Jonah

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Danny Wender remembers …

Danny is currently finishing his bachelors degree in the science of education at SUNY Geneseo. In the fall he will be student teaching, which is the last step of the journey before “the job hunt” begins. In addition to his courses, Danny has been working with five-year olds at an afterschool program. Between enjoying children’s movies, his girlfriend and his lifelong love of video games and comics, he’s been able to connect with his students in ways he never expected. While having a classroom of his own is still nerve-wracking, Danny is excited for what this future holds and the lives he will be able to affect.

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Jonah Dreskin has been a huge influence on my life especially through Kutz Camp. As a young freshman just making my way into NFTY, Jonah was immediately open and welcoming, and made me feel like I belonged. He helped me establish a confidence in myself that has followed me to this day. Jonah was always a great time at Kutz, whether it was performing at the talent show or making jokes and just hanging out. Jonah helped to make my Kutz experience something that I will never forget.

I couldn’t find a photo of Jonah and Danny together, but I did find this one that Jonah took of Danny (Summer 2007)

Jonah was someone I always looked up to. I saw him as an influential leader in the Kutz community even though he did not hold an official position. People would look to him for advice and leadership, but one of the main reasons that I think people really looked up to him was that he knew how to have fun and to make things more enjoyable.

I remember a time when we were participating in a game show program and the answers that Jonah would call out were not only very funny but also correct. The one that sticks out in my mind, which I still laugh about to this day, is the idea of the chipmunks taking over the camp. Everyone in the Beit Am was laughing uproariously when he gave that answer.

Jonah always knew the right thing to do and say to make people laugh and have a good time. Anytime Jonah was around, no one was wearing a frown.

Danny

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Rabbi Darren Levine remembers …

Darren Levine is the founding rabbi of Tamid: The Downtown Synagogue (New York City). He holds Rabbinic ordination from HUC-JIR and has a Doctorate in Pastoral Psychology from the Post Graduate Center for Mental Health.

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In the summer of 1999, I held open interviews for the inaugural class of RA Associates at Kutz Camp. It was my first summer as Head Resident Advisor and I quickly noticed a gap in the overall leadership structure at this storied institution of the Reform Movement. Young men and women from across the acres were called, for serving as an RA Associate was indeed a calling. One sunny afternoon in my headquarters, I sat with the candidates and their parents. It was an historic moment for the Jewish People and we, or rather, they, were standing at the edge of a new frontier.

RA Associates Dan Ross, Michael Bernstein and Jonah Dreskin (Kutz 1998)

I described the role to the candidates in detail. It would require of them periodic check-ins with me or members of my staff on a daily basis. If selected, they would become a new and highly respected cadre of youngsters that would need to first and foremost represent me personally around the camp grounds but, secondly, to represent the office of the Head RA. I knew that I needed to choose wisely. It was time to make my selection and I did. The first class of RA Associates would be: Jonah Dreskin, Dan Ross and Michael Bernstein.

Darren presents an RA Associates t-shirt to proud cadet Jonah Dreskin (Kutz 1998)

Three candidates demonstrated obvious potential to fulfill the roles and responsibilities required: to be punctual, honest, thoughtful and, at times, silly with a streak of wild. These young cadets would define the role and, over the course of the summer, that is exactly what they did. At their initiation ceremony, I had them run sprints, respond to questions about their future, and be available to the camp community for questions. Each soul did well on that day which further reinforced my belief that the camp community – and perhaps, the future of the Jewish people – was safe in their hands.

These cadets had talent. Over the course of their tenure, they showed heart, they showed commitment, they showed maturity. I received letters from across the nation and Israel, recognizing and acknowledging their successes with pride. For the RA Office that summer and for the Associates themselves, this assignment became their summer. Finally, as the last day of summer arrived, we gathered to celebrate their achievements and my heart was full knowing that they had developed the skills and confidence to meet any challenge they faced, at home or abroad.

Darren

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

David White remembers …

David White is from Roslyn, NY. He very recently graduated from Muhlenberg College and will begin working at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC, this fall.

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My memories of Jonah at Kutz consist of his overall excitement and kindness. Whether it was during the major we had together, which was theatre, during song session or during chofesh, Jonah was always so kind and enthusiastic. There was not a single person at Kutz who did not enjoy Jonah’s presence. What I remember vividly was that in our theatre major at Kutz we had the opportunity to break into groups and create a scene for the entire camp. For extra parts in the play that each group needed to fill, Jonah was usually chosen. Everyone admired his passion and energy and therefore were eager to have him involved in every aspect we could. This admiration for Jonah is something I will always remember. I loved Jonah Dreskin and he will always continue to hold a very special place in my heart.

David

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Ben Tungland remembers …

Ben Tungland is 27 years old. He recently moved to Silver Spring, MD, where he now works for the National Council for Traditional Arts. Ben received a degree in Philosophy from Hartwick College in 2010 and was involved with Jewish Summer camping for about 16 years.

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From my experience, people have several core reactions working a summer camp job. The two biggest, for me, are that the work never ends and that you meet some of the greatest people during your time there. I don’t have too many memories of Jonah anymore since we worked in two different areas of camp, however there is one night that still stands tall as one of the happier memories that I have from Kutz.

It must have been at least halfway through the camp session at this point, but I remember being downstairs in Menucha with Jonah, Jade, Kayla and, of course, myself. It was after our work was done for the day and it was just free time until curfew. When free time had started, a group of us was hanging out, talking, playing games and what have you, but the best part of the night was after everyone else had gone to bed and it only the four of us remained.

Gaga Wall Complete! (Jul ’08)

We sat there by ourselves talking, swapping stories and just enjoying each other’s company until the Super Shmira came downstairs and told us that it was past curfew and we needed to go to bed. So of course we didn’t until they came back about 10 minutes later and told us to go.

At the time, I didn’t think too much of that night. But as the years have passed since Jonah’s death, that night keeps coming back to me. From what I learned from the rest of that summer and from talking to everyone about Jonah, that night became very special to me. That was the night that I got to experience the joy, passion and “good people” vibes that Jonah put out every single day of his life. That night, we got to be four people who worked at a camp together just being ourselves.

That night Jonah became a good friend of mine and I became one of his.

Ben

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Dan Nichols remembers …

Dan Nichols has been writing and performing Jewish music with Eighteen since 1995. He spent ten summers at the Goldman Union Camp in Zionsville, IN, and now spends his summers visiting as many camps as he possibly can.

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Jonah and I had an interesting relationship.

Maybe it was because I was already close with his mom and dad. Maybe not. I’ll never know for sure.

Nevertheless, Jonah always seemed to look down his nose at me a bit – always kept his distance – just out of my reach. At least that’s the way I felt when we talked. I asked him about it once while we were together at Kutz. I remember Jonah saying something like, “You know, everybody here thinks you’re like a rock star, or something, but I know you’re not.”

I think I said something like, “You know, you’re right. I’m not a rock star. I don’t want to be a rock star. Sometimes I struggle with how people put that on me. Over time, I have learned that I don’t have complete control over how folks perceive me. All I can do is be true to myself and good and sincere with others and then let it go – try to have faith that will be enough.”

That seemed to make an impression on Jonah. After that conversation, he seemed to be much more available when we talked. In fact, we talked a lot more. I doubt that what I said was the reason. I think Jonah needed to be heard. I think he needed to tell me, “I’m not like everybody else. I see through the BS. I’ve got you figured out and you need to know that.”

I appreciated that in Jonah. I needed to hear that. It felt like I was being held accountable. We all need to feel that.

Jonah approached me at Kutz one day and said, “You should have me play with you and your band at the concert you’re giving for camp.”

Jonah played ukulele. He had purchased it in Hawaii during a family vacation the previous year. I think I said, “You want to play with me. Let me think about that and I’ll get back to you.”

Later that day, I thought of the song that might be great. It was Harry Belafonte’s Turn The World Around. It’s a great song, but not a particularly easy song. One of challenging aspects of the song is the meter. It’s in 5/4 – five beats per measure, and the quarter note gets the beat. Not a deal-breaker, but not a walk in the park either.

Dan & Jonah (Kutz, July ’05)

Jonah and I practiced. He had a hard time with it. He didn’t pick it up right off the bat. This seemed to frustrate him too. I think it was because he assumed that any song I would pick would be easy for him. He may have been a little embarrassed. He was certainly red in the face. We took a break. We met later in the day and tried it again. It went better – still not perfect, though. I told him we’d figure it out at sound check. We met at sound check. Tried it again. Better, but still shaky. He was nervous. I could tell that this was important to him. I tried to reassure him that camp was a supportive place where he would be appreciated regardless of his performance level on stage. We left it at that.

Just before the show Jonah approached me. He was smiling. He said, “I have something for you. I noticed that a bunch of the Kutz participants have asked you to sign their guitar picks. I want you to have this.”

Jonah handed me one of his picks. He had signed it. He said, “Now you can remember me and our little talk.”

He gave me a nod of the head that said, “I got you. We’re good.”

That night, Jonah played Turn The World Around with me and the band. He nailed it. No surprise – Kutz loved him.

I loved Jonah. I loved his honesty. I loved his courage.

I love Kutz. Kutz gave us the space and time to figure ourselves out – even just a little bit.

Sometimes, that’s just enough.

Dan

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Joel Hoffman remembers …

Joel was at Kutz from 1973 to 1983 as a fac brat, in 1985 as a camper, and from 1986 to 2003 on staff or faculty. Dr. Joel M. Hoffman has written or contributed to over 20 non-fiction books, and is the author of the thriller series The Warwick Files, set in Kutz’s hometown of Warwick, NY.

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I remember Jonah’s presence, of course, just as I remember what he did (and boy did he do some things).

Or at least, I think I do. Memory and time have always been fierce foes.

“Jonah ran away from day camp.” I remember that. His older sister Katie told me so in just so many words, right after she asked me if I knew where her brother was. I didn’t, but I was also curious why she herself didn’t know. I inquired. The answer was that, not uncharacteristically, Jonah’s plans had changed, and in this case they no longer included the prescribed day-camp activities. It’s possible he neglected to tell anyone of his revised agenda.

This particular day camp was run in the context of Kutz Camp’s flagship undertaking, a 25-day-long sleep-away session for Jewish teenagers from around the world. The day camp was originally tailored for the younger children of parents who were lucky enough to teach at Kutz. So even though Jonah was no longer with the day camp, he was – in all likelihood – still on campus, and was – again, in all likelihood – still supervised by an adult, or at least by a responsible 14-year old. It probably wasn’t an emergency.

Jonah also mentored younger children. I remember that as well. For him, adult direction in his own life was only one factor out of many that were worthy of consideration, but even as a child he could switch roles and become, if not the adult, the responsible and caregiving party. The faces of his mentees have blurred in my memory, but I know how lucky they were.

We’ve always considered Joel part of our family. ET too, but much more recently. (Disney World 1999)

I knew Jonah “at home” in Westchester, too. But in a real sense, Kutz was more of his home than Westchester, because Kutz promotes the kind of individuality that other environments stifle, and Jonah insisted on heading off in his own direction – like when he chose to play ukulele in a culture dominated by guitars.

I feel like I remember the day at Kutz when a teen-aged Jonah joined Dan Nichols on stage and brought up his iconoclastic ukulele instead of the too-pedestrian guitar. But it turns out I wasn’t there. I must be remembering stories. Memory and time are fierce foes.

In fact, the full sentences I once had – young Jonah bolted out of the communal dining room to prowl Kutz Camp with his friends in search of the intersection of imagination and wonder – have become fragments. Asense of wonder and fascination. Authentic laughter. Musicality. Impish impertinence. Frustration with ineptitude. Deep curiosity. Boldness unhindered by self-consciousness. Promise and potential.

I can’t help but miss the sentences, even as this fragmentary memory itself paints a surprisingly lucid picture: Jonah becoming Maccabee. A boy becoming a man, caring for others, discovering himself, finding his footing, plotting a path, and then setting out to explore it – an undertaking left barely begun.

Yet I feel like Jonah planted guideposts far ahead of his own meager progress down that path. When I think of a face he made or a song he sang, a puzzle he might have enjoyed or a joke he would have liked, I encounter such a guidepost, and recognize that from time to time my own path in life still crosses his largely untrod journey. And I smile.

Joel

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Julia Breskin remembers …

Julia and one of the Billys, her dad

Julia Breskin is living in Washington, DC, after five years in Greensboro, NC, where she graduated from Guilford College in 2014. After receiving a degree in Community Justice Studies and Art History, she is making steps toward working in the arts. Julia attended Kutz from 2007 to 2009, and has participated in URJ programs since. This summer, she is leading the Mitzvah Corps El Salvador trip after staffing other Mitzvah Corps trips the two summers prior.

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“The Breskin-Dreskin Connection”

It’s hard to think about Kutz and not think about Jonah. The impression he made on camp is permanent, just as it is on me and on those who knew him. Our friendship began in 2007 during my first (of three) summers at Kutz but, as we found out a few weeks into camp, our history goes back farther than that.

During the first few weeks of first session, I found myself making fast friends with a group of wonderful teens from all over the country. Jonah was one of them, and with me being the youngest of the group, we bonded in a different way. Like an older brother, he liked to push my buttons while simultaneously supporting me during my first summer at a new camp, a place he had spent his whole life. He had this particular talent for making me laugh when he could tell I was feeling nervous about a new experience. While camp friendships were forming quickly, none of us had learned each other’s last name. All of these new best friends, and we only knew first names! It wasn’t until roll call on Trip Day that we heard our last names for the first time. The counselors went down the list and called my name, “Julia Breskin.” Before I could yell “Here,” Jonah jumped up from the seat in front of me, spun around and said, “My last name is Dreskin! And I’m pretty sure I’ve heard your name before. Is your dad Billy Breskin?”

Julia snapped this shot of Jonah on the slackline (Kutz 2008)

In seconds, we were on the phone with our respective Billys, my dad and his, putting together the puzzle pieces. Back in 1975, Bill Breskin and Billy Dreskin had both stepped onto campus at the University of Michigan. They were housed in the same dormitory, on the same hallway, and their campus phone numbers were only one number different. They even had a few of the same classes together. Just as Jonah and I had done thirty-two years later, the Billys bonded quickly and really enjoyed each other’s company. In time, they each transferred to another school and, over the year, lost touch, But at the end of camp in 2007, they saw each other again for the first time in thirty years, and a friendship was renewed.

After that first summer, the Breskins and Dreskins always kicked off camp with lunch in Warwick before pulling up Bowen Road to Kutz. This is the time of year I think about Jonah the most, missing him at those lunches and around Kutz. I will never forget seeing him bounce around camp, bringing smiles everywhere he went. He taught me about our shared family history, but also so much more: how to walk on a slack line, what dance moves and lyrics came next during Shabbat song session, and how to love your camp friends deeply, even for a few weeks a year.

I got to know Jonah well those few summers we were together at camp, giving me memories that will last forever — memories that connect our families in a friendship that I hope lasts just as long.

Julia

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

David Bloom remembers …

A Louisville native, David Bloom attended Kutz: NFTY’s Campus for Reform Jewish Teens from 2007 to 2009, and served on staff in 2010. He graduated summa cum laude from Indiana University – Bloomington in 2014 with B.A.s in Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, and French, and a minor in Modern Hebrew. A rabbinical student at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, he recently completed HUC-JIR’s Year-in-Israel Program and will continue his studies on the Cincinnati campus this fall.

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Typically, I dislike clichés as their overuse detracts from the rare wonders to which they point: those precious moments in which the ordinary encounters the extraordinary. But Jonah embodied such character for me. Accordingly, when I describe Jonah as one of the most charismatic people I’ve met, I do so sincerely and with great appreciation for having known him.

Although I don’t recall how I first met Jonah, I do remember his inexplicable charisma. He had an energy about him that quite simply attracted everyone to him. Indeed, I cannot think of a single moment seeing him without friends surrounding him. Personally, I found myself drawn to him because of his humor, compassion, kindness, and generous spirit. On one occasion, for example, Jonah and a friend had set up a tightrope between two wooden posts. Jonah and his friend had a natural talent for navigating the treacherous bridge, which lay a foot off the ground. When it came time for my turn, Jonah encouraged me all the way along. Of course, I fell multiple times. But it didn’t matter; Jonah told me I’d get it eventually. In his saying so, I really gained a friend.

David & Jonah (Kutz 2008)

Of his many gifts, Jonah also possessed a great musical talent and an even more remarkable desire to share it with others. He truly enjoyed performing because it enriched people’s lives. I’ll never forget his classic Jewish rap, “Makin’ a Motzi.” If I recall correctly, I first heard it during the annual talent show. Lifting the microphone to his lips with all eyes on him, Jonah began rapping away, always returning to the refrain, “Makin’ a motzi, makin’ a, makin’ a, makin’ a, makin‘ a motzi, hey oh, hey oh!” I still marvel at how he managed to spin these words at a furious speed but always and only with deep affection for his Judaism. But that was Jonah – an artistic, energetic soul who lived life at a whirlwind to experience and to share life’s infinite beauty.

David

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Melissa Frey remembers …

Melissa Frey has served as director of the URJ Kutz Camp since 2008.

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Remembering Jonah
My View from Kutz

There are hundreds of stories I have heard about Jonah’s formative years at Kutz. Spending summers here as a faculty “brat,” Jonah-stories are still among some of the very best about the precious and precocious children who grew up in this place. And while I love the stories and share in the joy of retelling some of the greats, I didn’t know Jonah as a child. I knew Jonah as a charismatic, outgoing, determined and creative Avodahnik during the summer of 2008, my first summer as the director of Kutz. As a first-year member of our staff, and an entering freshman in college, the Jonah I knew was a remarkable young adult.

Jonah worked that summer as a member of the kitchen staff, and brought his personality with him to work every single day. I remember with great fondness some of the highlights. Dish pit races where competitions to see who could finish cleaning after the meal the fastest (and cleanest) were held to Olympic standards. Being part of the team that stepped up – so all of camp could enjoy the closing-night banquet under the stars in the Willows – by moving every table and chair from the dining hall outside to the Willows, and then sanitizing them before they came back into the main building. I also remember the great 5-gallon milk bag spill that drenched Jonah from head to toe on a very hot summer day and subsequently covered a 20-foot area of the dining hall with a thin coat of rapidly warming milk. Jonah was the first to get a mop, and his fellow staff members followed him to help. Regardless of the circumstance, Jonah was always surrounded by people he cared for, and who cared deeply for him.

It was so impressive the day Jonah and a group of his friends came to my office to share their vision for Avodah Fun Day (known to 90% of camp as Trip Day), the one day everyone leaves camp and the Avodah cohort stays behind to partake in a variety of site-related work and create something special for camp, a surprise for the rest of the community that is their legacy to leave behind. At a camp known for its deep Jewish learning, incredible art and music programs, meaningful work around inclusion and advocacy, all steeped in leadership through a lens of Reform Jewish values, their idea seemed nothing short of surprising: Mercaz HaSport. They wanted Kutz to have its own sports center. So we put the plans in motion to build a Gaga pit, sand a volleyball court, install new backboards for portable basketball hoops, and spruce up the tennis courts. In one day. And they did it. It was amazing!

On the final Shabbat morning of the session, following tefilah, the entire community sang and walked together to the highest point in camp where we gathered together to bless this sacred space. With the collective amen and the blow of a whistle, what felt nothing less than the Kutz sports dynasty of 2008 had come to life. There was such pride that day. And that space remains an important part of our community. So much so, that this summer, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary at Kutz on July 4, 2015, we will rededicate the newly refurbished Mercaz HaSport. As our summer 2015 participants, staff, and faculty gather together with hundreds of alumni, I am confident that Jonah will be there with us as well, smiling at one of so many indelible legacies he left with so many of us.

How blessed is this place, how blessed am I, to have had the opportunity to be a part of Jonah’s journey.

Melissa

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!

“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Ben Fuld remembers …

Ben is currently working for his family’s business just north of Baltimore while living downtown. He will be starting Law School at University of Maryland in Baltimore this August. His dog, Brooks, turns two in August and he’s the best dog of all time. Ben went to Kutz as a participant in 2006 and was a staff member from 2007-2011.

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It was tough for me to come up with a single memory that really did justice to the type of person Jonah was. To help me narrow down the options, I called my brother, Mike, to help. As we spoke, our conversation turned into a story-sharing session between us that reminded me how impactful Jonah was to the Kutz community. There wasn’t one single story that could sum up his character. So here are just a few of our memories of Jonah that made us smile:

During his summer on staff, Jonah would spend the final moments before Shabbat making sure his fellow staff members were ready for the joy of Shabbat by walking around camp kissing every single staff person on the cheek, and personally wishing them a Shabbat Shalom. He would carry his guitar around all the time and start impromptu singalongs with all the (mostly Dispatch) hits.

Mike shared a story about how he hadn’t yet told Jonah that he’d gotten his job at Kutz, so Jonah vacuumed the Beit Am by himself to show how committed he was. As a member of the Kitchen staff, he would lead singalongs in the dish pit as the bowls, plates, and silverware came piling in.

Jonah taught me what it meant to be comfortable in who you are as a person, and not to be concerned with what others think of you. He possessed a strong moral compass and he stuck to it.

Mike told me stories of how Jonah would storm into Mike’s office (and out of, on some occasions) if he had a moral objection to something that had occurred on camp. Jonah’s deep compassion and care for others around him truly embodied the NFTY spirit of being comfortable in your own skin.

I’m very blessed to have known and interacted with Jonah on a regular basis for the two years we were at Kutz together. His ability to have a positive affect on those around him made Kutz a better place to work and live.

Ben

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!