Living as a Jew in Mississippi, Jacobs Camp plays a vital role in my life serving as a safe space for me to explore my own Judaism. Jacobs is a place where no one cares about looks, money, or sticking to the status quo. I am free to express myself and nobody will judge me; I can show off my “Jewishness” in any way that I want to.

At home, I sometimes get the feeling that it is a bad thing to be Jewish. All of my friends are Christian and I feel left out when they talk about church. It’s almost as if my friends are a part of this special club, and I am not invited. There, I am the minority, but everything is different at camp. Here, there is no minority. We stand together to form this community who are all here for the same reason. Because of Jacobs, I have learned what it means to be a part of my religion. Everyday at camp I learn something more about my Jewish heritage and myself. It is through this learning that I have realized how important it is to be a Jew in the south. There are very few southern Jews and we need to let people know who we are and what we believe in. Camp provides us with an outlet to form those beliefs so that we can bring them back home with us. Jacobs Camp has shaped me into who I am today and made me proud to be a southern Jew.

Ella Rockoff

Talmidim Camper