If you were to ask someone from Green Family Camp Session One if they knew Carmen Bernstein and Margo McAlister, not only would they scream “of course!” but they might mention how those are the girls that are always holding open the PAC (Performing Arts Center) doors for song session or shira. What they might not know is how fast we stack our chairs and sprint out of the Chadar Ochel (dining hall) to hold open said doors as soon as the youngest unit, Bonim, is dismissed to the PAC.
Hi! We’re Carmen and Margo and we’ve been going to camp for 7 and 6 years respectively. At GFC we’ve tried our fair share of activities including but not limited to arts & crafts, ziplining, swimming in the pool and the lake, gardening, and cooking. While we went to preschool together and live in the same town, camp brought us closer than ever before.
Holding open the doors might seem like something random, but it truly means “camp” to us. On Friday nights when all of camp is together, getting to say “hello, welcome, and Shabbat Shalom” to everyone feeding into the PAC for Shira from dinner fills our hearts. This past summer we realized that the small act of kindness in being human doorstops helps us get to know the whole camp and connect with everybody.
Early in the session campers and staff would go by, with maybe a smile or a mumbled “thank you” but it didn’t take long for the whole camp to learn our names. By the end of camp this past summer, we counted over a hundred high fives and heard more “Shabbat Shaloms” than ever before. For us, holding open the doors to one of our favorite summer experiences helped us bring the joy of GFC magic to our whole camp family.
Through this experience we’ve learned to take the first step and help other people find their camp magic. We see this every time the S’ganim teens end up in a mosh pit singing along to Or Zarua happy as can be, or when we get our own mini door holding helpers joining in to help us spread Shabbat cheer.
The camp community makes these moments shine as bright as stars in the sky (stop cringing, you know you love it), no matter how small they are. So this Shabbat try and find one small moment to make a difference to someone else and yourself – the door is always open.
Love always,
Carmen and Margo (Kibbutz ‘26!)