by Jess James | Jun 11, 2021 | Camping and Youth Engagement, Camps & NFTY, Caring Community, Summer, Summer 2021, Youth & Family
During the darkest moments of last year, I dreamt about opening day—and now that we’re almost there, real life is proving so much sweeter than any of those dreams. Y’all know I’m rarely at a loss for words, but I will never have the right words—or enough words—to tell...
by Jess James | Jun 5, 2021 | Camping and Youth Engagement, Camps & NFTY, Jewish History, Summer, Summer 2021
A few days ago I pulled up to the Henry S Jacobs camp gates and my mom, who drove me to camp, stopped the car, I looked up at the gates, and said to her “What if I can’t do this? What if this isn’t the right place for me?” She said, “I know you can do this, but we can...
by jfijman | Jun 1, 2021 | Alumni, Camping and Youth Engagement, Camps & NFTY, Jewish Arts & Culture, Summer
As a happy Jacobs camper for 7 years, I always imagined that I’d be on staff once I became old enough and got to college. I had amazing counselors when I was there and knew I wanted to help recreate that experience for new campers as soon as I could. Unfortunately,...
by jfijman | May 24, 2021 | Alumni, Camping and Youth Engagement, Camps & NFTY, Summer, Youth & Family
Everyone’s a winner at Jacobs Camp. These are the words that I remember most after finishing a schvitzy game of machanayim or an intense yet stationary rafterball match. As I enter my 13th summer at HSJ, I cannot help but smile when I remember the almost instantaneous...
by jfijman | May 19, 2021 | Camping and Youth Engagement, Camps & NFTY, Summer, Youth & Family
With our campers spending time away from home for the first time in a very long time, we know that staying in touch will be more important this summer than ever. With that in mind, here are the 5 best ways to keep up with everything happening at HSJ and stay in touch...
by jfijman | May 10, 2021 | Alumni, Camping and Youth Engagement, Camps & NFTY, Summer, Youth & Family
I grew up at Jacobs Camp, and there’s no question that shaped my life in more ways than one. As a camper, the things that seemed like “big” life-changing events often ended up being quite small as life played out. On the other hand, the things that seemed like...
