Hello, Capital Camps!

My name is Nathan Osheroff, but most of the camp community knows me as Nosh. I am the Head Songleader this summer – or as I like to think of myself, the CCRC Vibes Coordinator. This is my 12th summer at Capital Camps, and my fourth on staff, and music has been the throughline of all of it. From playing instruments for the village during SING as a camper, to jumping up and down singing at the top of my lungs during Friday night song sessions, my childhood camp memories are defined by song.

During the week, I run shira (music) activity blocks, where I get to directly engage with one cabin at a time, teaching Jewish music. On Shabbat, I have the privilege of assisting Rabbi Misha Clebaner in running services, song sessions, Siyyum (our Friday night closing ritual), and Havdalah, where music shapes the holy and sacred spaces at camp.

Music at camp isn’t background noise: it’s the heartbeat of this place. It’s how we celebrate, how we connect, how we welcome Shabbat, and how we say goodbye at the end of summers that always feels too short.

What moves me the most is knowing that the music doesn’t stay at camp. Campers spend the entire year listening to self-curated Capital Camps Spotify playlists, teaching their families the songs that are the most meaningful to them. A melody heard on a random Tuesday at home can instantly bring someone back to a Friday night in Waynesboro, surrounded by the people who make camp home.

It is a profound honor to help create the musical moments at camp that continue to unite our community, serving as a lasting thread that connects us long after summer has ended.

Best,

Nathan Osheroff, Head Songleader

Hello Capital Camps families!

My name is Zach Stern. In addition to serving as your campers’ local sports reporter at B’yachad each morning, I’m also the Ropes Course Coordinator this summer. I am thrilled to share some updates about the Capital Camps Challenge Course and how it has been enhanced since last summer.

In previous summers, each cabin typically had one full day dedicated to ropes. This summer, we’ve expanded access so that every cabin and age group visits the Challenge Course three times per week. While the offerings remain the same – team building initiatives, high ropes elements, and of course, the zipline – campers now have far more opportunities to spend time at one of Capital Camps’ biggest programmatic highlights.

What makes the Challenge Course so special is how it fosters growth across multiple dimensions. One morning, a cabin can learn about the importance of thoughtful communication through team building activities. Later in the week, those same campers may be supporting one each other as they conquer their fear of heights on the high ropes elements. Each experience is designed to help campers push themselves in a safe, supporting, and encouraging environment.

I am proud to lead a team of ropes specialists who are deeply committed to helping each camper grow and leave a little more confident, connected, and capable than when they arrived.

The ropes course is truly my favorite place at camp, and I am overjoyed that it now plays an even larger role in our campers’ daily routines.

Warmly,

Zach Stern, Ropes Coordinator

One of my favorite parts of a Capital Camps summer is the vast set of opportunities for our campers to experience new activities, discover their passions, and dig deeper into activities they might not participate in the rest of the year. 

Each day, our campers progress through carefully curated schedules that bring them into a world of programmatic offerings. Campers and staff exercise their creativity at arts programs. We laugh and play at the pool and lake. We work together as teams at the various sports. We challenge ourselves at the ropes course. We connect to the environment around us with teva (nature). We sing in Hebrew and dance with pride. It’s easy to see all of these in a day at Capital Camps.

One moment in the daily schedule, however, truly stands out to me: chug. 

Chug (elective) is our dedicated time for campers to choose an activity they would like to try. While we always offer Capital Camps staples like omanut (arts & crafts), archery, and tennis, chug goes deeper than our standard offerings. It is a time for our staff to share their own passions and lean into the specific interests of our campers. 

Rather than just typical swimming at the pool, we offer activities like instructional diving and water polo. Instead of standard arts, we dig deep into specific skills like jewelry making or performance preparation for the annual camp show. Each chug is designed to develop specific skills over the course of 4-5 days, after which campers begin a new round of chugim selections, with new and exciting offerings on the table each time.

Beyond offering skill-building and choice, chugim bridge our village communities, offering a time to engage with new campers and staff outside a camper’s cabin or village. This is where we start to see new cross-village relationships forging and connections strengthening. It is a time when campers join together over shared interests and new passions.

Chug is already underway at camp, met with ruach (spirit) and wonder for new opportunities, exploring our passions, and strengthening our bonds as a camp community.

Best,

Sam Belkowitz, Programs Manager

This Sunday, Capital Camps will welcome our first campers of Summer 2026 to our beautiful campus in Waynesboro. After months of planning and preparation—and two intensive weeks of staff training—our bunks, villages, lake, pool, ropes course, fields, arts spaces, and gathering places are ready to once again become a vibrant center of Jewish life, learning, friendship, and joy. 

As we prepare to open our gates, we read Parshat Korach, a Torah portion that invites us to reflect on leadership, responsibility, and the importance of working toward a common purpose. While Korach’s challenge to Moses and Aaron is often remembered as a story of conflict, the parsha also highlights what is required to sustain a strong and sacred community: leaders and community members who understand that their role is not about personal recognition, but about serving something larger than themselves. 

Over the past two weeks, nearly 200 seasonal staff members have participated in Specialist Week and Staff Week, engaging in certifications, camper care and behavior management training, leadership development, relationship-building, discussions about Israel and Jewish identity, and countless hours of preparation for bunk life, village programs, Shabbat experiences, chugim, sports, aquatics, adventure, arts, and camp-wide traditions. Together with our year-round team, they have worked to ensure that every aspect of the camper experience reflects the values that define Capital Camps. 

I am continually inspired by the dedication of our staff and leadership team. Their commitment reflects a deeply Jewish understanding of leadership—one rooted in achrayut (responsibility), kehillah (community), and service to others. Long before campers arrive, these individuals have invested their time, energy, and expertise to create an environment where young people can grow, explore, connect, and thrive. 

On Sunday evening, as our campers and staff gather together for our opening evening program in the amphitheater, we will recite the Shehecheyanu blessing, thanking God “who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.” It is one of my favorite moments of the summer. After months of anticipation and preparation, we pause as a community to acknowledge the significance of the moment and express gratitude for arriving here together. 

The Shehecheyanu reminds us that Judaism teaches us not to rush past moments of meaning. We are called to recognize them, celebrate them, and offer thanks for them. 

As our campers begin their summer journeys—whether they are entering Capital Camps as Yalla campers for the very first time or returning as CITs for their final camper summer—they will have opportunities to build lifelong friendships in their cabins and villages, strengthen their Jewish identities through Shabbat, song-session, Israeli culture, and everyday moments of Jewish joy, develop confidence and independence, connect with Israel, and experience the power of being part of the Capital Camps community. These experiences do not happen by accident. They are made possible through the collective efforts of staff, families, supporters, and community members who share a commitment to Jewish camping and Jewish futures. 

As we enter Summer 2026, I am filled with gratitude—for the trust of our families, the dedication of our staff, the generosity of our supporters, and the privilege of leading this extraordinary community. 

May this summer be one of growth, connection, resilience, and joy. May our campers and staff continue to build a community grounded in Jewish values and meaningful relationships. And may we merit many opportunities in the months ahead to pause, give thanks, and recite Shehecheyanu together. 

Shabbat Shalom, 

Havi Goldscher 
CEO