As we approach these High Holy Days and embrace the season’s invitation to reflect upon the meaningfulness of our lives, I’m always pulled toward the relationships and adventures that I experienced at camp. Indeed, whenever I return to the foundations of my Jewish identity, I find myself transported back to that world in Zionsville, Indiana where I first felt the excitement of being part of a vibrant Jewish community. I imagine it is that way for many of us.

We know that the foundational role camp plays in our Jewish lives is due in large part to our exceptional counselors and leadership staff. We are blessed with role models who devote themselves so enthusiastically to building our children’s strong and positive Jewish identities. I want to take a moment to recognize a remarkable group of people who work behind the scenes to ensure that our camp flourishes. Our Board of Advisors is comprised of more than 20 leaders, alumni, parents of current or former parents, or both! We come from many of the regions served by our camp. We are rabbis and lawyers and teachers and accountants and doctors and Jewish professionals and musicians and business executives. We are enriched by our dedication to and love for our camp. Our Board of Advisors serves a number of roles: We are a sounding board for Jeremy and Rachel; we implement and support camp’s development and fundraising efforts; we provide our input on camp’s capital and programmatic priorities; we help to organize alumni outreach and recruiting events; and we promote camp in our communities.

Serving our camp community in this manner is a responsibility we take seriously and a gift for which we are grateful. We invite you to join us by contacting us with your ideas, your concerns, and your visions. Write to us at guci@urj.org

On behalf of our Board of Advisors, I wish you and your families a healthy, happy and meaningful shana tovah.

Steve Derringer
Chair, GUCI Board of Advisors