By Rabbi Amy B. Cohen
Sci-Tech Session 3 Faculty
When I first became a faculty member at Sci-Tech, I was not sure how I would be able to help, given that I have no science and technology professional background. I figured I would be asked to assist with the Jewish rituals and tutor campers preparing for their B mitzvah, and that would be that. But I soon realized, I had a lot to offer this very special camp.
This is my second time serving on Faculty at URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech and the faculty experience gets better each year. In the morning, I met with the Jewish Life (JLife) team to help prepare for Shabbat and help mentor our younger team members on how to create an introduction to a prayer or help them develop creative Shabbat projects to share with campers. After lunch and rest hour, I had the pleasure of running the “Just Dance” kinesthetic, which means I get to dance with campers once a day and remind them of the importance of stretching and taking care of our bodies. Later I visited robotics and shared stories about mythical creatures in the Jewish tradition. In the evening, I helped lead a discussion on how to be digital mensches. And that was all in just one day!
Being on faculty doesn’t just mean mentoring and teaching in the traditional ways, it means being around camp for the counselors who are considering a career in the Jewish world, and talking to a camper if they are having a rough day. After two summers of serving on the faculty at Sci Tech, I have been pleasantly surprised at the many roles I have been honored to take part in.
Camp is a gift, for children, teens and adults alike. I am blessed to experience this gift once again, as a faculty member.
Rabbi Amy B Cohen is a Rabbi in Austin Texas, serving as a Community Chaplain for Shalom Austin. Rabbi Cohen started coming to Sci Tech in 2025 with her son, who loves being a camper!