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Coming home, again

Coming home, again

This weekend, we will welcome 30 alumni back home to Jordan Road, the first alumni event at camp in many years. At Camp Kalsman the way we say hello when someone arrives to camp is "Welcome Home!" That's because at camp we are encouraged and given space to be the...

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Leah, Brandon, & Bailey

Leah, Brandon, & Bailey

By Leah Bordman, Staff & Camper for 15 Years Camp friends are the best friends. This could be one of my Six Word Memoirs, which are “a simple way to engage and inspire anyone and everyone to get to the essence of who they are.” (sixwordmemoirs.com) Fifteen years...

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Lauren & Ryan

Lauren & Ryan

By Lauren Fishman, Summer Assistant Director & Staff Member for 10 Years   In May 2021, I started planting the garden up for camp on weekends and after work on sunny afternoons. Not a very glamorous job as I was always covered in dirt and kept forgetting to...

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The Oakley’s

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...

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Our Kalsman Story

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...

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Helping and Being Helped

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...

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What brings you strength?

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...

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Why Camp is Home to Me

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...

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C.I.Thank you Machonikim for all that you bring

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...

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