One of the moments that stayed with me most this week happened in Benjamin Village.
Our youngest campers took on an egg-drop challenge, carefully designing ways to protect a single egg before putting their creations to the test. There was plenty of excitement, a lot of cheering, and, of course, a few cracked eggs. But behind the fun was a bigger and more beautiful question: What does it mean to care for something precious?
That question offered a meaningful connection to this week’s exploration of Parashat Noah through our Parsha Project*, even as many of our communities at home will be reading Parashat Pinchas.
Parashat Noah begins in a world that is fragile and in need of protection and renewal. Noah is asked to build an ark—not only as a shelter from the storm, but as a vessel for the future. In Parashat Pinchas, the Israelites also begin to look ahead as a new generation prepares to lead. Though these stories are different, together they remind us that the future is shaped by the care, intention, and faith we bring to the present.
I see that same sacred work unfolding every day at Capital Camps.
In many ways, Jewish overnight camp becomes a kind of ark for our children: a safe, joyful, deeply Jewish environment where they are surrounded by community, guided by caring role models, and given the space to grow into themselves. Our staff are not simply leading activities or running evening programs. They are helping campers discover confidence, form lasting friendships, ask meaningful questions, and deepen their connection to Jewish life and identity.
Like Noah’s ark, camp protects something precious. It protects time for friendship and curiosity, for Shabbat and song, for laughter, Hebrew words, Jewish questions, and the quiet confidence that grows when a child feels fully known and fully welcomed. And just as the ark carried life forward into a new world, Capital Camps helps carry Jewish life forward by nurturing young people who feel connected, proud, and ready to help build the Jewish future.
As we prepare to welcome another Shabbat at Capital Camps, I am filled with gratitude for the campers, staff, families, alumni, donors, and friends who make this community possible. Together, we are building something that reaches far beyond a single summer: a place where young Jews feel rooted in community, proud of who they are, and inspired to carry the joy, confidence, and connection they find here into vibrant Jewish communities wherever life takes them.
May this Shabbat remind us that some of the most meaningful things we build are the ones whose impact will continue to unfold for years to come.
Shabbat Shalom,
Havi Goldscher
*This summer at Capital Camps, our community has launched a special initiative, the Parsha Project, to connect more deeply with the weekly Torah portions. Rather than following the summer Torah readings, we began the summer at the beginning of the Torah and are making our way through the fall parshiot together. This community-wide project will continue over the next four summers, allowing us to journey through the Torah in a meaningful and intentionally different way. Because the portions we are exploring at camp will be read again in synagogues and Jewish communities throughout the year, campers and staff will have additional opportunities to revisit these stories with new understanding, personal connection, and a camp lens. In this way, the learning that begins at camp can continue to grow at home, creating even more impact, engagement, and connections long after the summer ends.