Faith Camping
10/24/2024 11:49:45 AM
Faith is the opposite of certainty. God calls out to Avram and says Lech lecha, Go Forth, and when he and Sarai do so, they must leave everything they have ever known to become the blessing to the world that Jews are.
When Theodore Herzl writes, Im tirtzu ein zo agada, If you will it, it is no dream, Herzl doesn’t know that almost exactly 50 years later, the state of Israel will be proclaimed and 125 years later, will host the largest Jewish population in the world.
And in the movie, Field of Dreams, when, in the middle of a field in Iowa, Ray Kinsella hears a voice say, Build it and they will come, and he builds a baseball field, the power of the moment isn’t simply the miracle of deceased, infamous baseball players
“apparitioning” to play ball and reclaim their lost glory. The “miracle” of the moment is something he didn’t know would happen - that so many others would arrive and participate as a result.
Without overstating too much the importance of the inaugural “Fall into Shabbat” young adults retreat this past Sukkot weekend, we did indeed build it, and so much came as a result.
Who built it?
Neil Segel, Jake Hoffman, Josh Krugly, and me, Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss.
What was the goal?
To gather young Jews in a setting close to nature and “away from” the hustle and bustle of regular life. To celebrate Sukkot when our Houston weather just might beautifully cooperate for us all to enjoy layshev baSukkah, the mitzvah of dwelling in and around the Sukkah. And to create a space for Shabbat, that could be felt and experienced, and not just “performed.”
How did it happen?
We identified the location: the Auspicious Cloud Retreat Center (formerly the Margaret Austin Center) in Chappell Hill (60 min drive). We sketched a rough schedule that would include shlepping, building, and decorating a Sukkah, excellent food for our
Shabbat and Sukkot celebrations, prayer and reflection, social connections, and perhaps some entertainment, much of which was “to be determined.”
If you build it, they will come…
- After meeting one of our retreat chairs on a springtime visit to Israel, Chef Moshe Basson of the world renowned, The Eucalyptus Restaurant in Jerusalem accepted Neil Segel’s invitation to be the “Chef de Retreat” and a new infusion of excitement began to mount!
- Learning about this imminent young adults retreat, individuals and institutions chipped in to ensure the retreat was financially accessible: Thank You to Chef Moshe for his in-kind donation of time and expertise; Thank you to Benjy Levitt for ALL of the food and space in a Local Foods kitchen; and Thank you for the financial support from: Ben Samuels and the Samuels Family Foundation, Oren Mushin and Heights Kibbutz, Bruce Shelby and HCRJ, Jonathan Axelrad, and donations from the Rabbi Scott HW Discretionary Fund. The generosity of these donors, along with the fees paid by our participants made the whole retreat possible.
- My rabbinic colleague, inspiring leader, and fantastic musician, Rabbi Neal Katz of Tyler, TX joined us, offering wisdom, music, laughter, and joy through our “Kohelet- Meaning of Life” Shabbat morning text study, and an inspiringly beautiful Havdalah and concert around our “lit-up” Sukkah under the sukkat shalom of the Texas wilderness.
- The Houston Jewish community’s brand new Israeli shilchim, Aviv Ben Tovim and Shir Benjamin weren’t so interested in the dorm-like housing, so they pitched their tent, with a giant field of wheat grass at their feet. Recently married, Aviv recently serving in active duty in Gaza and the West Bank, he and Shir shared so very much with all of us about the tremendously painful and dichotomous challenges of Israel today.
- And most importantly 25 young Jewish (or “Jewish-adjacent”) adults put their faith in this effort and the results were quite magical.
One of the more powerful drivers of the success of this retreat was that it was not at all built around anything more than the retreat itself. This retreat was made possible through the underwriting of generous patrons, none of whom have a stake in future membership and potential “dues-payers.” This effort was an altruistic, generous, and loving Jewish embrace of people simply interested and drawn to express themselves and discover more about themselves through Jewish lenses. And the group looks great. Right?!