By Sophie P. 

Every summer since 2009, I have returned to Camp Harlam knowing a fun and meaningful experience lay ahead. Exciting programs, good friends, and amazing staff ensured that each summer was going to be full of that Harlam magic that keeps us all coming back year after year.

However, when I arrived to the Bayit a fear began creeping into my head; what if looking behind the curtain and seeing how the kosher hotdog gets made ruins that special magic of camp? For the first time I would be a part of the team that creates the amazing atmosphere that makes camp what it is. I was sure that I was no longer a member of the audience, experiencing the special magic camp holds, but rather that now I was the magician, performing the tricks, knowing how to hide the rabbit in the hat and pull it out.

However once prep really began and we started going through orientation programs I realized that I had been horribly mistaken. It was not the programs that make camp what it is. There was nothing behind the curtain but a mirror. It is the people that make camp magic. The staff, the CITs, but most importantly the campers that make this amazing place what it is. Camp has been too quite and I’m so glad the campers have arrived. Now it’s my turn to help create the magic that has kept me coming back for nine amazing summers.

Sophie is from Montclair, NJ. She is excited to be a CIT this summer. Her favorite time at camp is Saturday morning services at Chapel in the Woods. During her 9 summers at camp, Sophie has been in 11 camp productions!