Mackenzie Haun – Education Specialist

In the beginning of June last year, I came to Jacobs camp for the first time. I was scared out of my mind to come to the middle of nowhere Mississippi for two months where I didn’t know anyone and didn’t know what my job would really be like. I assumed that I would come for two months, do my job, likely not make many friends, and probably never come back. I was so very wrong. By the end of last summer, I knew that I had found a new home and had made friends that I hope to keep for a very long time. I had learned that I love teaching kids about Judaism, and I really felt like I had made a difference. I went back to my university where I am pursuing a degree in Jewish Studies with a new excitement to learn more, because I now know that all of the work was worth it.

About halfway through the school year, I knew I had to get back to Jacobs as soon as possible. I feel so unbelievably lucky that in my role as Education Specialist to get to work with Gariners for two hours almost every day, and for 10 days, to do the same with our wonderful Olim campers. I get to teach these awesome kids who don’t necessarily get to learn about Judaism during the year things that they can use every day. Getting to see the kids get genuinely excited about Jewish ideas, participating, and asking questions is always the highlight of my day.

This year I get to teach them about Community, Gratitude, Work Ethic, and Integrity. These values are not just relevant in a Jewish context, but also in all of our lives every day. My goal is that when campers come home this summer, these values will be ingrained in the way they go about their day to day lives. So far we have talked primarily about community and gratitude. The campers have learned how to work together and how we can find so many things to be grateful for in our everyday lives. We are only halfway through this session, and I cannot wait to see what more these kids do.