This week, the unit of Kineret led Friday night Shabbat services. The theme of their service was standing up for themselves and for others. Below are a few writings Kineret campers prepared for this theme. 

By Adyn, Rafi, Wesley. Eli and Joseph
This week’s Torah portion is about standing up for what’s right. Standing up as a community can be hard, though camp has been trying to become a more inclusive community. While homophobia and racism rise and decline around the world, we should all try to be accepting here, and everywhere.

As Jewish people, we know what it feels like to be oppressed. In a world with almost eight billion people, we are all unique. Though anti-semitism still exists, we stand our ground. 

Around the death of George Floyd, I attended a Black Lives Matter protest. The community was large and welcoming. I found it beautiful the way they stood strong as one. They stood up for what’s right, and it paid off.  That beauty is what we strive to create, here and everywhere.

By Noam, Graham, Josh, Sammy and Elijah
At Camp Harlam, we are proud to be a community that believes all people are created equal. In this week’s parshah, the Torah talks about the importance of standing up for what’s right and fighting for equality. The Torah highlights the necessities of these values.

Like the five sisters who stood up for equality, our camp community must follow in their footsteps. We must all work together to create an accepting environment for all genders, sexualities, races, and religions.

We are proud to say that one of our counselors felt comfortable enough to share with us his identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ Community. At this camp, we are happy that our counselors try to make it a safe environment for everyone. For example, making sure our life vest is strapped on tightly, to making sure no one is in front of us when we jump in the pool. Thank you to the counselors for making sure we don’t run to play Gaga at 1 am. 

That’s what we like to call a safe and peaceful home for all. 

By Lola, Rachel and Julia
When I think about what being Jewish means to me, the first thing that comes to mind is how much I love coming to camp and participating in things like song session Shabbat.

It’s very important to stand up for the Jewish community. During my class’s Christmas party, my classmates were talking about how much they love to bake for Santa and take pictures with him at the mall, and I will say that did make me feel left out.

It’s not just about the gifts, it’s about the traditions and spending time with your family. So I asked if next year we could add some Jewish traditions and stories. 

To us, being Jewish is not just a religion, it is a privilege. It is very important to fight for yourself and other Jews to keep a strong community.