Today I had the opportunity to go to the URJ's conference for all the Israelis that will be working at all the camps this summer, and talk about my own camp, Eisner. In addition to being a very fun experience, it reminded me of the magic of camp, and made me extremely excited to go back after too long of a break. The summer of 2013 was my last as a camper, and I didn't go on the camp Israel trip, so I haven't been to camp or with my camp friends for two years. However, after today, all of my memories flooded my head, and all I could think about was the amazing time I had growing up at Eisner.
Eisner Camp made me who I am today. Camp is where I grew up, matured, made lifelong friendships, and formed my Jewish identity. Sure, I grew up in a fairly Jewish home, but for me, camp was always my number one place for Judaism (or for anything, really). Eisner was where I fell in love with Judaism and the community and the prayer and just everything about being a Jew. The reason I'm involved with NFTY and my temple and that I'm on EIE is because of camp. Whether it was Limud, our Jewish education program, living with Israelis, or the magic of Shabbat at camp, there is something special about Eisner, and being Jewish at Eisner. It's truly impossible to articulate how important and impactful Eisner camp has been on my life (it's especially hard trying to explain it to people who aren't the strongest English speakers). My time there and the friends I made at camp will be with me for the rest of my life. And I'm incredibly excited that I get to reconnect with that part of my life this summer after two long years away. We've got plenty of time left on EIE, but today certainly made me feel that same childhood longing for camp, almost to the point where I may start counting down the days.... (it's 71...)
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