Connecting to Judaism

We Are All Connected

Written by guest blogger Jewish programmer, Aaron Morrill

Shabbat Shalom from Camp Tawonga! Every summer at camp, we select a Jewish theme to frame our Jewish programs and spiritual experiences. This year, the theme is B’tzelem Elohim – the idea that we are all created in the image of God.

The ideas of creation and the existence of God can manifest within us in many different ways. The Jewish Programming Team has designed an all-Camp Shabbat program that we ran this afternoon. We wanted to provide campers an opportunity to explore their personal relationships to the concept of God, and their thoughts on the creation and connectedness of the world.

The main part of the program took place in small groups where campers learned about and discussed common ideas relating to God, such as the all-powerful God, pantheism, atheism, and agnosticism. Each camper got a chance to delve into their own beliefs by playing their idea of God and answering questions in a twist on the camp-classic “Hot Seat.”

The activity concluded with each unit appreciating the interconnectedness of our lives and nature by decorating papers with themes like scenery, water, and the cosmos. The papers will be displayed around camp later in the week, and serve as a reminder of how we are all connected – created B’tzelem Elohim, whatever that means to you.

The primary goal of Camp Tawonga, as expressed in the Mission, is to cultivate positive self-image and self-esteem in each of its campers. We use the idea of B’tzelem Elohim in this endeavor.

There is a Jewish teaching that says that if you save one life, you save the entire world. However you conceive God, we are all special and unique, we are all connected, and are each an integral part of this world.

Enjoy photos from this morning’s Torah service and afternoon floats! More content to come this evening when we close out Shabbat with all of Camp.