Interlaken – TOV Committee

Dear Friends,

Over the last week, Camp Interlaken JCC has shared how proud we are to stand on Camp’s core Jewish values: Kehillah (community), B’tselem Elohim (the belief that we were all created in god’s image), Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Eretz Yisrael (love for the land of Israel).  Each summer, we develop programming that reflects our values so that our campers and staff can be their best selves both while they’re at Camp and when they leave Camp.  These values teach us that we are a part of a community, one community, an intentionally inclusive community, that recognizes that we are all created in g-d’s image and deserve to be treated equally.  We are all responsible for one another, and with that, we are each responsible for repairing our world.  We are proud to be part of the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC and be guided by our agency’s strategic roadmap where one of our initiatives is to build upon our intentionally inclusive culture, reflecting the diversity of those we serve: one big circle… everybody in it.

We have heard from a number of Camp alumni who have connected directly with us to talk about the unjust murder of George Floyd and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. They were concerned that Camp Interlaken hadn’t issued a statement, and I reminded them that Camp Interlaken IS the JCC, and their statement IS our statement.  We are proud of the strength that we have as an entire JCC as we are stronger together than we are separate.  If you missed the statement, please click here to read it.

Our alumni have reminded us what they learned during their time at Camp: that it is each of our responsibility to educate ourselves and each other about injustice, to stand up to it, and that Camp’s platforms, with their wide reach, should be put to use to educate our community and make an impact.  They wanted to engage us in conversation, share their thoughts and ideas with us, and offer help and support of Camp’s initiatives.  I continue to be proud of these alumni who have reached out directly to us to partner with Camp Interlaken so that we, too, can be the best version of ourselves.  These alumni represent every value that Interlaken strives to instill upon our campers and staff.

After reflecting upon these conversations, we are excited to share with you the launch of Camp Interlaken’s TOV committee, the Tikkun Olam Volunteer Committee.  Alumni and Camp Committee member, Ian Wagan (Ozo ‘01), will be co-chairing the TOV Committee with alum, Carly Rubin (Ozo ’16), and they will be accepting applications from community members who are interested in partnering with Camp to create appropriate educational programming for the camp community around systemic racism and other topics as determined by this committee.  If you are interested in joining this committee, please send an email to TovCommittee@campinterlaken.org.  Our goal is to form a committee, with an appropriate number of people to get things done, so that we can build a platform that allows for all voices to be heard. We have so many smart people with so much to offer in our camp community, and we could use all the help we can get!

When I sit in my office at Camp and look out my window, I see the tushball roof, campers playing diamond sports, basketball games, dance chug, gaga, laughter, skill development, competition, friendship, and more.  The most important thing that I see each and every time I look outside is opportunity.  We always have the opportunity to grow, to learn, and to be better.  Thank you for your support of Camp Interlaken as we continue to constantly learn how we can be the best version of ourselves.

Systemic racism is not a new problem, and we are in it for the long haul. Solutions take all of our voices; we are grateful to have the voices that have already come to us directly and those that will follow.

May the memory of George Floyd, and all those who have been victims of racial violence and inequity, be for a blessing.  Black lives matter; they always have, and they always will.

L’Shalom, Toni