RJ Blog

It isn’t just a program for Jewish teenagers that do volunteer over summer break; it is home.

In the Torah portion of the week we were in Birmingham, we read about Balak and how when an obstacle is in your way, it might be there for a reason. Prejudice in the South has, in my opinion, made that community stronger. The people there have had to deal with hate and hardship, and have continued to survive. Birmingham has changed since the time of Martin Luther King Jr., and while prejudice may still exist, we have the strength to overcome it.

The biggest impact it had was this new attitude I have, which is that I pretty much agree to try anything. If someone asks me to help with something, or to try something new, even if I don’t necessarily feel 100% excited about it, I like to take part. It’s surprising how much you can enjoy something just by doing what you might not think you want to do. I learned to put myself into new situations that seem weird or scary, and just go with it…because, seriously, why not?

by Hope Chernak With all of the exciting and wonderful opportunities I have as a Jewish educator, it might be hard to believe that going to camp is my favorite one.  No, I don’t want to be Peter Pan—I’m quite happy to be an adult—but I am blessed to be an adult who has camp as a central part of her life (and hope that it will always be that way). For 11 months each year, not unlike campers, I find myself thinking about the two weeks I get to spend away from New York City at a URJ camp! [...]

After visiting Urban Adamah, I am inspired to change the way I live my life back home.