With fall fully settling in and the days finally getting a bit cooler, I’ve been reflecting on how this season represents transition and new beginnings for the better. This month also marks a year since I stepped into the role of Assistant Director at GFC, something I say with both pride and a little bit of disbelief!
This week’s Torah portion, Lech L’cha (go forth), begins with a call to move forward into the unknown. Abraham is asked to leave his familiar life behind and trust the journey ahead. Returning to camp in this role has felt like answering that same invitation. Camp is where I first learned who I was becoming, and stepping into leadership here has pushed me to continue growing in so many ways.
Over the last year, there have been days that felt full of momentum and others that demanded patience and resilience. Through it all, the strength and support of this community has been unmistakable and encourages me every day to move forward. Camp continues to influence who we are long after the summer ends. It teaches us incredible life lessons, instills the most sincere of values in us, and keeps us whole (at least that’s how I feel).
Like Abraham, we’re all on our own paths and we don’t necessarily know what lies ahead. What I can say with confidence, however, is that camp keeps getting better every year, and I consider myself lucky to be able to keep coming back to this path, to keep traveling down Smith Lane to the place I call my home away from home. I usually have a semi-accurate idea of what my experience might look before I drive through GFC’s gates, but I always leave camp with my cup overflowing with gratitude and pleasant surprise. Watching campers arrive unsure and then leave more confident has reminded me why this work matters. Each season at GFC shapes someone’s story, sometimes loudly and sometimes in quiet ways that surface long after the summer ends. As we begin planning next summer, I already feel the anticipation building and I couldn’t be more excited. Early Bird registration is officially open for anyone ready to take that first brave step back to camp (EB is open now through November 18).
I think that this time of year in the secular world pairs very nicely with this week’s Torah portion, Lech L’cha. Halloween gives us its playful spookiness and the Torah gives us its reminder that the unknown isn’t only scary, it’s where possibility lives. At camp, the possibilities are truly endless.
Thank you for welcoming me into this role and for believing in what we’re building together. I’m grateful for the path that brought me here and even more excited for the one unfolding ahead!
Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat and a weekend filled with just the right amount of spooky fun!
L’shalom,
Lainey Komerofsky (she/her)
Assistant Director