By Rachel Klein and Izzy Namath

We found this speech so challenging to write that we didn’t start writing it until Friday night at dinner. It was hard for us to think of specific big challenges that we have faced as the Kineret unit heads. When listening to our campers talk about their weeks at Kabbalat Shabbat, we realized that Kineret overcomes challenges every day. Challenges are often viewed in a negative way, as something difficult rather than something that can help us grow and build resilience. When changing your mindset, you can change the way you push through a challenge. 

Ever since I was a Sharon camper in 2009, I have hated the stream hike. I avoid it at all costs. This morning, however, I decided to push myself and (somewhat) willingly went on the hike with the Kineret odds. Despite expecting to hate the experience, I ended up actually sort of enjoying it! I pushed through the stream hike and I learned something new about myself. 

Usually, Kineret goes to an Iron Pigs baseball game. This summer, going to Coca Cola Park was not possible. I really wanted Kineret to be able to have a fun milestone experience. Rachel and I worked together to create an Iron Pigs night evening program. Campers got to play baseball, eat popcorn, and there was even a mascot race! It was one of the most fun nights I’ve had all summer. I was able to be creative and even play baseball, which I probably haven’t done since I was a Kineret camper.

When I was a Kineret camper in the first ever Kineret, I was extremely homesick. As you heard from some of our campers tonight, this is a very challenging feeling to overcome. I was convinced I was never coming back. While 11 years later, I can laugh about this, in the moment, my counselors helped me get over my homesickness and continue coming to camp year after year to push through new challenges every summer.

We hope our Kineret campers are proud of all the challenges that they have pushed through and look forward to the challenges to come. In Arava there will be the Teva campout, in Galil the hike, and before you know it, you will be a unit head pushing through the challenge of writing your Friday night speech. Kineret, we hope you keep coming back to camp and push through new challenges each summer. 

Rachel Klein is from NYC. This session she is the Co-Unit Head for Kineret. It is also her 12th summer at camp! She recently graduated from the University of Michigan. GO BLUE! Her favorite camp activity is Water Zumba. 

Izzy Namath is so excited to be at camp this summer! She is a rising senior at the University of Maryland where she is studying psychology and Jewish studies. At UMD, Izzy is a part of Help Center, which is a peer counseling and crisis intervention hotline. This will be her 12th summer at camp!