I found my home out in the middle of nowhere
PHOTO COURTESY OF HERZL CAMP
WISCONSIN Herzl Camp in Webster, Wisconsin
Isabella Lefkowitz-Rao,
left, at Herzl Camp in 2
019. By Isabella Lefkowitz-Rao
W hen my mother dropped me off for the first time at
Herzl Camp in Webster, Wisconsin, I was 9 years old
and 1,200 miles from home. What concerned me at that
moment was if my cabin would be good and whether the food would
be edible.

Within three days, not only did I have answers to those questions
(yes and mostly yes), but I had already been asked dozens of times
how I, a not-yet fourth-grader from Washington, D.C., had managed to
make my way all the way up to Webster. Did I have family in the area?
(No.) Did my parents go to camp? (No.) Was I lost? (I didn’t think so.)
I explained that it had started the fall before, when my parents
decided that we would move to Minneapolis for a semester, so my
mother could teach at the University of Minnesota Law School.

There, I attended the Amos and Celia Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish
Day School, where a substantial percentage of the student body went
to Herzl.

Even though I was only there for one semester, something stuck
and six months later, my parents begrudgingly agreed to “ship”
me off to Herzl. By the end of the fortnight at camp, not only had I
perfected my explanation, but I knew I had found a second home.

I will be the first to admit that those first two weeks in a cabin
far away from home were not the easiest. I was not infrequently
homesick and, more importantly, missed my multi-temperature
shower. But I stuck it out, and to the dismay of my parents, I arrived
home happy for a home-cooked meal but wanting to go back for two
more weeks.

Camp and the overall experience of going to camp have changed
me for the better. While everybody changes a good deal from the ages
of 9 to 17, I really believe that Herzl has shaped the direction in which
I’ve grown. For example, as a 9-year-old, being in charge of making
my bed and keeping track of my clothes was impactful as it gave me a
greater sense of responsibility.”
As I grew up, it still tended to be the little things that made the
difference. I started noticing that I was much more open to trying
new things, whether participating in the “pop dance” during color
war or trying the mystery hamburger hot dish.

I gradually started spending less time on my bed alone reading
books or writing to my parents and more time meeting new people and
learning new games. I came to accept and love the social media and
screen detox and always wished it could continue on into the year.

I also learned larger lessons, such as the importance of community
service, as we progressed from picking up trash around camp to
doing service around the local county. These changes were visible
outside of camp as well. I was much less shy in new situations and
increasingly confident in being myself.

While I found my home out in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin,
sleepaway camps in general provide the same basic benefit: the
opportunity to live independently from your family and away from
home while pursuing interests and making new friends.

For younger kids, being away from home forces them to start
doing things for themselves and taking care of their own affairs.

For older kids just getting away, especially from a crazy city like
Washington, D.C. allows for a well-needed mental break and time to
relax while picking up important life and leadership skills needed for
college and beyond. n
Isabella Lefkowitz-Rao, 17,
plans to return for her eighth summer at Herzl Camp in 2021.

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