Parashat Shoftim

 

There is something beautifully fitting about ending our summer with Parashat Shoftim.

This week, the Torah tells us:

“Justice, justice shall you pursue.”

The word that stands out is pursue.

Strong communities aren’t simply created once. They are built, strengthened and renewed over and over again.

And that is exactly what happens at camp.

Every summer, we rebuild this community. The lake, cabins, traditions and songs may be familiar, but the people are new. Together, we decide what kind of community we want Interlaken to be and what values will define us.

That is the power of Jewish camp.

Here, Judaism isn’t only something our campers learn about.

They experience Shabbat surrounded by friends. They learn that community requires responsibility. They discover the joy of singing Jewish music together, the importance of caring for one another, and the feeling of belonging to something larger than themselves.

Jewish values move from ideas to experiences.

And Jewish identity becomes something that feels like their own.

This weekend, Family Camp brings together 23 families — alumni families carrying generations of Interlaken memories, first-time families beginning their own story, prospective families imagining what might come next — alongside our international and leadership staff.

In many ways, the past, present and future of Interlaken are all here together.

And that’s exactly where we should be.

We are incredibly proud of the traditions and generations that built this place.

But our responsibility is not simply to preserve Camp Interlaken as it has been.

A place where Jewish life is joyful.

Where community matters.

Where children learn to lead and to contribute.

Where being Jewish isn’t simply something they inherit, but something they experience, understand and ultimately make their own.

As one summer ends, another chapter begins.

May we honor what came before us, keep strengthening what we have today, and never stop imagining what Interlaken can become.

The summer may be ending.

Shabbat Shalom.