The Oakley’s
By Michelle Oakley, Alum Jeff and I met in June 2008, at La Hacienda family restaurant in bustling, downtown Arlington. My ten year old Honda Civic was fully packed with all my belongings including a kayak strapped to the roof of my car. I was about to...
Our Kalsman Story
By Elizabeth Kaplan, Alum In June 2012, I drove my little blue Nissan Versa with its Rhode Island license plates from San Francisco up to Arlington. I distinctly remember having trouble with the intercom at the gate (we’ve all been there), and then I heard Briana...
Helping and Being Helped
by Rabbi Ilana Mills, Camp DIrector We find our patriarch Jacob at a pivotal moment in his life. Last week, Jacob stole his brother, Esau’s, birthright and blessing and fled home to escape Esau’s wrath. This week, we find Jacob wandering, looking for a new place to...
What brings you strength?
Dear Kalsman Community, At the end of each long, activity-filled day of camp, we come together to slow things down and end the night by putting our arms around each other and singing the prayer Hashkiveinu. The prayer asks for a shelter of peace over the...
Why Camp is Home to Me
When I rolled up to camp last Summer, I didn’t feel like I fit the mold. Being born and raised in Wisconsin, I had never been to the Pacific Northwest and, more importantly, I’m not Jewish. In fact, I’m not sure how many Jewish people I had met before coming to...
C.I.Thank you Machonikim for all that you bring
The Jewish summer camp experience is one of love, growth, and holy community. Whether you were in the summer heat of Camp Swig in the ‘70s or walking the rolling hills of URJ Crane Lake Camp just years ago, there is an expectation that you would be provided with the...
Prioritizing Mental Health at Camp
Campers and staff are coming to the URJ Camp Kalsman this year from all over the world. From Israel to Poland, Florida to California, many people want to be a part of the magic that happens in the mountains of Arlington, Washington. We all have our own lived...
Jordan Road, Take Me Home
You know you're doing something right when children are excited about a road. It’s literally just a road. It's not Main Street at Disneyland (although to many it feels like it). To some, Jordan Road is simply a few miles of winding pavement connecting the outside to a...
The Communal Power of Music!
We sing a lot at camp. Between two shirot (song sessions), T’filah, and siyum every day, camp is an incredibly musical place. Last Shabbat, I was sitting with my campers as Myles played “It’s Up To Us,” an English version of Aleinu. As he finished, one of my campers...