Written by James Gelsey, Associate Director, URJ Eisner and Crane Lake Camps

Over eighty dads and sons (and one grandpa!) converged on Eisner Camp in December for our first-ever “Father Son Weekend,” part of the Heller Wexler Family Retreat Series. They came from the far corners of our region—Cape Cod to Brooklyn to Glen Head, NY—for a weekend of playing, laughing, and getting to know one another just a little better. Our Friday evening kicked off with Kabbalat Shabbat and a traditional camp Shabbat dinner. Song session followed, with man and child alike jumping around and doing the swivel-step to a whole bunch of songs including that old Shabbat favorite, the ever-popular “Artik Menta Chocolat Banana.” After that, we changed things up a bit and challenged everyone with a series of ginormous puzzle-games. Exhausted from their long days at school and camp, the sons settled into their beds (after some “hang-out” time) under the watchful eyes of our superstar male staff. The dads meanwhile gathered in Manor House to relax and chat about “dad” stuff.

Shabbat morning dawned with gaggles of guys in the Ga-Ga pit as they waited for our delicious buffet breakfast to open. Shabbat morning services featured some “Torah Talk” focusing on parasha Vayetze, the story of Jacob and his sons. Using the portion as a springboard, the guys created their own family crests. Services ended, and that’s when things really flew off the hook. Our families got a taste of life at camp as we moved them from one end of camp to the other with all sorts of amazing activities. There were the nature hike, pita making and Teva tea up in K’far Teva (nature village). We played schoolyard games in Merkaz HaSport that got everyone running, sweating and having a blast. Dads and sons designed pinewood race cars (for Saturday night) and leather bracelets. And they even faced off against the mighty zip line and other elements of our ropes course. The day was just packed, but there was still time for lunch, rest hour, a tour of camp, chanukiyah making, and of course, lots and lots of Ga-Ga!

Dinner flowed into a special “campfire” Havdalah service in front of the Manor House fireplace. Then it was off to the races at the Great Barrington Raceway (newly constructed inside the Beit Am) for the pinecar derby. The cars roared down the track in heat after heat of intense competition. And at the end of the race, there were two cars left standing: the “Youngwood Yeller” from the traditional race car division, and “Batteries Are Included” from the “enhanced” division. A fun game of “Who Am I?” rounded out the night. The kids hit the hay (no, we didn’t make them sleep in the barn) while the dads gathered for another evening of “grown-up time” and explored more deeply some of the issues they discussed on Friday night.

Sunday came all too soon, but there was still plenty to do. After breakfast, we gathered for the official Father-Son Weekend photo. Dads and sons got to spend some time interviewing each other and just plain catching up on things. We took another official Father-Son Weekend photo (just in case) and closed things out with, you guessed it, a friendship circle. It was clear that while many of the boys knew one another from past summers at Eisner or Crane Lake, there were just as many who hadn’t gone to camp and made new friends in their short time together. One of the most frequently asked questions was, “Will you be sending out a roster so my son can keep in touch with his new friends?” (The answer, by the way, was, “Of course!”)

By all measures, this Father-Son Weekend was a huge success, and it will most assuredly go down in history as the just the first of many subsequent Father-Son events to come. The Heller-Wexler Family Retreat Series offers a range of engaging and outstanding programs each year. The next is Chagigah, a celebration of the arts, on January 20-22, 2012. Registration is now open, and we hope to see you there! And don’t worry, moms and daughters, your turn is coming in the spring on April 20-22, 2012.