By Heather Shore
Our Shabbaton in Nachsholim was intense and thought provoking. During the course of this weekend we had the privilege of participating in several sessions led by Professor Joe Reimer. In addition to being a member of the Nachshon Senior staff, Professor Reimer is also a professor of Jewish Education at Brandeis University. Some topics from his sessions included intense discussions about the psychology of creativity, the individual importance of each and every camp, and the place for Israel education in a camp setting.
Like many of our other experiences with Nachshon, the most meaningful moments from Professor Reimer’s sessions came when our discussion transcended the initially intended framework. In our last session with Professor Reimer, we found ourselves tangled in a conversation about our frustrations, concerns, and pride regarding our respective denominations. The conversation started with a simple prompt: “What would the Jewish community be missing if your camp closed?,” Or, more broadly, “what does your camp specifically bring to the Jewish community that makes it distinct, impactful, and meaningful?” The conversation quickly extended to a new topic: Are all camps at their essence the same? If all of our camps are trying to shape young, active Jews in an immersive and enriching Jewish environment, what makes any one camp more uniquely meaningful than any other?
This conversation was both thought provoking and transformative. For many of us, this brought to the surface topics that we’d struggled to previously discuss in a group format. The ultimate conversation formed was one of similarities- what makes us as Jewish leaders, and our movements as Jewish tracks inherently similar, and how can we as individuals begin to bridge the previously outlined differences. Professor Reimer encouraged us to think critically about these ideas, and as we begin to close the semester together as a cohort we will continue to explore and push our stances on these challenging topics.
