In the summer of 1985, I was 8 years old when my parents went on vacation. While they and my brothers were away, my neighbor was taking care of me and dropped me at the bus in Houston to take me to Greene. (No lasting bitterness here that my parents didn’t drop me off that some therapy can’t solve 😁). I arrived at GFC scared and afraid. I moved into Eilat which was then the youngest bunk and met my counselors, Ronnie Segal (now Rabbi Segal) and Aaron Munzesheimer, of blessed memory.
That first night was hard. I was homesick and I cried…a lot. Ronnie stayed with me that night until I fell asleep. The next night I cried but a little less and once again, Ronnie was there to comfort me. Not only were the next few days easier and easier but I also met another camper, Jeremy Schneider (now Rabbi Schneider), and we instantly became friends. 22 nights later we had our all-camp friendship circle on the softball field and afterwards returned to our cabin where…once again I was crying. Ronnie gave me a hug and asked if I was ok and I told him, “When I got here, I was homesick and wanted to go home. Now I’m crying because I don’t want to go home.”
40 summers later and here I am at camp, as the parent of a camper and trying to be helpful as a Camp Committee member. I came up early to volunteer with second session opening day and to drop off Emily for kibbutz. As we all gathered in the chadar the night before opening day, I looked over and saw my oldest friend, Jeremy. We hugged, caught up, and reminisced about our time at camp; and though we don’t get to see each other very often, it was as if we’d never been apart.
My wife and I wanted our girls, Isabelle and Emily, to have the same opportunities to experience Jewish summer camp and to make memories that will last forever. They both attended Greene from Bonim to Kibbutz and like me, have created a circle of Jewish friends to take with them wherever life leads and developed a foundation for a love of Judaism. One of my primary roles on Camp Committee is to chair the campership sub-committee. This group reviews the anonymous applications from families who cannot afford the cost of camp and need financial assistance. Every year, we read about families who have gone through a traumatic event; or have developed some kind of financial hardship due to a parent’s job loss, divorce, or some other unfortunate incident; or about kids who live in areas with a small or non-existent Jewish community and seek out Greene to be with people they can relate to and to feel, if only for 23 days, what it’s like to live among other Jews.
Every year we allocate over $100,000 to these families in need; unfortunately, Greene has many wonderful things, but a money tree is not one of them. Whether you attended Greene as a camper or a staff member, or you are the parent of a camper, or grandparent of a camper, think about all the stories your kids came back with and shared about their summer. Think about what an incredible opportunity they had to live among Jewish friends, to meet Israelis and other international staff, to paint their faces red, yellow, blue, or green in competition with one another only to come back together as one Jewish community. Last, think about their excitement to return next year.
It is with all this in mind that I ask you to consider making a gift to Greene this year to support our campership fund. One hundred percent of the money designated for this fund goes to help the families who cannot attend GFC without financial aid. In addition, Greene has started a separate campership endowment fund to help enrich the lives of future campers for years to come. Endowment funds are like trees and need a few years of cultivation before they produce material returns but then are a gift that produce every year.
40 years ago, I was a scared and anxious camper but made a friend, and like a game of dominoes, made a series of other friends whom I keep in touch with to this day. For the following ten summers I attended GFC where I matured and built a Jewish foundation. Heather and I are thrilled to have set a similar course for our girls and one day, hopefully, they will do the same for their kids. This summer I was able to watch the summer of 2024 come to a close and watch the campers in their friendship circle in the performing arts center (it’s no money tree but is a beautiful facility). There are the inevitable tears of sadness as friends recognize this is not goodbye but see you later. Every child should be able to experience these moments of elation, and all that Greene has to offer, and we can make that happen through your generosity. Currently, the camp administration is planning for the summer of 2025 and Greene’s 50th summer! Likewise, the campership committee had started reviewing next summer’s applications for financial aid. Please make it possible for kids-in-need to experience the magic that is Greene Family Camp and make a donation to the campership fund or the campership endowment fund.
Thank you to the staff for an amazing 2024 summer and I look forward to seeing all of you at our 50th celebration next summer!
Shabbat Shalom,
Daniel Pesikoff
GFC Camp Committee