Every camp journey begins with a choice.
The choice to leave home for a few weeks. To meet new people. To try something unfamiliar. To say yes to experiences that can’t be fully imagined until they are lived.
This week, as part of our summer Parsha Project, campers explored Lech Lecha, the story of Abraham’s journey into the unknown. God asks Abraham to leave behind everything that is familiar – his home, his family, and the certainty of what he knows – and travel toward a future that has not yet been revealed.
The Hebrew phrase Lech Lecha is often translated as “Go forth,” but many also understand it as “Go to yourself” or “Go for yourself.” Abraham’s journey was not only about traveling to a new place. It was about discovering who he could become by having the courage to step into the unknown.
As I walked around Capital Camps this week, I couldn’t help but think that every camper has already lived their own version of Lech Lecha. A few weeks ago, they left the comfort of home and stepped into cabins, bunks, and villages filled with new faces. Since then, they have said yes to so much: jumping into the pool or lake, cheering each other on at Maccabiah, expressing themselves through art, shira (song session), rikkud (dance), and drama, gathering for spirited meals and song sessions, and building friendships across campus, Shabbat tables, and everyday moments across camp.
That is one of the extraordinary gifts of Capital Camps. It creates a Jewish camp community where young people are encouraged to stretch themselves, care for one another, ask meaningful questions, and discover not only what they are capable of, but who they are becoming.
As we prepare to celebrate our third and final Shabbat of First Session together at Capital Camps, I am filled with gratitude for the campers who bring their energy and curiosity, the staff who guide them with care, and the families, alumni, donors, and friends who help make these journeys possible. From morning activities to evening programs, from cabin-time conversations to all-camp programming, every part of the summer gives our campers opportunities to grow in confidence, deepen their Jewish identity, and feel the joy of belonging to this special community.
May this Shabbat remind all of us to embrace new journeys with courage, remain open to unexpected possibilities, and continue building lives filled with purpose, compassion, and connection.
Shabbat Shalom,
Havi Goldscher, CEO