Blog

Shalom! Almost every evening at camp, we have a different cabin lead T’fillot (services). Each camper writes a part and reads it before all of camp in between the prayers we say or sing as a community. This way, every camper gets the opportunity to share something of...

By Sam Pollak, Judaic Education Specialist This session, our study theme is "Jewish Character and Characters.” We are learning about middot, characteristics that Jews value, through figures from the Hebrew Bible and Jewish history. Some of our middot include Shmiat...

by Sam Pollak, Judaic Studies Director     This session we are studying miracles at GUCI, and we spent the first week learning how to recognize miracles in the world around us through Jewish blessings. In this next week, we are exploring various Jewish stories...

by Brigitte Rosenberg   Added to my kids' packing lists are books.  This means that the day before we leave for camp, we are shopping for books and shoving them into already stuffed duffels. They are big readers and have told me that they always read during...

Shabbat Evening Service June 13, 2014 Cabin 17: Peacefulness Opening Song L’cha Dodi page 138 The Barchu is the prayer that calls us to services. When we are called to services it is a time of peace. I view it as a time when we are all together with no problems and...

By Rabbi Joe Rooks Rapport  Summer has arrived and with it The Journey of Jewish Campinga grand migration: 72,000 Jewish children will take flight this summer on the journey of Jewish Camping. Together, they will learn and play, sing and pray, creating together a...

By Jeffrey Becker These Four Amazing People are the Unit Heads for your kids for the Summer of 2014 here at GUCI. They are Gavi Ballaban, Nico Satryan, Lauren Cantor, and Danielle Kaye. These Four People have worked so hard to make this summer amazing for your...

By Rabbi Jim Bennett, Congregation Shaare Emeth Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote: “A thought has blown the market place away: there is a song in the wind and joy in the trees. The Sabbath arrives in the world, scattering a song in the silence of the night....

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....

June 29th, just a few weeks from now, will mark one year since the tragic day at URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI) that forever changed the lives of three of our families, deeply affected our entire camp family, and aroused the caring and compassion of the...

by Jeffrey Becker Yesterday marked the first day of camp here at GUCI! It was a very exciting time. There was a smell of exhilaration and anticipation in the air. The counselors were very excited to finally meet their campers and help move them into their cabins for...

Shalom!  We are Nina Price and Shayna Warner, the Camper Care Coordinators and also mothers of GUCI campers.  Nina will be working Kallah Aleph and will have a son enrolled in Shoresh and a daughter enrolled in K’ton.  Shayna will be working Kallah Bet and will have...

Shalom! My name is Chase Foster, and I am so blessed to be returning to GUCI this summer as your Program Director. Born and raised in Cincinnati, I first set foot at GUCI in 1995 as a Shoresh camper. I spent years as a camper, Avodahnik, Counselor, Migdal Man, and...

Shalom from GUCI, We are your Avodah Unit Heads this summer! Our names are Michael Mintz, Rachel Lyon and Casey Wright. Michael and Rachel are in their fifth year on staff at GUCI and Casey is in her fourth. Michael and Casey are from Cincinnati, Ohio while Rachel is...

I am beyond excited to be at GUCI this summer! This will be my 19th summer on camp and I can’t imagine spending this summer any other way! As the baby of the family, when my mom packed up my older siblings in addition to herself for a summer at camp, I too was...