Memories & Milestones: 60 Summers of Camp Interlaken
Written by Jonah Geller, Chief Impact Officer of the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC
Friendship Circles. Shabbat Song Sessions. Campfires.
These transformational activities and memories, among many others, will extend far beyond the typical participation of campers and staff members at Camp Interlaken this coming summer. In just a couple of months, we’ll welcome hundreds of alumni and families, as we celebrate Interlaken’s 60th anniversary!
I have been fortunate to attend a few reunions in my life – family reunions, high school and college reunions, and some professional development reunions as well. Each included similar practices of recounting memorable components of the experience – funny stories, awkward moments, and challenging situations. And while I enjoyed each reunion very much, none of them brought me anywhere near the level of joy than those of my camp reunions.
As a child and young adult, I spent many summers at Emma Kaufman Camp – the Pittsburgh JCC’s Jewish overnight camp. It was then on to my professional career in the field at Camp Tel Yehudah, followed by Tamarack Camps, and finally, Capital Camps. Each celebrated a major milestone with a reunion along my Jewish camp journey – 100, 75, 100, and 30, respectively – and I attended each one. I simply could not resist the opportunity to go back to see the people and place that left indelible marks on my life.
It’s now Interlaken’s turn – 60 summers and counting. And while I can count on just two hands the number of times I have visited Interlaken during my first two years at the Milwaukee JCC, the anticipation of witnessing another wonderful homecoming of alumni and families continues to mount.
On June 13-14, the Steve & Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken JCC will celebrate the incredible impact it has had on thousands of campers and staff members during the past 60 summers. Fun, enriching, meaningful, long-lasting impact.
We hope you’ll join us for what is certainly shaping up to be all the things we love about camp, and I look forward to enjoying a S’more with you on the shore of Lake Finley soon!
P.S. Registration for Interlaken’s 60th Anniversary celebration closes Thursday, May 1. Click here to register if you have not done so already.