #gypsyfamily #txbound #wee5macs (at URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzfnhElBpSD/?igshid=1wnjl9ume9umz

[lesbeet]

omg stop i love urj camp/nfty shabbat services :,))))

they're literally my favorite thing in the whole world i never feel so spiritually connected to judaism as when i'm in shabbat services at camp

[alyosius]

I feel like I’ve glimpsed so many amazing young Jewish people (and soon-to-be Jewish people) here in the last few months; I wish I had friends like you at my last synagogue.  Virtually no young people were committed to serious Torah study or Hebrew language learning.  Anyone my ages who was involved was inevitably much more invested in the social spaces (URJ camps, NFTY, etc) and those really weren’t a priority for me.

[asylvermoment]

I lit a Yartzeit candle tonight for Emily Heyer. I softly sang the Mi'Sheberach and cried thinking about the 20 people who were injured in Charlottesville, about all the articles I have read regarding the hatred people experienced last weekend. My office mate grew up in Charlottesville and Neo-Nazis were standing outside of her hometown’s synagogue with semi-automatic weapons. The congregants, amassed for Shabbat services, felt unsafe and the police did nothing.

I grew up in South Florida and experienced only a couple minor hate crimes, mostly involving anti-Semitic slurs, seeing a neighbor’s mezuzot get desecrated, or getting bullied by a girl in third grade who made it quite evident she didn’t like that I was a Jew. There was one time we saw a swastika painted on the wall of our Reform temple and Sunday school was canceled that day. I went through a period of my life where I wrestled with Jewish teachings and wanted to be a Rabbi but took issue with the text of the old testament. I seriously contemplated what my heritage, culture, family history and faith meant to me, and studied in Jerusalem for a month with the Jewish Leadership Institute. I was a Sturm Fellow with the Anti-Defamation League, and remember learning about the “No Place for Hate” initiative and hearing testament from law enforcement officials who had identified Neo-Nazi and other hate group activities in South Florida. I taught Hebrew and Judaics in a Reform synagogue for 4 years and worked earlier still as a Sunday school teacher’s assistant and tutor. I was a sleepaway camp counselor for a URJ Reform Camp in Georgia after attending the same camp as a camper for 4 years.

I have met and cried alongside Holocaust survivors. My own grandparents fled Germany and Austria at the beginning of WWII, to escape rampant anti-Semitic hatred and fear. I have been to Yad V'Shem and had my breath taken from me in the Children’s exhibit, with myriad floating lights representing the beautiful children whose lives were snuffed out in the Holocaust. I have listened to my grandmother’s stories, and countless stories of friends’ family members who survived concentration camps or their family members perished therein.

To say that Judaism, the Jewish community, and my family’s traditions have shaped who I am is an understatement. As a Jewish lesbian, hatred and intolerance are not a farfetched story for me. I have experienced it to certain degrees firsthand, here in the States and abroad. And I will not sit by and tolerate such abhorrent and insipid hatred, not now or ever.

The Mi'Sheberach is a prayer for healing. With a holistic view of humankind, this prayer asks for physical cure as well as spiritual healing – asking for blessing, compassion, restoration, and strength, within the community of others facing illness, of body and spirit. Now, the melody is sung as a mainstay in prayer services in Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist and Renewal congregations throughout the world. I don’t pray often in my life, but I believe in the messages transmitted by some of the prayers I have learned and studied. The Mi'Sheberach has always had a special place in my heart and seems appropriate now, so I am offering it to those who have recently suffered as an intention and promise to stand by you in tolerance and kindred love, and in fighting bigotry and hate without resorting to violence. “May the source of Strength who blessed the ones before us help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing.”

[soulpainter]

Had an incredible weekend helping with this retreat for the 10th time in a row. My friend Jeremy has helped me lead the Sunday morning session for most of those years now. During the majority of my time in ministry at my parish, I have been blessed to get to work with Chris, Laura, and Breanne. The 4 of us have built a great trust in each other's unique gifts to do some important work together. It's been a great blessing to work with team like this for so long. Also super proud of our students, this big group, helped lead the entire retreat and their gifts and talents are amazing. My heart is very full. (at URJ Greene Family Camp) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5nuVbHVOY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13a60bpzxz3gl