Chavurah Divrei T’filah

August 16th, 2025

 

Opening Reading

Maddie, Ami, Shayna, Hudsyn, Sophia

 

All: Shabbat Shalom

MB: Our Middah is Ahava, love, and in Chavurah we show a ton of that.

AB: Whether we are talking in the hammocks or laughing during evening programs.

SS: Or debriefing late at night and taking photos to capture every moment.

HS: In Rah, we have learned to love the small moments and not take them for granted. 

SK: One of the reasons we all come back each year is because of how much we love this place.

MB: Throughout this summer we have grown our relationships with each other, showing love in the village.

AB: Our love for camp is also shown by our love for Judaism which we are able to express freely at camp.

SS: As you sit here today as your first or last summer is coming to an end, remember to take in the love all around you.

HS: Especially the small moments that you will carry with you through Chavurah and the rest of your life.

SK: Love has built a strong foundation for our Rah family and we hope you feel the same ahava we feel towards what has become our second home.

MB: Thank you

AB: Camp Harlam

SK: for the big things

HS: the little things

SS: and everything in between

All: We’ll miss you

 

Pre-Mi Chamocha

Zinnia, Julia, Rachel, Lila, Liv, Liza, Stella, and Maya

 

Liv: To all of our summers at Camp Harlam, thank you!

Zinnia: Thank you Carmel for teaching us the value of friendship when we needed it the most. The struggle of leaving home lead us to finding comfort in our new home.

Maya: To the Sharon year we never got to experience for giving us the ability to stay connected over difficult times.

Julia: Kineret, for re-sparking the love for camp in our hearts. Although things changed this summer, our love for camp just kept growing, encouraging us to keep coming back. Being in close quarters with just our bunk truly made us closer. 

Rachel: To Arava for allowing us to push through the awkward and the opportunity to make connections outside of our bunk. Arave was the start of branching out as well as finding out who we really are.

Stella: Thank you Galil for making us realize that our time was much better spent making memories instead of wasting it on bickering. We now prioritize focusing on the big, happy moments instead of dwelling on the small, negative ones. 

Liza: K’far for bringing us together to make new relationships and to appreciate our remaining time as the oldest campers because it was the beginning of the end. Kfar was when our true love for camp shined the most. 

Lila: Now as our Rah summer comes to an end, we realize time goes fast and you need to take in every conversation, every laugh, every cry, and every moment you share with your best friends.

Liv: Thank you Camp Harlam for the happiness that cannot be explained to people outside of this family. As it is now the last day of camp, the one thing we want you to remember for your upcoming summers is to enjoy every moment like it’s your last, because we just want to go back to our firsts.

Zinnia: It is truly a miracle to spend these summers at this place with these people.

All: (321 Goodbye Camp Harlam, we will love you forever) Please join us for the Mi Chamocha.

 

Pre-Amidah

Sarina, Maddie, Sadie, Sophie, Talia

 

SB: As Chavurah campers, our unit has shown love through every summer at camp.

MK: Throughout the summer, we have expressed this love in so many different ways, like hugs on opening day, ruach during color war, and our tears tonight at the banquet.

SR: On the last night of the session, chavurah has a tradition of signing the beit noar and bunks. It makes our love of this place and each other permanent. 

TW: Even though we are a large unit, we each have a unique journey at camp that helps us grow and change. Eventually, we leave our individual legacies behind, just as the amidah references our ancestors’ legacies. 

SK: Even though our journey as campers has come to a close, our legacy will be everlasting.

SB: Although my journey at camp started in Arava, I took a leap of faith and went double session my first year. I have never regretted this decision, as every year I come back to heal, learn, and love, truly living 10 for 2. 

MK: Coming back each year since Carmel, I’ve felt a sense of community and belonging. Looking around the room during song session, I feel at home and part of something bigger than myself. This Jewish community has become a hideaway from real world problems, my home away from home.

SR: Over my many summers at camp, I have realized the true meaning behind the motto “friends become family.’ Camp has given me the opportunity to meet new people that I would never have met otherwise. There’s no way to describe camp to outside people, because the memories and friendships made here are unlike any other. 

TW: For the past seven years, camp has watched me grow and change as a person. Camp has been a place where I feel safe to be myself, and where I have grown up with the same people each year. When life is hard at home, I know I always have camp. The connections I made at age 9 are now the strongest they’ve ever been. 

SK: Camp has meant a lot to my family, as both my parents have left their legacy on camp as campers and staff. Now my brother and I are following in their footsteps and keeping their love for camp alive. At first I came to camp because of my biological family, but now I come for my chosen family.

SB: Thank you, Camp Harlam, for the late night talks

MK: Stargazing

SR: Ice cold pool parties

TW: Rak Dan photoshoots

SK: And sleepy Beit Noar breakfasts

All: We’re so lucky to have friends that make it so hard to say goodbye (hug)

SR: Please rise for the amidah

 

Pre-Barchu

Aiden, Asher, Henry, Fish, Yale

Aiden: The Barchu is a prayer that calls us together to prepare for Shabbat.

Asher: Coming into Chavurah summer, we had to prepare for life in a village disconnected from main camp with none of the comforts or conveniences we are used to.

Henry: But the village has its benefits, like waking up late, our own pool and basketball court, and green time in the village.

Fish: We are also closer together than ever before, getting to spend our time together as a unit rather than being separated by bunks.

Yale: Like the Barchu, camp has brought us together, giving us more ruach and stronger connections than before.

Aiden: But the greatest moments at camp come when you least expect it, in a way you could never prepare for. My curveball came last year when, although it was my first year, it was welcomed in ways I never could have expected.

Asher: For me, I could never have expected the profound impact my 7 years of camp have had on me. And almost always, the best moments have been unscripted—whether it has been spontaneous dance parties or deep talks late at night, these little moments, the curveballs in our daily schedule, are what live with me to this day and have allowed me to grow as a person. 

Henry: Camp is such a special place because of these unplanned, unscripted, spontaneous moments that can sometimes bring us closer together than a pre-planned activity. As fun as climbing the tower or dancing on rock, laughing with your friends on late-night stargazing can be just as fun.

Fish: For me, a time that an unplanned moment turned out to be one of my favorite camp memories was when I heard a couple of my friends talking outside and decided to join them. When I left the bunk, I was met with the most beautiful sight a supernova star. Times like those make camp so special and what it is for me.

Yale: For me, the best moments at camp are all of the small ones, giving us crucial time to build our friendships. When our time at camp is over, these seemingly insignificant moments will be the ones that have the biggest impact on us.

 

Pre-Shema

Lila, Beckett, Danna, Riley

Lila: I don’t know how to leave the place where the memories I make are my best ones. When I used to be homesick, it was because I was leaving home, but now that camp has also become home, it’s hard to leave one for another. The first year I came to camp I didn’t know what to expect, but finding friends that turned into family, and people who make me laugh on hard days, was something I was never expecting to find. After I look back on my time here, I can see how much I’ve changed and how camp has made me realize I feel like myself here. Over 3 summers, time has never flown by faster, but my love for it will always continue. Once I started coming to camp I felt like I could never leave, but now I am left with no choice.

Beckett: I don’t know how to go home when it feels like I already am. Camp has always been special to me. It’s a place full of love and happiness people at home never fully understand. To me, camp is a supportive and loving community, a family, and a home. Even though I’ve been here 3 years, it feels like a lifetime and it’s still not enough. Knowing everything this year is my last, I’ve learned to appreciate the little things: ice-cold showers, yellow meal, and getting ready together on Shabbat. As my final summer comes to an end, I’m proud to call this place my home and these people my family who taught me how to love.

Danna: Love is an impossible word to describe. When I first came to camp, I didn’t know what it meant to be a part of something. Now that I’m standing here in front of all the people that have changed the way I view community, and have made my time here special, I can finally say: I know what love means. At home, being Jewish means lighting candles on Hanukkah. Here it means being together. It means dressing in all white for Shabbat, star gazing together, or even begging for more green time. It’s not until nights where we are jumping in the I pool after our last Rak Dan that I realize 3 weeks will never be enough. As hard as it is to say goodbye to the place that has been my home away from home, I’m so grateful that camp has given me a new meaning of love.

Riley: It is hard to define all the ways I have connected and changed here at camp. After my 8 incredible summers here, friends became family and camp became home. Now, realizing my firsts have become lasts, I can see all of the things I have taken for granted. I will hold on to my final drive through the gates, my final siyum, and my “see you laters” that have now turned to “goodbyes.” From those before me and me to you, never forget, this doesn’t last forever. Make it count: sing loud at song session, make a new friend, and when the time comes—NO RAHGRETS! We’re not ready to leave and may never be, but we know camp will always be ready for us to come back home.

 

Pre-Yismechu 

Spencer G., Elliot S., Paul S., Max A., Jake A.

Elliot: Every year we always rejoice in the thought of coming to camp and spending another summer in this special place. Consistency is what makes camp so comforting; however, RAH gave us a new perspective.

Jake: Consistency is maintained in coming back to the same place and doing similar activities year after year. In RAH we’ve grown as people through the independence and responsibility we take on.

Max: After this summer, camp loses its consistency. Israel and Gesher are going to be completely different experiences, changing our connection with camp.

Paul: Although many people view this process as an ending, we view it as a bridge to a new beginning. This inconsistency will allow us to experience camp in a new way and continue growing into young adults.

Spencer: Instead of choosing to dwell on losing the consistency of our previous years at camp, we are choosing to be excited about the new beginnings ahead. Camp changes just like life, and we have to change with it.

 

Havdalah

Noam, Elijah, Sammy, Josh, Nathan

Noam: At the end of every session, the last all-camp experience is Havdallah.

Elijah: For us this has been apparent since Carmel.

Sammy: We met in Carmel, 2018. Going into camp I was worried, yet excited at the same time. But meeting Noam and Elijah showed me what camp is all about. The love that a Harlam friendship holds.

Noam: and as we said “shavua tov” at the last Havdallah in 2018, we knew these friendships would last forever.

Elijah: Then in 2019 that love grew bigger.

Josh: Coming into Carmel 2019 was different because I was the age of 2nd year Carmel. The worry of established relationships limiting my enjoyment scared me. However, I immediately felt welcomed the second I arrived at camp.

Sammy: As time passed a new obstacle emerged in the way of our inseparable bond.

Elijah: When we found out that we weren’t going to have our Sharon summer, I panicked, but our love and friendship somehow grew stronger despite Covid.

Josh: No matter if it was facetime off our moms’ phones or if we asked to hop on Fort, we made sure to still be together even if not in person.

Nathan: As a new summer began, I was that kid in kineret with no expectations and a lot of fear. Unlike the others I didn’t really experience the same welcoming.  ‘Saying goodbye to kineret was tough, I didn’t know if I would come back or not, but with a bunk change going into Arava, I could’ve never expected what would come next.

Noam: When we found out that Nathan was in our bunk, we didn’t really know who he was. A couple of days before camp we had a facetime with him. After the call we realized what that summer had in store.

Josh: Arava was a summer where we expanded not just ourselves but our relationships and love for each other and camp. 4 of us decided to go double and it solidified our love for camp.

Elijah: Going into Galil was like welcoming in a new week. We all began to see things from an older kids’ perspective.  While some may think this may affect our love for camp, it didn’t.

Sammy: for years it seemed as if our love was only between us, but k’far brought our entire unit together. We finally realized the true love that camp brings. Not a minute went by that we weren’t thinking about camp after it ended.

Nathan: Not in Rah it seems we’ve been with each other our entire lives. But unlike past years, there is no next year as a camper. After each summer, we’d always say “just wait till next year”. Now that isn’t true.

Noam: Love has been a focal point of our time here at camp and we love each other more than anyone can know. But what comes with love is loss.

Josh: We realize we are losing a core part of our lives, but instead of dwelling on that we look forward to the next chapter. The chapter where we become CIT’s and then counselors and become campers’ role models.

Sammy: If it isn’t clear already- LOVE is our Chavurah second session middah. As we look and think about this, we realize that there is not a single word that resonates with our camp experience better.

ALL: We want to thank camp Harlam for the best…

Noam/Sammy/Elijah: 8

Josh: 7

Nathan: 6

ALL: summers of our lives. And as Ezra Tayler once said: “It never feels real- another summer of memories made”

 

Havdalah

Mikai B Alex S Zoe G Nathan N Noah S 

Alex Schar: Havdalah is about the upcoming week, and the Chavurah middot is love. We all love camp and count down the days until we come back. Next week we will be back at our home away from our real home. For the whole summer I’ve felt that this day was so far away, but in just 12 hours we will pack up our cars for the last time and drive out the gates, not knowing when we’ll be back.

Noah Siter: This is my 8th summer at camp, and every year I looked up to the Rah kids and wanted to be in their shoes and do all the fun things they got to do. I wanted to be leaders in camp. As I’ve grown up at camp, I’ve met people that have changed my life. I’ve made memories that I will never forget. Every activity you do at camp can turn into a lifelong memory with the people you love, so don’t take it for granted. The friends that you make and the love for them, and the memories, will always be a part of you and make a lifelong impact on you that you’ll never let go.

Mikai Bridges: There’s a quote I always see on the walls of the bunk: “Take it all in.” I really connect with this saying because I live so far from all my camp friends. During the year, I rarely get to see them. This summer I’ve really tried to take it all in and savor every moment of Rah with my best friends I almost never get to see.

Nathan Neches: Connections have the biggest impact on your camp experiences. You meet the best people, even if you “live in a different state” (Rivers & Roads). In your bunk, you can tell your closest friends anything. In Rah, we are all connected, and some even get to experience Right Side Talks and get to hang out in the hangout area.

Zoe Goldman: The bus ride back from Baltimore first session was the first time me and my friends really thought about the end of our last year as campers and what that means to us. Soon every one of us but me started crying. After the crying died down, I sat back down next to my friend and said, “The end of camp is so sad, but there’s still half of this session left, not to mention 2nd session.” I can’t imagine camp ending, and the thing he said back to me was the one thing that made me cry. He said, “You say that now, but soon you’ll be packing into your parents’ car, crying about how you don’t wanna leave.” I think the reason this got to me was because no matter how much time is left, it’ll never be enough. This brought me back to my first year at camp when I did the 2-week program in Carmel, and the first thing I said when I got into my parents’ car was “I’m not ready to go home yet,” and I know in just a few hours I’ll be saying the same thing. Except this time it’s 7 years later and I’m in Rah, so this time my dad won’t be able to reply, “You have next year,” because there isn’t really a next year as campers. As we get older, life becomes more complicated and it gets harder to make space for camp. But regardless of who returns, I will always hold my camp friends close to my heart.

Nathan Neches: I always come back to the quote, “Talking ‘bout the way things change” from Rivers and Roads. My first summer in Kineret could not compare to my last summer in Rah. So many new friendships and memories have happened since then. A lot has changed.

Alex Schar: Now in my last couple hours as a camper, I look back at my first year, when I would look up at these older kids in Chavurah and couldn’t wait to be them. Now that I’m in their shoes, I look back and wish to be those little kids. On my first day as a camper, I met my best friends that I have kept till this day.

Mikai Bridges: Camp is special for so many different reasons. One of the biggest reasons is people. Throughout my 5 years here, I’m so grateful for the opportunity of being a camper at Camp Harlam. Remember to savor every moment because it might seem like it will last forever, but now I know it doesn’t. 

 

Mourner’s Kaddish

Ellie F-R

Shabbat Shalom. The Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer to commemorate those who we’ve lost.

Grief is a hard topic. No matter how long ago they passed, it never changes the fact that you miss them. I lost my father 7 years ago this past July. This took a huge toll on my family and I. We each cope in a different way. For myself, it felt like the whole world had collapsed in front of me. From the outside perspective it seemed like the other members of my family each coped in a different way.

No matter if it has been 1 month, 1 year, 7 years, or so on, their spirit will always be with you and their legacy will always carry on.

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom.