Special People

June 27

My first week has come and gone as a 22 year old, and it has felt pretty normal and similar to being a 21 year old. Aside from spending my birthday eating delicious Persian food at Arya’s house, driving up to camp, and mingling with more Israelis, I spent most of it trying to decide what it really meant to be a year older. Supposedly, having now graduated from college and all that jazz, another year of age is continuously supplying more wisdom. I certainly don’t feel any different, nor do I think I will any time soon.

It’s my belief that the only times one can feel a sense of true growth is when reflecting upon any experience. My freshman year in Israel was a huge growth period, and now I can surely see that. But if there is one thing that keeps reminding me of everyone’s constant growth, it is the time I am privileged to have at Camp Ramah in the Tikvah Program.

The Tikvah Program is one that enables campers and young adults with special needs to experience Jewish camping and working within that Jewish community. This is my fourth summer in this wonderful place and I have learned more about life from being here than any other time. The people involved in the program prove that not only is everything possible, but that everyone should be given equal chances, no matter what the circumstances.

So what if someone has problems with athletic abilities. They should race, too. So what if someone may not have social skills others at their age may have? They should be included in adult conversations, too. The point is that these people don’t take anything for granted, appreciate almost everything that comes their way, and just live life the best way they know how. Spend a day watching them do what they do and you will fall in love. One can see why they are called “special needs” because they are special people.

Saturday night I studied with my fellow staff members about what Pirkei Avot (the teaching of our fathers) says what a person should have accomplished by a certain age or specific characteristics one should have at those ages. It made me think about how I’ll look back upon my life and what I’ll gauge from it. I’m living life to the fullest (I hope) and enjoying everything I do. That’s how I know at this point that being here at camp is the right decision and will be for a long time to come.

In terms of Israel, I can only hope for the best. In most interactions I’ve had, Israelis have been almost always welcoming, friendly people. At camp, it’s almost a slanted view since it’s basically a group of people who want to be there and want to create these relationships with their American counterparts.

I hope I can bring this positive vibe everywhere I go. When I asked Max, an Ezra staff member with Autism today how he felt after he had made a slew of quesadillas in our café, he answered, “Confident.” I am optimistic that my confidence will grow as I learn new skills and that my mind stays positive and open. Then I will have succeeded in life. Unless I take Ralph Waldo Emmerson’s approach: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” I will succeed.