We want to open the gates of camp to as many different people as possible through summer and year round programs. Rabbi Andrew Terkel likes to say that “camp is for everybody,” and the growth of our Year Round programs seems to bolster that fact. Families, men, women, young adults, and veteran staff members have all come to camp for weekend retreats over the last couple years and leave refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated.
The upcoming Men’s Retreat (March 29-31, register here!) will be no exception. This event draws a diverse group of camp dads, former GFC campers and staff members, brotherhood members, and men of all ages who want to reconnect with the outdoors, with Jewish community, and with one another. Previous events have focused on hard work benefiting camp, and in the past our retreats have cleared the mountain bike trails in the woods, rebuilt the campfire circle and fire pit, replaced the benches in the Beit Knesset, and built new benches for the cabin porches. This upcoming event features guest Outdoorsman-in-Residence Josh Lake, founder of Outdoor Jewish Adventures to lead our hardy group of Jewish men in activities like fire making, water purification, land navigation, and maybe even a game of Ultimate Frisbee.
This year’s Men’s Retreat chair, Jacob Preble, is a former GFC camper, staff member, and a current member of our Camp Committee. Jacob had this to say about the importance of Men’s Retreat, and why he is so excited about chairing it this year:
“I wanted to get involved with this weekend because, although I am not a camper, and don’t have kids old enough to experience camp during the summer, I wanted to keep GFC in my life. Interacting, even if only for a weekend, with Jewish men just like me is what’s great about the GFC community. No matter how old you are or how long you have been away from camp, even if you’ve never spent a summer here yourself, coming to camp is all it takes to put you right where you belong.”
Of course we’ll have Men’s Retreat staples like Shabbat dinner, campfire, steak, and a poker tournament benefitting the GFC Friends of Camp fund. If you’re a camp dad curious to see what the magic of GFC is like for yourself, Men’s Retreat is for you. If you’re an alum of GFC looking to reconnect, Men’s Retreat is for you. If you’ve never been to Jewish camp before, but like the idea of outdoorsy activities with a bunch of other Jewish guys, Men’s Retreat is for you.
We’ll see you around the campfire!