My summer camp reunion just ended, the event which I have been planning as co-chair for 2 1/2 years. It was an incredibly moving and satisfying experience. All of the elements came together like magic: smoothly-run events all weekend, lots of camp alumni there, and a trip to our old Camp Naomi.
It only ended 2 days ago, so I am still buzzing with emotion, both happiness for what occured, and some sadness that it is over. The only thing I can compare it to is the feeling one has when you just end an intense love relationship.
I can't say more than that right now. Soon I will add thoughts and photos from myself and some of my friends. For now I will just post the speech that I wrote for the reunion banquet:
Gregg’s Camp Reunion Banquet Speech
August 30, 2008
Why are we here? Why are Camp Joseph and Camp Naomi special to us? Important to
us, even now? Those of you who were at the incredible Shabbat service today will
know that those alums who did readings, already stole my thunder, and my words. Josh, Sam, Paul, Fern, and especially Hal, really said it all so eloquently and were so right on. But I'm not good at winging things, so I'm going to read mine too, glad that it least echoes what has already been expressed so well.
What went on at camp all that time ago, that would make us want to spend the energy, the time, the money, some of us with spouses and children in tow, to come to a Holiday Inn, in Portland, Maine, on Labor Day Weekend in 2008.?
Why did camp matter?
First, Camp was a fun place to be. Sports, swimming, arts and crafts, drama,
games, and talent shows. It was all play; all fun. But as Hal mentioned earlier, although most camps have similar activities (and often better facilities) than Joseph and Naomi did, there was something unique about our camps. I think our camps in particular, struck a balance that many of us found just right, between having challenges and a bit of competition in our activities, but without feeling some incredible pressure to perform or achieve. Our activities were low key. Camp to us was a place where we could relax, and not be so self critical. Simply put, Camp was a fun and easy place to be. To be able to look back on our childhoods, and have
such happy summer memories, as the Passover song says "That would have been enough".
But Camp was not only a place with fun activities and a relaxed atmosphere; it
was also a place... without parents. Each summer we spent 4 or 8 weeks completely away from our mothers and fathers. And that was a great thing. A summer away from our
parents enabled us to feel some independence and autonomy in our lives. And a summer
away from our parents also enabled all kinds of habits to be eschewed; not only our hygiene and our dress, but certainly our inhibitions as well. At camp, we were a messier, rowdier, freer, and for the most part, braver version of ourselves than we were at home. And not only because we were away from our parents. School, as an institution could be a restrictive and limiting place. Strict teachers, impersonal assignments, and very often a social hierchy and division of peers that made even a well-adjusted kid become cautious with how they presented themselves. There was little room in that world for individual expression, and even less for individual freedoms. Camp on the other hand.....was run by teenagers.
Our counselors were mostly 18 and 19 years old. A 21 year old would be considered a VERY experienced staff member. Unit heads, appearing to us as wizened and aged at the time, were perhaps just undergraduate upperclassman. Looking back, only our directors and assistant directors could honestly be called mature adults. But although administrators made the camp rules, they really weren't our primary caretakers. For the most part, for 8 weeks a year, we were left in the hands of, and under the influence of, pimply-faced, pumped-up, child-like teenagers. For campers, it rocked.
Our counselors were like big brothers and big sisters to us. They turned us on
to cool music, told us about the exciting world beyond our neighborhoods, and most of
all, were kind and caring to us, accepted us for who we were, and celebrated us as
individuals. We felt comfortable confiding in them, about difficulties with friends, about our ideas and interests, even about romance. Our counselors also allowed us to express ourselves in ways we had never been able to at home or at school.
In many ways our counselors became the people we most wanted to emulate. And
then, many of us, in a few years time, did just that. We became camp counselors. Or at least C.I.T.s or C.A.s.
As former campers, we had often dreamed of the day when we would be old enough to be in the same camp setting, but with so many more freedoms. Others of us, who were never campers, decided at age 18 or 19 to join the Joseph and Naomi staffs and try it out.
As counselors, we were given a certain autonomy and responsibility for the
first time in our lives. It was a fine line to walk between being counted on as a trusted 'adult' in charge of children, and being teenagers trying to explore our newfound freedoms and independence.
But with our administrators and parents counting on us, we wanted to prove to
them and to ourselves that we could be do a good job. And even with some admitted
setbacks, a handful of small indiscretions, and perhaps a few bad choices, we did prove it.
What a unique society to be a part of. With minimal adult influence over our lives, as camper and as counselors, we learned independence and responsibility, became more caring and more confident, and like trees in summer, at that time each year, did a lot of growing up.
So camp was a fun place and easy place to be, and a place where we could be free
to grow as young people. And if that was the whole reason we loved camp …that would be enough too.
Now it is a bit of an overstatement to say that there weren't any adults running
our camp. As much as we like to brag about how 'loose', or at least anti-authoritarian Joseph and Naomi were, we did have rules, routines, and expectations, and for the most part, we followed them. When you think about it, for such supposedly 'loosely run' camps, Joseph and Naomi over the years had surprisingly few serious problems. We kept relatively clean, went to most of our activities, learned to swim almost every day, and most nights got a good night's sleep. And most importantly, we got along together. Of course there were conflicts. There were some disagreements, occasional defiances of authority, and some regrettable hurtful actions too. But mostly we really did get along together. And we learned how to get along together without parents, without teachers, without umpires, referees, or police officers; or without authoritarian counselors. That is definitely a result of how our camps were run.
Lenny, Sam, and Al all had strong backgrounds working with kids and young adults
in their professional fields of social work, teaching, and counseling. I know we didn't fully appreciate it at the time, but all of Joseph's and Naomi's administrators possessed a great deal of wisdom in the way they ran our camps; and the way they treated people. Their gentle guidance and trust in staff and campers, their values of inclusion and acceptance and emphasis on championing individuality, really made our camps special. Unfortunately, it's too late for us to say that now to Lenny. But in some way, I think he knew that despite our mishigas, that his philosophy worked, that in no small part because of him, Camps Joseph and Naomi were special places.
Sam, too, played an influential role in why our camps were so special. Some of us like to kid Sam at times, and he definitely likes to kid us too, but I can vouch personally for how Sam was special. Nancy told a moving story this morning about how as a counselor she befriended a homesick camper. I too was extremely homesick during my first year at Naomi. Sam was really the person who was there for me. He's the person who turned my summer around and caused me to want to come back. And over the years I've seen him support and help so many campers and counselors.
And Al. What can we say about Al? Al Zippin epitomizes what Joseph and Naomi
are all about. Often, when we think of camp, we think of Al. A caring and committed leader; a dear friend to many of us, and a mentor to us all. Al's way of offering gentle guidance, support, and love to all campers and counselors has made us all better people. Has anybody seen Big Al?
All of our administrators; Lenny, Sam, Al, and others, built up, shaped, defined, and led Camps Joseph and Naomi so that they were places that were freer, more accepting, and more caring than our worlds back at home.
Camp allowed us to discover our inner selves and to let that individuality flourish. Many of us felt that at camp, rather than being anonymous, that we were stars.
Camp helped us grow into the people we are today. That is a testament to our counselors, to our administrators, Lenny, Al, Sam, and all of you here who set the tone for that. And that too is why camp is so special to us.
And if that were all, that would certainly be enough too.
But most of all, the main reason we loved camp, and the reason we all wanted to be here this weekend, is the connection we have with each other. We had fun at camp…together. We discovered who we are as individuals…together. We grew up at camp…together.
So Here we all are again; 15, 30, 40 years later; in a Holiday Inn, on Labor Day weekend, in Portland Maine. Why? It’s simple: To be together. We're here to rekindle those old camp friendships. We're here to tell stories, to laugh, to eat, and sing and dance; together again.
So in a few minutes, when we gather round for our old camp tradition, a friendship circle, keep these thoughts and feelings as we hold hands and sing as one group: that this is not one last taste of the magic of our youth. This is not a brief trip down memory lane. This is the celebration, the declaration, of our renewed bond with each other. As the lyrics say, and they include Joseph too: "In our hearts there will always be a yearning to return to Camp Naomi another day". No way? True, there is 'No Way' we can physically return to the days of our youth. But that yearning in our hearts has brought us here. And so, we have returned, to reclaim what mattered most about our days at Joseph and Naomi…each other.
