After 24 years at Eisner Camp, I have to admit that the days and summers start to blur together. The song sessions, Maccabiah breaks, and Trip Days are all jumbled together in my mind, creating a beautiful tapestry of nearly three decades of camping.

That being said, there are a few days over the years that stand out. July 12th, 2013 was one of those days. It was the day that our camp-wide charge to Be the One was born.

On that day, both Eisner and Crane Lake paused all normal camp activities for a special day dedicated to anti-bullying programming. David Long, the founder of the organization Everything Starts With 1, joined us to share the story of his son Tyler, who sadly died from suicide in 2009 at the age of 17 as a result of relentless bullying.

After a full day of learning and reflection led by our Olim Fellows and by David, we joined together as a camp community for one of the most powerful Shabbat T’filot of my career. During the service, David spoke to us again about Tyler, helping to conclude our day and launch our rejuvenated devotion to anti-bullying. He reiterated that throughout the hardship Tyler experienced, he wished just one person would’ve stood up for him. All it would have taken to save Tyler’s life was one person to show him compassion and assure him that he was valued.

After David finished, I had a new mission for our community. I wanted to challenge each of us to be that one: Be the One to stand up for your friends; Be the One to prevent others from mistreating you; and Be the One to prevent yourself from bullying anyone else. All it takes is one to make a difference.

From there, our dedication to Be the One only strengthened. And it didn’t stop at bullying. It was about Being the One to feed the hungry, protect the environment, help the poor, visit the sick, and so on. It was a calling to not only make the world a better place, but to be the change we wish to see.

During that Shabbat service, a group of campers shared You and I (Everything Will Be Alright), an original song written by our campers with the help of songwriter Alan Goodis. The lyrics beautifully summed up our new obligation: “You can beat me up, tear me down, I will not hide/’Cause I got a feeling that everything will be alright.”

In 2016, again with Alan’s guidance, a group of campers wrote Be the One, another song demonstrating our community-wide commitment to Tikkun Olam (repairing our world) and putting our mission into song.

These two songs were a build-up. They laid the groundwork for our latest song, Stand Up, which Alan and our campers created together this session. The song is a plea to be brave, be heard, and stand up. It’s a charge to Be the One.

All three songs illustrate the idea of Hineini (I am here), our camp mission statement, in a meaningful and spirited way. These songs are the manifestation of what it means to strengthen our self-esteem, our identities, and our connection to our community. These values are not just empty words hanging on our cabin walls. They are our purpose. And these songs are our anthems of action. They are what Being the One looks like.

Years ago, when we originally wrote our mission statement, there was no Hebrew text attached. After introducing Hineini to our community, a group of graduating high school seniors approached me with a question. A challenge. They said, “Louis, we have all this great stuff. We already know this. But how do we actually do it?”

Because of that passion and curiosity, we added a teaching from Pirke Avot to the end of our mission statement: “לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמוֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה For it is written: ‘Lo alecha hamlacha ligmor, v’lo ata ben chorin, l’heebatel mimena.’ You are not required to complete the work, nor are you free to ignore it (Pirke Avot 2:16).”

With that call to action, we made Hineini real. With these songs, we bring it to life. I am so proud to see the work that our campers and staff are doing. Every day is an opportunity for Tikkun Olam, and from our cabins to our sports fields to the Beit T’filah and beyond, Eisner is making a difference. We are standing up, speaking out, and doing what we can to Be the One. With bravery, courage, and love, we are working together to make our camp, and our world, a better place.

We are grateful to Alan for all of his wisdom and assistance over the years, and we are beyond proud of the creativity of our campers. I encourage you to watch, and share, Stand Up now.