A Family Legacy of Camp Interlaken JCC

Written by Nancy Kennedy Barnett

I am not a camp kid, but I have seen what Camp Interlaken JCC (CIL) does for kids – first, my children and now, my grandchildren. 

I never got the benefit of creating Jewish traditions and living Jewishly at summer camp. I’m a child of a Holocaust survivor, and overnight camp wasn’t something that was on my parents’ radar. But it was on mine as a member of the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC. I can see what it did for my sons – their love of Judaism and living as Jews is contagious. They brought camp ruach home and filled our house with it, along with camp clothing and swag! They still get together with camp friends whenever they are in the same city, and at my son’s wedding, the CIL group was the largest of any of the peer groups. They still are having fun together!

One summer, my father was asked by Toni to come to camp to talk about his WWII experience on Tisha B’av, and he got to experience the CIL magic himself! He saw how Camp Interlaken had campers loving Jewish culture, learning Jewish values, and how it was a transformative experience. He saw the difference between my love for Judaism and how the kids LIVED it! It impressed him so much that he became the donor for KBJ, the Kennedy Barnett Judaic Center.

Joey’s first CIL summer was when he was in 6th grade, and he attended camp every year until his last year when he was Papa Ozo. The leadership traits honed while at camp have served him well, and I see the “counselor” in him as he plays with his children. Joey’s birthday is in July, and I seldom got to join in his birthday celebration because he was always at Camp Interlaken. But if a birthday is supposed to be spent with your friends doing things you love, then Joey hit the bullseye (archery joke, Joey became certified for the archery chug!) every single year. The fact that he met his wife, Ashley, there – although they never dated when they were campers – is just the icing on the cake.

Ricky began CIL in 3rd grade and spent all his childhood summers up at camp. Ricky also became a counselor and then a song leader. Now my grandchildren go to Camp Interlaken. George has been up there for the past three summers, and Elsie has already been there for one. I can see how the family legacy will continue through my grandchildren, G-d willing. I am honored to be one of the cochairs of CIL’s 60th anniversary – and may we always go from strength to strength. Or as my Dad would say, “Bis Hundert und Zwanzig!” (To 120!)