In Judaism, gratitude is a very important value.Hodayah is the Hebrew word for gratitude. In our faith tradition, the focus is on being mindful and appreciative of life and the world around us. Our children have an innate gift of being awed by simple beauties in nature, like the stars in the sky or leaves on a tree. Personally, I am grateful for the silly moments when my boys start giggling and smile, especially when it leads to a hug and kiss. So often, simple values like gratitude are forgotten or overlooked.
At Camp Pinebrook our summer infuses values like gratitude (hodayah). Our community and activities also focus on Jewish values of community (kehillah), teamwork (shutafut), respect (kavod), encouragement (edud) and compassion (rachamim). These values guide camp life. Being Jewish is about how we live each day. We infuse these principles into how camp functions: at lunch, there may be a skit, or in art campers may focus on a value for inspiration. But most importantly is an mensch (Being an ethical and decent human being) will be taught, discussed, and experienced in how we treat one another at camp.
Camp Pinebrook hopes that your Thanksgiving is filled with blessings and gratitude!