Every year during staff certification week, we invite our faculty to join camp for a day of Jewish learning, which we call Limud U. It’s an opportunity for every staff member on camp to engage in conversations about Judaism and faith with rabbis, cantors and educators who come to camp every summer as representatives of synagogues and Jewish communities across the Northeast. They join us for a week or two during the summer to spend time with our campers and staff in both the Jewish learning period of the day (Limud) and in their assigned units.
Limud U annually highlights how we live out our camp mission statement. Limud U provides an opportunity for all of our staff, regardless of their role position at camp, to lay the groundwork for continued Jewish learning throughout the summer. Every member of our staff – leadership team, counselors, coaches, instructors, kitchen staff, support staff – take part in this incredible day.
Recognizing that there are many levels of Jewish knowledge among our staff, this year’s Limud U courses covered a wider range of topics than ever b
efore. Our staff new to Jewish learning looked inside the Torah scroll, discussed Shabbat rituals, learned the basics about keeping Kosher. Staff with greater familiarity with Judaism learned bedtime stories to share with their campers, discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, explored the relationship between Judaism and social media – and much, much more!
Limud U also provided an introduction for staff to the various themes that are present in the Limud curriculum for campers this summer. Each of the younger units will spend the summer focusing on the following themes: People of the Book (K’tanim), Mitzvot (Bonim), Middot (Chalutzim) and Tikkun Olam (Ofarim). Meanwhile, members of the older units will choose how they want to connect with Jewish learning through various topics taught by our faculty during their Kesher courses.
Our staff now has a stronger foundation of Jewish knowledge to share with our campers – we can’t wait to see everyone in 3 DAYS!!!