By Henry Weltman, Summer 2018 PLC Member 

A few weeks ago, the six members of this year’s Perlman Leadership Council (PLC) gathered for a weekend in DC. Julia Schultz, Amy Sharer, Ari Taichman-Robins, Nate Platzner, Jeffrey Gordon and I are about to return to Perlman for our third summer as staff members and we are excited to take on new and exciting opportunities.  

Friday night Shabbat was a great way to start the weekend together. The Moishe house Rachel and Candice brought us too was very welcoming. Throughout the night, the house was packed with young professionals living in the DC area who enjoyed gathering on Shabbat to share time with friends and strangers alike. Even though we had only just arrived in DC, the six of us spread out throughout the crowd to mingle, talk and learn. We shared stories of camp, Israel, and college, learned about the Moishe program and Jewish life in DC, and of course, played Jewish Geography. The people at the Moishe house were leading successful lives, whilst staying attached to their Judaism. In reflecting on this experience, we discussed how they serve as role models for their Jewish community, just as we do for our campers.

On Saturday, we were lucky enough to take part in the March For Our Lives. We had spent the night before making signs and after an early brunch, we began walking with the large mass of people. The street was full from one sidewalk to the other. We were all packed in tight, thousands of people moving as a slow herd towards Pennsylvania Avenue. People were loud, yet the crowd was passionate and united. As the sun was finally coming out from the clouds, we made it into the United States Navy Memorial where we were able to get a clear view of the stage! We were all a part of history that day, and I felt so lucky to hear the powerful children who spoke at the march. Afterwards, we walked around DC to see the city and enjoy our final afternoon together. 

Later, when we discussed how this was a relevant experience to us as camp counselors. We spoke about how inspiring it had been to see a movement, fronted by young people, have such a huge impact on millions of people. As students ourselves and as role models for young Jewish students, this is a value we hope we can instill in our campers this summer. 

Then, we went to Rachel’s house where we got to have a delicious dinner, followed by a campfire with s’mores where we reflected on our time at Perlman. This helped us decide what positive impacts we would like to have on camp this summer, for both campers and fellow counselors. 

On Sunday, we had breakfast together with Perlman parent and Board Member Rachel Kotok, as well as with Candice, Abe and Rachel, where we discussed our Jewish identities and stories and how we can share and discuss these at camp. We engaged in exciting conversations about real opportunities we saw at camp and set goals for Summer 2018. Leaving at the end of the weekend felt like the last day of camp, but we cannot wait to be back at camp and to see everyone, old and new, for another amazing summer at Perlman!


PLCuatcamp!

Perlman Leadership Council (PLC) is a growth opportunity for third-year staff members returning to camp to explore their identities as Jewish role models and to engage, share, and discuss these with campers and staff throughout the summer. For more information, email Candice at candice@perlmancamp.org.