How important is URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech camp to my family? We’re back this year, even though our child is not.
Our son, Ezri, was a pioneer camper here at Sci-Tech. My spouse, Michelle Shapiro Abraham, had been working with the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s specialty camp incubator for several years, so we were very excited about a summer camp that could combine Jewish practice and values with STEM learning. We registered him for the first session and were able to come up a little early – to work with the staff and to see the first ever Boker Big Bang.
Over the years, it’s been great to come back to Byfield – to see our child grow from camper to senior staff. This year, he had an internship overseas and could not make it back in time for camp. (Instead, he decided he had to do something so amazing that he would not have FOMO – so he’s collecting extremophile bacteria in the Andes – a pretty Sci-Tech experience.)
Michelle and I decided that we would return as faculty anyway. Some things have changed – Greg and Robby have moved on, with the incredible Jayme Dale and Rabbi Dan taking their place – but a lot is the same. Camp still gets revved up by Boker Big Bang each morning, but now it’s led by one of my son’s fellow campers. Some of those first-year campers are still around as staff – bringing their love of science and Judaism back to a place that has become their summer home. (For example, the incredible JLife team that I get to work with.)
What hasn’t changed? The way that Sci-Tech is still a warm (pretty warm this year) and welcoming place for kids from all over who love science and want to learn more with others who share their passion. From the directors, to the camper care team, to the leadership staff, to the counselors and Machonikim who make sure that every camper is getting the most out of camp, and feeling like they are in the right place,
As a rabbi, I am incredibly lucky to be at a congregation that cares so much about supporting immersive (Reform) Jewish environments that I get to spend two weeks each year watching your children blossom, bubble up, expand their horizons, follow their imaginations, and level up in workshops, chugim, Quest Day, and witnessing how proud they are to share at TECHTalks at the end of each session. I can’t wait until next year – back in Byfield!
Rabbi Joel N. Abraham is a congregational Rabbi at Temple Sholom in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. He and his spouse, Michelle Shapiro Abraham, have served over twenty years as faculty at URJ Eisner, Kutz, and Sci-Tech camps. Both of their children are proud URJ camp alumni and past staff members.