By Emily Langowitz

Garin Unit Head

After roll call, the mirpeset behind the office stayed silent. There was no spirited Bo-bo-bo-boker tov! heard above the trees. In the dining hall, two tables sit with their benches up while the rest of camp enjoys their meal. Never have cabins 1 and 11 been so quiet. Or so clean!

It must be Garin intersession!

Here in Garin, our seven counselors and I have already said goodbye to our first group of amazing campers. It seems like just yesterday that we were having our first unity meeting with the campers of Garin Aleph. We are so proud to have seen that by our closing circle, the campers had gone from shy and unsure of one another to vivacious and fearless. As we said goodbye on Sunday, I couldn’t help but think of how much Garin had become its own close-knit unit within the larger GUCI family. Although the Garin staff is sad to see our campers go, we are so excited that today we are welcoming a new batch of smiling faces to our family.

During Garin intersession, we have been working hard to make sure that our incoming campers will have a wonderful experience during these second two weeks of Kallah Aleph. The counselors have dreamed up new cabin themes and made everything colorful and clean in the cabins. We are also striving to polish up all of our programming with the help of GUCI’s Judaic Studies Director, Sam Pollak, and our wonderful faculty advisor for this half of the session, Rabbi Sharyn Henry. We want our programming to be as educational as possible, to help our campers develop as people and as members of the community, and, above all, to make Jewish life and learning FUN!

While our kids haven’t been here and we’ve had a little time to enjoy the pool and a more subdued song session, we are eager to meet our new campers today. Through it all, we have still felt the magical energy of camp life continuing around us, reminding us all what it is that we are working for.

With great excitement for another two weeks of GUCI ruach and hesed,

Emily Langowitz, Garin Unit Head