This week’s Torah portion is B’reishit. Many of us are familiar with this story – the story of creation, where everything started. Our history as Jews is rich and full of intricacies, and this time of year as we return to the words of B’reishit, we are reminded of our origins and our humanity. I find the timing of this Torah portion in conjunction to my own personal and professional life to be quite serendipitous. I’m creating exciting new beginnings for myself right here at GFC! I’m just a little over 3 weeks into my new role as assistant director, and I am so beyond happy to be here. I’ve recently gone through a number of my own life transitions, and what I’ve learned is that, while change can be hard, it can also be healing – and turned out to be exactly what I needed. It’s been a lot of fun to reflect on my own personal “story of creation” as it relates to GFC and think about how I got here. Allow me to walk you through my journey…
In the beginning…I was a Camp Katan kiddo (in my day we proudly boasted the title “Staff Brat”) while my parents were serving on faculty in the early 2000s. I was a 1st session camper from Bonim all the way through Kibbutz, and was lucky enough to come back for a week every summer during 2nd session with my mom while she continued to serve on faculty. I took all the GFC time I could get! I then had the privilege of attending the Garin Greene (now called “Yallah! Israel”) summer in Israel in 2016, where my love for camp and the Jewish community was even further solidified. I then returned to Greene as an Avodah, and couldn’t wait to finally get to be on staff the next summer. I was a counselor in summers 2018 and 2019 for S’ganim and Kibbutz, where I had my OG group of campers who I still keep in touch with today (hey besties!). Then, in summers 2021, 2022, and 2023, I was on the leadership team serving in unit head roles for S’ganim, Kibbutz, and Avodah. This past summer in 2024, I had a blast serving on faculty at GFC through my previous role at Congregation Beth Israel of Austin. And now, here I am, absolutely thrilled to be an assistant director at the place that shaped me. It’s been a wild ride so far, and I’m all here for whatever comes next.
The story of B’reishit reminds us that, while life can be chaotic at times (kind of like how within the first week of creation all the animals were roaming around with no direction) things work out in the end if we just trust the process. My process has taken many forms, I’ve been thrown plenty of curveballs and have had to adapt, as we all eventually do in life. Another thing I’ve learned amidst my life changes is that I have GFC to thank for a LOT of things in my life. I found my passion for Jewish education and engagement at Greene, I had great role models and counselors who showed me all the wonders that Judaism and Jewish camping have to offer, I tried new things, made so so so many memories, and I made friends that I’ll know forever. As we begin the new Jewish year, my hope for all of the incredible people in our community is that we take that leap of faith and trust that everything will work out for us in the end. May this year bring exciting new things to us all – shabbat shalom!
Lainey Komerofsky
Assistant Director