This week Nitzanim and Olim led Shabbat Services. On Friday night, Nitzanim led the service and on Saturday morning Olim led the service. The themes celebrated were gevurah, meaning strength, and promise of the future. The campers read beautiful speeches and sang breathtaking songs that we would like to share with you.

Friday Evening Shabbat Services

Josh C., Bunk 18
I am going to tell you about how love and strength connects with the prayer: Ahavat Olam. Muscle strength is like love strength. At camp, I see people struggling with stuff. For example, the other day during t’fillah, Mike had a hard time lifting a box and girls from Bunk 5 helped Mike carry it. So, I have a challenge for you. Try to make a new friend and help with something s/he needs help with.

Juliette S., Margit F., Daniela S., Bunk GVW
J: The next prayer is Hashkivenu. In this prayer, we ask for safety at night.

D: We do this as a community to build strength.

M: At camp, we sing Hashkivenu after evening program, together as a unit.

J: I’m glad that we sing together as a community.

D: Singing the Hashkivenu gives us strength because it reminds us that we always have each other around us at night.

All: When we sing Hashkivenu, together, think about how lucky we are to find strength here at Crane Lake Camp.

Samara L. and Bailey S., Bunk 5
Bailey: Our theme for this service is Gevurah. Gevurah means strength.

Samara: Here at camp, we have to be strong because, for some people, it is their first time being away from their parents.

Bailey: In a moment, we will offer our own silent prayers. The silent prayer is about reflecting on ourselves. We have to have strength in realizing what our mistakes are and be able to fix them.

Samara: At camp, we have to be our best selves by showing strength in everything we do.

Both: We hope you take time now to reflect on your own strength.

 

Saturday Morning Shabbat Services

Dylan L., Daniel S. and Adam B., Bunk 28 and 29
Daniel: The theme of this service is promise of the future but to us, the promise begins in the past.

Dylan: Countless times, we’ve heard counselors talk about the experiences they’ve had at camp, the pranks we pulled, the emotions they shared, and, most of all, the lifelong bonds that they built.

Adam: For all these years, we never thought that we had stories like these – stories worthy of telling our campers when we became staff.

Daniel: Now, however, we realize that we do; we are living these stories as we speak.

Dylan: The prayer we are about to sing is the Elohai Neshama. In English, it states: You created me, You shaped me, you breather me into life.

Daniel: Camp created these stories – both for our counselors and for us.

Dylan: Camp shaped our idea of brotherhood, of sisterhood, and the true meaning of community.
Adam: As for the future, we promise to breathe life into this community, just as our counselors have done for us.

Emily S., Bunk 12
We are about to recite the Shema & V’ahavta. V’ahavta teaches us to love God. At camp, we share a lot of love. As we look towards the future, I hope we will continue to still love each other as we do now. As we sing the Shema, please think about the people that love you and all the love you have to give, now and in the future.

Denali S., Bunk 12
Sim Shalom is a prayer for peace and while inside our sacred CLC bubble, peace seems inherent, we must take time to pray for those around the world who don’t share this feeling of safety and security. In addition to praying for peace, it is our responsibility to take action and do our part to make the world a little more peaceful, step by step. While we need to cherish these last days of first session, and for some the summer, it is imperative to look to the future and think about what we can do to make the world a more peaceful place.

Elena M., and Emma., Bunk MVW
For us, this is our final year as campers. Many of us started in Lower Nitzanim and a lot has changed since then. We remember meeting all these new people, looking forward to forming lasting friendships. As the next year came along, this camp became our family. Still, we had hopes for the future and were excited about being in upper camp. In Chaverim, staying up late and going on our firs overnights out of camp. With Captain year in our sights, OXV came together. We are now one unit and our journey is coming to a close. Each of our camp years brought excitement for the future. Looking up to the older units, seeing what they experienced, knowing that it would soon be us. Now our paths begin to split and there is no longer anyone to follow. We must make our own unique future. During the silent prayer, please take a moment to consider what your future hold and how you can take your unforgettable camp experiences with you to guide you on your journey.

 

By Lindsey Blackman, Communications Specialist