By Maya Weiser

The past seven summers, I have gone to Camp Sabra. For me, and many other campers, Camp Sabra is more than just a four week summer camp; it is where I met my best friends and connected with my personal Jewish Identity. In 2018, I left for Camp Sabra one summer knowing no one my age, not realizing how it would shape me as a person in so many different ways. It is impossible to truly explain to people back at home how much I miss those rustic wooden cabins that are practically falling apart, or attending Shabbat services outside in one hundred degree weather. Most of all, I miss my best friends - the people that truly make the place special. Every summer I come back to camp excited to do everything I had done the year before; however, that is never the case. Each year we return to camp for a new experience. An experience that builds on those lifelong friendships. An experience that allows you to explore your Jewish identity in an incredibly unique way. 

Many of us do not attend Jewish schools back at home, so surrounding ourselves with other Jewish people in that one month of the summer can make such an impact on building our Jewish identity and connection to Jewish traditions. One of my favorite memories at camp every year is Shabbat. Every Friday evening we get ready for pictures, and then services, then a fun shabbat dinner. Every Saturday we get to experience Jewish life in a fun, unique way, surrounded by our best friends, making it an unforgettable experience. 

This past summer was my last summer as a camper at Camp Sabra, in which our age unit was called “Masada.” For two weeks of the session we camped and hiked through the mountains in Colorado. This summer being our last year as campers meant that the Shabbat in Colorado was our last Shabbat all together, all forty-six of us, as campers, and it was one of my favorite Masada memories. After a long day hiking in Colorado, we all came back to our campsite and gathered around the campfire. There, under the stars, we had one last Shabbat service as campers. It was so surreal being surrounded by all of my best friends, and having the amazing view of the tops of mountains under the stars. Every one of us enjoyed this night, from being serious at certain times during the service, to laughing and sharing about anything. 

However, it was bittersweet because we knew that all forty-six of us would never be all together again. Not everyone is going to return back as camp staff in the following summers. While some people live close enough to see each other throughout the year, we are not going to be able to reunite all forty-six people from California, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, and New York. We made the most out of our last summer together, creating lasting memories and connections to our Jewish identities. 

This experience taught me not to take anything for granted. The ability to spend the summer with your best friends should not be taken for granted, because you reach a point in which that is not able to happen again. I learned to appreciate those camp Shabbats because, as we get older, we will no longer get to fully experience that anymore. I am so grateful for the experience that Camp Sabra has provided me with for the past seven summers, and for the special memories that I will never forget and cherish forever.