L’dor vador nagid godlecha
L’dor vador… we protect this chain
From generation to generation
L’dor vador, these lips will praise Your name
Greene Family Camp is a special place, where generations of campers and staff members can come together and be united in shared values and a strong sense of community. There are countless moments that create this special sense of community at Greene; and whether these moments include watching the sun set over the lake during Shabbat services, or staying up late talking with best friends, there is no other place in the world that makes me feel more at home than my weeks spent at Greene Family Camp.
This summer will be my 15th summer at GFC. I have always cherished the relationships that I have formed and the memories that I have made during my summers at camp. Recently, there was a special event on that reminded me of the power of the connections that are made here– the true “magic” of camp.
Every year, Bonim and Kibbutz campers are paired up (as the youngest and oldest units on camp) to spend a day of fun together. Each year, Bonim Kibbutz Day is an opportunity for the Kibbutz campers to take-on new leadership positions on camp as mentors and role models for their younger peers.
When I was a Kibbutz camper, I loved participating in Bonim Kibbutz day. I was given my Bonim buddy, and have been able to maintain my relationship with her as a friend and a role-model.
Over the following years, my Bonim Kibbutz Day buddy has returned to camp, and I have had the opportunity to watch her grow up to become the great leader that she is today. 7 years later, my Bonim buddy is now a Kibbutz camper who has taken on the role as a mentor to her own Bonim buddies, just as I was to her.
From generation to generation, the legacy of each camper at Greene Family Camp lives on through the relationships that are made every day. Over the next several years, I hope that my Bonim Kibbutz Day buddy will have the opportunity to watch her own buddies grow up at camp, and to experience the joy that is felt when she realizes that her legacy will live on in the next generation of campers.