By Jeffrey Becker

Wednesday marked the first full day of camp activities.  In the morning we had Roll call, led by our head song leader, Jacob Kraus. Even at the early hour of 8am, it is apparent what constitutes the heart and soul of GUCI… the Ruach of the campers.

The ruach is contagious! Whether a camper just joined the GUCI community or has been coming here summer after summer, the session is off to a great start and everybody has already fallen into the daily schedule. As we look forward to Shabbat, I can only imagine how the ruach will grow when we sing in the Beit T’Fillah during services, dance at R’kudai Am with our units, or laugh at the campfire when Rabbi Mark tells a story!  New beginnings bring friendships that last forever.

One member of this year’s staff, Leslie Gubitz, has been coming to GUCI since she was a young child. Her mother, Charlene, has previously served as the music specialist for a total of 21 summers. Because of this, Leslie was fortunate enough to attend the day-camp program, Camp K’Ton, until she was old enough for the cabins. GUCI has molded her into the person she is today: caring, spiritual, understanding, and a talented musician. In addition to her individual talents, she maintains friendships with all of her camp friends- the very same friends with whom she shared many an opening day! They meet up at least twice a year to celebrate birthdays and New Year’s Eve and dream of sending their own children to GUCI in the future!

Another staff member, Sam Pollak, also grew up at GUCI and has since returned (For the past 7 years!) as a Rabbinical student to support our daily, creative Jewish programming.  He first started here as a camper in 2002 in the unit of Gezah.

“Being a GUCI staff member has been so incredibly meaningful for me because it has given me unique opportunities to work with young Jews and to help them grow and develop their Jewish identities.”

His experiences at camp have ignited within him a love for working with Jewish youth and passion for expanding the reaches of Jewish education. Without his years of learning alongside wonderful campers and staff, Sam affirms that he certainly would not be on his current path to become a Rabbi.

Sam and Leslie served as co-head song leaders in 2010 and 2011. Together they supported the ruach at camp by building relationships with peers and campers and by creating space for joyful and prayerful singing. Ruach and relationships are the backbone of GUCI.  They work in tandem to make a summer that will never be forgotten. Here’s to GUCI Kallah Aleph 2014!