Earlier this month, on a crisp fall Sunday afternoon, our team led tours up at camp for prospective families. The air was still, but the future campers with us quickly filled it with energy. They darted toward the cabins, peeking inside to imagine which bed would be theirs and how the space would soon be filled with new friends. At the now-covered pool, they ran straight to the waterslides, pressing their hands against the cold plastic as if willing them to life. A few steps later, we walked through Habimah, where their heads swiveled from the Maccabiah plaques to the stage as we described how this space comes alive each summer with ruach (spirit) and the joy of being together.
Walking around camp in November can feel like stepping into a quiet pause. But watching these kids, I was reminded how easily imagination turns stillness into anticipation. This week’s parsha, Vayetze, echoes that idea. Jacob, fleeing from home and exhausted, stops to rest in what seems like an ordinary, unremarkable place. Using a stone for a pillow, he falls asleep, and suddenly the ordinary is transformed. He dreams of a ladder stretching up to heaven, with angels moving up and down, and God standing beside him, promising protection and a future of blessing. Jacob wakes up stunned and says, “Surely God was in this place, and I did not know it.” What he thought was empty and silent was actually full of holiness and possibility. He just needed the right moment to see it.
Camp in November feels similar. On the surface, everything is at rest. But when families visit, we are reminded that camp is never just quiet cabins and empty fields. It is a place rich with potential and with stories waiting to unfold each summer. Even before they have experienced it, new families can sense that something meaningful lives here.
As we head into Thanksgiving, I am grateful for our special CCRC community: for the families who entrust us with their children, for the campers who bring camp to life each summer, and for the staff that make it all possible. This season, I, along with I’m sure many of you, do not need imagination to sense the warmth of camp; we have the memories and relationships that make this place what it is.
But if you know someone who could still benefit from imagining what being part of our community means, please send them our way. We love welcoming new families for tours, and even in the approaching winter, the spark of camp is unmistakable.
Warmly,
Josh Micley, Camp Director