“We left as a school and came back as a family.”

Wow.

That’s all I can say.  We got back yesterday from our four-day Middle School Retreat and it was everything you could hope for in a Jewish informal educational experience. We had learning, games, athletics, prayer, social bonding, community building, hiking, zip lines, a campfire, and a friendship circle to boot.  It felt like we squeezed a summer’s session of camp into just four days…and we are all tired enough to prove it!

After having spent a good chunk of time, in between catching up with the rest of the school, putting together a video of our experience, I will let the video to the talking – for this week.  I will likely have more to say next week when I’ve had a chance to properly process and reflect.

The flip camera was held by lots of hands and so I apologize to parents and students that not everyone made it in – it is not a reflection of anything other than happenstance.  We will more than make up for it with the photos to be published on our website soon.  It is, I hope, a taste of why this retreat is such an important part of our middle school.  Our relationships are forever changed – for the good.  We will be able to do things within the walls of the classrooms that we never would have without having spent time together outside of them.

I am now going to go home and rest.

Author: Jon Mitzmacher

Dr. Jon Mitzmacher is the Head of the Ottawa Jewish Community School. Jon is studying to be a rabbi at the Academy for Jewish Religion and is on the faculty of the Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI) as a mentor. He was most recently the VP of Innovation for Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools.  He is the former Executive Director of the Schechter Day School Network.  He is also the former head of the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, a K-8 Solomon Schechter, located in Jacksonville, FL, and part of the Jacksonville Jewish Center.  He was the founding head of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Las Vegas.  Jon has worked in all aspects of Jewish Education from camping to congregations and everything in between.

4 thoughts on ““We left as a school and came back as a family.””

  1. How amazing to be able to view some of the incredible moments and activities that took place during the retreat on this video! Thank you for all your efforts in planning this special experience for our children! Sabrina has been talking non-stop about what she enjoyed.
    Have you considered holding a family retreat for our MJGDS community? My brother and his family look forward each year to attending the Sukkot family camping experience with their Brandeis Hillel School in San Francisco.
    Shabbat Shalom from all of our family to yours!

  2. Words cannot express how I feel, Jilliyn too has been non-stop talking about EVERYTHING!! and how everyone just worked together, talked etc.. But I must say a big THANK YOU to all of you for teaching our children and showing them such an experience & I agree with Andrea a family one would be great!!!

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