That’s the name of the little ark that Helen Burke designed and created with Hagigah campers many years ago at Camp Swig to carry a Holocaust Torah Scroll both in the camp and throughout the region.
(Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan assessing the Little Ambassador Ark)
The Little Ambassador survived the horrific fire that devastated most of URJ Camp Newman’s campus, a multitude of buildings throughout Sonoma County and, most important, the lives of so many in the region.
(The Little Ambassador after a bit of buffing and pounding)
Those of us here at Cal Maritime Academy in Vallejo for Camp Newman by the Bay are taking part in the long history of west coast Jewish camping and, really, Jewish history. Our story has always been one of survival and perseverance and, in our better moments, we not only survive but do it with style.
I remember looking out at the blank canvas of the Merchant Marine Cooking School in Santa Rosa that we transformed into the vibrant, Jewish home for Camp Newman and it tells me that we will not only do so again but, like we did before, we will do it with style.
It’s already happening. We’re creating artwork that will connect us to both the past and the future. The music that filled Camp Swig and Camp Newman already fills this space and the magical moments that always characterized camp are speaking now as strongly as they ever did.
(A rousing Hava Nagila by the Bay)
At the end of my first Shabbat here with campers, we spiraled our group into a tight formation on the athletic field to shelter the flame of the Havdallah candle from the Bay winds. Our voices rose with the candle’s flames heavenward, staying lit despite the breeze. The beautiful sound filled me and said, “the magic lives,” and I knew that it’s going to be alright.
(Shabbat Shirah... the magic is back!)
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