Being Jewish, to me, has never just been about religion. It’s about community, culture, shared values, and a deep sense of belonging. It’s not something I turn on for the High Holidays or reserve for lighting candles on Hanukkah. It’s something I carry with me, always — a part of who I am in ways that are loud and quiet, spiritual and secular, ancient and deeply personal.
Oddly enough, one of the places where I felt this most was at a sleepaway camp that wasn’t technically Jewish.
It was labeled “non-denominational,” open to kids of all backgrounds. But if you stepped into the dining hall or joined us for Friday night services, you’d quickly notice: this place had a soul that felt unmistakably Jewish. We said the HaMotzi before every meal. We gathered for Shabbat each Friday — not because it was mandated, but because it grounded us. It created a rhythm to the week, a sacred pause to reflect, connect, and be still. And most of us, around 90% of the campers, were Jewish.
That cultural sameness didn’t make the experience exclusive — it made it richer. We shared not just a religion, but a way of seeing the world. A love for storytelling and laughter, a tendency to overthink and overfeel, a reverence for tradition, and an instinct to care for each other like family. We all understood what it meant to have a bubbie who checked in three times a day, or parents who packed enough sunscreen to last a lifetime. We knew how to debate like lawyers-in-training and celebrate like no one’s watching. We had the same inside jokes, the same snack cabinet staples, the same shared sense of where we came from — even if we came from different places.
Being Jewish isn’t one-size-fits-all. For some, it’s about temple and Torah. For others, it’s bagels, Broadway, and Yiddish phrases tossed around the kitchen. For me, it’s both. And it’s also those summers at camp — where I learned how powerful it is to be surrounded by people who just get you. Who share your roots, your rhythms, your shorthand. Who make you feel like you belong, without having to explain why.
Camp didn’t teach me how to be Jewish in the traditional sense. But it did show me what it feels like to live inside a Jewish community — one built on connection, tradition, warmth, and joy. And that, I think, is what being Jewish is all about.
