Final Shabbat in Byfield at Governor’s Academy

By Shoshy Levine Ferrer

Sci-Tech Session 3 Faculty

Back in 2019 when I was on the programming team at Sci-Tech, my co and I started a tradition around transition hats. Every time we went from one activity to another, the entire programming and logistics team would make sure we were wearing a silly hat.

Even though our camp no longer wears transition hats, as a Jewish camp, we always find a way to mark transitions. Each week, we celebrate havdallah, the transition between shabbat and the rest of the week. The final havdallah of the session 3 is always bittersweet, as we get to celebrate all the hard work our campers have done over the session in their workshops and hear from campers about the special memories they created throughout the session. However, we also must say goodbye and move back into our lives outside of camp.

This week’s havdallah is an especially meaningful marker for our camp. This is our final Shabbat in Byfield at Governor’s Academy. While this transition marks the end of an era for our camp, we also get to look forward to the amazing memories we will create together at our new camp. I can’t wait to see what kind of silly traditions our campers and staff come up with as we turn West Town into our new home.