Introducing your Summer 2026 Super-Values! Last summer, GFC’s Cornerstone Fellows brought a burst of creativity to Tekes Boker (morning ceremony) by introducing the endlessly fun concept of GFC Super‑Values. Each Fellow stepped into the role of one of our core values and helped bring them to life in meaningful, memorable ways for campers. This year, your 2026 Cornerstone Fellows are back to revamp Tekes Boker, reviving our beloved Super‑Values, inventing new ones, and showing campers how to model GFC’s values both inside and outside of camp. You can expect fun, spirit, and surprises all summer long, courtesy of this incredible team. Below, you’ll find a special message from each Cornerstone Fellow/Super-Value. After all, counselors are real‑life superheroes. Reporting for the first time from the Summer 2026 Cornerstone News Network, here are your Cornerstone Fellows: |
| Abby: Hineini Hero
Hey y’all! It’s Abby and I am so excited to be the newest Hineni Hero at camp! Hineni means “presence” in Hebrew, and I am so looking forward to promoting it at camp. I resonate with the value of presence for many reasons. As a staff member who did not grow up going to GFC, I didn’t know the magic of camp before arriving for the first time last summer. I didn’t know what to expect, but through being fully present with my campers and with other staff members, I was able to experience all the wonderful magic that this camp has to offer. There’s so much going on at all times, and in order to truly appreciate it all, we as staff members and campers need to be present – because if we aren’t, we might miss the magic. Ways we can be present at GFC can include participating in camp traditions such as Maccabiah (if it happens), singing camp songs like Follow Me to GFC, and dancing at Israeli dancing or in spontaneous flash mobs in the Chadar Ochel (dining hall). We can also be present by creating connections with each other and understanding one another. By being present at camp and experiencing all the magic, I loved my time working at GFC so much that I decided to come back this year. The magic of camp is what keeps both campers and staff members coming back year after year, and I am so excited for what is to come this summer! |
| Gabrielle: Kehillah Kedosha Cowgirl
Hey GFC Community! I’m Gabrielle and I’m so pumped to come back to camp this summer and to promote the value of Kehillah Kedosha (Holy Community) as the Kehillah Kedosha Cowgirl! In my 11 years at GFC, the thing that has always kept me coming back (other than Shabbat Shabrownies) is the beautiful community I find at camp. The community that exists at camp is so uniquely welcoming, supportive, and encouraging for campers and staff alike. This camp community is made strong by everyone at camp, from the youngest Bonimers to the pink elephants that are rumored to be spotted from the Alpine Tower. The most fulfilling aspect of my job as a counselor is the opportunity to work on cultivating our Kehillah Kedosha to help give my campers a camp experience as special and meaningful as possible. Attending the Cornerstone seminar this year helped me realize even further how beautiful the GFC community and the Jewish camp community in general is, and I can’t wait to experience and contribute to this Holy Community again at camp this summer! |
| Emma: Captain Kavod
Hey fam! It’s Emma, AKA Captain Kavod, and I am so totally hyped for camp this summer! I am also so totally hyped to be a representative of one of camp’s core values, “kavod.” For those who might be unfamiliar, these values all work together to make camp as amazing as it is, making sure everyone is happy and healthy while at camp! I especially connect with my value, which means “respect” in Hebrew, because I personally consider it to be one of the keys to living a happy, love-filled life. Respect is more than just basic kindness and consideration, though it absolutely involves those things too. Respect means an appreciation for others, for the world around us, and for oneself, which is then shown through that kindness and consideration. This value acts as a testament of love, and I think it is a beautiful value that I am honored to be representing at camp this year! However, aside from respect, I think another part of camp that makes it such a fantabulous (a word I made up because fabulous and fantastic weren’t good enough) place to be are all of the mementos and art pieces done by past campers and staff! One of my favorite mottos is “make your mark,” and that is exactly what the other fellows and I will be doing this summer! Both literally, and figuratively ;). See you all soon, and we can’t wait to welcome you to caaaaaaaaaamp!
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| Evan: B’tichut Baddie
Hey there dedicated blog readers! I’m Evan and I am so excited to represent safety around camp this year as the infamous B’tichut Baddie! B’tichut (which is Hebrew for safety) is a value that I really resonate with because I’m all about playing it safe and easing into new experiences when I’m ready. I’m someone who likes to take things at my own pace and choose challenges that feel fun, not terrifying, which is why it took me 10 years at camp before I did the zip line (which I can now confirm is very safe!).With this, I believe that safety isn’t only physical, but also something that occurs within our brains, which is why I feel it is always important to look out for everyone around you to provide a safe space to anyone who may need it. As I continue to grow older and older at camp, I’ve come to appreciate the art made by campers in every building around Greene more and more, and I believe it is important to preserve this vibrant part of camp as renovations and upgrades are made to buildings that may need it (even art needs a safe space sometimes). If only there was some sort of art archive (maybe even an ART-chive) so that everyone can experience the magic of camp art??? Now that would be pretty cool. Stay tuned for a very special Cornerstone project… |
| Sydney: Reut Rockstar
Hi y’all! My name is Sydney, your newly appointed Reut Rockstar. For those who don’t know, reut means friendship in Hebrew, and this value is part of what makes camp so special. Throughout my 11 years of attending camp, I have found it’s the friendships I have made at GFC that keep me coming back. It is this sense of reut that gives me the comfort and confidence to explore new opportunities and push myself in a safe space. This summer, I am looking forward to helping the camp community foster greater connections! With this in mind, I am hoping to implement super exciting projects at camp with the other fellows (how exciting are they?!). They are SO exciting that we are going to need everyone’s help to make it happen… and maybe a few paint brushes too… Your Cornerstone Fellows along with the entire rest of the GFC Staff can’t wait to welcome you home so soon! Stay tuned for more from your Summer 2026 Cornerstone News Network, next time from Bruceville! Shabbat Shalom from GFC! |