Off The Grid

And by "off-the-grid," I mean I'm currently living at a stunningly gorgeous summer camp in Simi Valley, California, with pristine facilities and a food selection that's better than most hotels I've stayed at (hello, waffle bar). My friends think that it's a hippie camp where we hold hands, meditate, practice yoga, and sing songs of peace. That might be half-right.

Ok, but seriously. This summer, I have the privilege of working as a program fellow at the Brandeis Collegiate Institute (BCI), a program of the American Jewish University in California. I participated in this program in the summer of 2009, and consider it one of the most exciting, challenging, and transformative experiences that I've ever participated in (check out here, if you're interested in my experience or incredibly nerdy scrapbooking skills).

BCI has been described as a "summer camp for adults," as it brings together young Jewish adults, ages 18-26, from all around the world. While there are some parallels to Jewish summer camp (like bumper-stickered nalgene bottles, dirty birkenstocks, and a plethora of random food allergies), this place is so much more.

BCI is a 26-day program in which participants are immersed in Jewish learning, culture, and community, with an emphasis on the arts. Referred to as a "laboratory for living Judaism," BCI is a place for participants to explore their own Jewish identity in a pluralistic and welcoming setting.

Ok... how do I describe this in words that doesn't make it sound like I'm drinking the proverbial kool-aid?

Jewish life is fun, rich, exciting, challenging, beautiful, diverse, deep, creative, complicated, and inspiring; BCI exemplifies this in so many ways. This year, we have participants from all over the U.S., Canada, India, Israel, Argentina, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, and Switzerland. We have participants who identify as orthodox, reform, non-denominational, religious, traditional, humanist, conservative, and atheist. We have participants who grew up in tight-knit, isolated Jewish communities, participants who grew up as the only Jewish person in their town, and participants who come from places where it's very difficult to be Jewish.

Our staff is as diverse as our participants. We have artists, rabbinical students, cantors and other Jewish professionals who share their talents in different and creative ways. Throughout the summer, we have visiting scholars, musicians, actors/actresses, yoga teachers, and even sexual health educators, vegan bakers, and recovering addicts from a local Jewish rehab center. While the teaching and learning is diverse, it is all through a Jewish lens, illustrating the richness and complexity of what it means to be Jewish.

Don't get me wrong, all this crunchy-granola-goodness has its challenges, too. We work really hard, and the participants are consistently pushed to challenge themselves. It can be tense and frustrating at times. But it's entirely worth it to be a part of the magic of this place.

But speaking of crunchy-granola-goodness, I have to go get ready for the sweat lodge tonight. Namaste.