From Soccer Rachel to Teva Rachel, these past two weeks have been full of exciting experiences in my new position as Teva Director. After missing last summer to work in Wetland Conservation along the New Jersey coast, I am so excited to have the opportunity to spend another summer at Crane Lake. I got this opportunity because I am beginning work as a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C. at the end of the summer. Growing up at Crane Lake taught me how Jewish Values and teachings can be translated into all parts of our daily life, whether in the Outdoor Sanctuary or on the Soccer Field. At the RAC I am excited to take this idea one step further and use our values to advocate on behalf of the Reform Jewish Community on a wide range of political issues. As a Biology major, environmental conservation is one of the issues I feel most connected to and hope to work on at the RAC and also at Teva this summer.
Camp has always been my way to escape the city and connect with nature. In Hebrew Teva means nature, and although it is my first summer working in this area, it has always been one of my favorite activities at camp. My first three summers as a soccer coach, under the leadership of many great Athletic Directors, such as CJ, have taught me how to be a positive leader and build a community that will work as a team all summer long. We have a very energetic and enthusiastic team at Teva made up of people from the United States, Scotland, and England. With two returning and four new staff members, I am eager to see how our team grows and develops throughout the summer.
This summer we are redeveloping the Teva program based on the three Jewish Values of Awareness, Interconnectedness, and Responsibility. Hopefully these lessons can be translated from Teva throughout the rest of camp, and then into our daily lives at home. Team Teva has spent the past week planning many fun new activities including fort building, wilderness skills, treasure hunts, cooking, arts and crafts and much more. We can’t wait for all the campers to come so we can start sharing our Teva experiences with them!
By Rachel Landman, Teva Director