Q: Do you have any stories you want to tell us?

A: At [Jewish] camp, [there’s] this thing that we do every Thursday night: Everybody goes into this library area. And we all sit there. It’s like, 60 to 70 people. It’s dark and it’s overlooking the lake. And it’s really pretty. They always have fairy lights. And we all sing songs for 45 minutes together. I really like how it builds a community among Jewish youth.

Q: How has your religion enriched your life?

A: I think it’s given me a deeper sense of culture. Like what community can mean to a person. It’s shown me the importance of having a group of people who share something in common with you. It impacts a lot of my friendships too. Whether it’s because they are also Jewish or just because they are another minority. It’s like understanding what it feels like to be another minority. It’s something we can talk about. 

Q: How do your friendships impact you?

A: There are only a couple of Jewish people my age here. So to be able to go to camp and be surrounded by people who come from the same background as me is a really big privilege. It helps me connect with my heritage. I remember in seventh-grade, my camp friends and I would drive to each other’s bar mitzvahs. They were hours and hours away from each other, but we still made those big trips to stay connected. Once, on a Friday night, two of my friends from that camp came and visited me from Chicago and Minneapolis. Their parents came, too, and we all had Shabbat Dinner together. My mom cooked a really big meal for us and then we all sat down, and we talked and had that bonding experience. It was really nice.