It’s almost Thanksgiving, and we can’t help but keep smiling about this past summer at Crane Lake and how special it really was. Sometimes it takes time to realize the power of a summer like the summer of 2014, and we think now is a good time to reflect on the highlights.

The summer began with jaws dropping as people entered the red gates and saw our new Chadar Ochel. This new facility enabled us to eat as a community and celebrate Shabbat all together for the first time in many years. Not only were we able to be together, but we also ate on real plates and used real cutlery, composted after every meal, and ate higher quality, healthier food throughout the summer. On the soccer pitch, we won our first Josh Berlin Invitational Tournament since its inception eight years ago. Our 7th grade boys not only played like champs but showed exceptional sportsmanship to our visiting camps and community. Our Tikkun Olam fair was incredible. Upper Bonim highlighted different charitable organizations and causes. The entire camp was able to choose a cause to support. As a community we supported these causes by donating trip day change and participating in a walkathon around camp. Included in the causes was Team Ethan in support of Ethan Kadish. The summer ended in classic fashion with a foam-filled Maccabia. The competition was so fierce that it came down to literally the final vote tally to crown the winner. These are just a few highlights from a tremendously positive summer.

Before you continue reading please start the song.

Throughout this past summer we created, learned, and sang this prayer together each Shabbat. It really sums up this summer and represents our community from the summer of 2014. While these 10 months can be difficult to spend away from camp, Crane Lake hopes everyone is having a bright new year and is looking forward to those special 2 months back in our bubble. We know the summer of 2015 will be one you won’t want to miss.