By Allie Fox, Tefilah/ Ivrit Specialist

Hi! My name is Allie Fox, and I am the Tefilah (prayer services) and Ivrit (Hebrew) program specialist this summer. This is my second summer at GUCI – I stumbled upon camp last summer, fell in love with it, and couldn’t stay away. I am a rising third year student at Hebrew Union College studying to be a cantor, which has been my dream since I was eight years old. While I’m not learning in the classroom, I serve as the student cantor at Temple Emanuel in Roanoke, Virginia. I feel so incredibly lucky that I get to spend my summer at beautiful GUCI with so many energetic young Jews.

This summer, the Ivrit program has taken a turn and been revamped. We are focusing more heavily on Hebrew of the liturgy (the Hebrew that we find in our prayers) and how it applies to Tefilah and our everyday lives. Each Ivrit session is focused on a different prayer.We spend the hour learning about the prayer, translating the prayer, relating it to our lives both at and away from camp, and of course having fun!

Yesterday, Shoresh learned about the prayer Shema. After translating it, we learned about how the text of the Shema and its surrounding blessings are a primary part of the mezuzah (a religious symbol that we affix on our doorposts). Each cabin decorated a mezuzah and hung it on their cabin. We celebrated the occasion with a Chanukat HaBayit, a ceremony and celebration that accompanies the hanging of a mezuzah.

Our campers are budding Jews. Sure, many of them learn about Judaism outside of camp, but there is something so unique and special about the Judaism that happens at camp. GUCI is a place for these young Jews to come and experience Judaism on their own, with friends from all over the region, in a beautifully experimental, outdoor, fun context. GUCI has such a strong part in forming so many of these kids’ Jewish identities, which is why it is so necessary that liturgy become a part of the “camp curriculum.” We pray as a community every day at GUCI; it is so important that our campers know what they’re praying about and can contextualize it. My hope is that the “sounds” we sing in Tefilah will turn into meaning for our campers and be one of the many GUCI building blocks that help form their Jewish identities.