My family and I had the privilege of spending Rosh Hashanah at TheZone. It was truly an experience that I hope to carry with me and inspire me for a long time. Aside from the inspirational davening, amazing speeches, uplifting songs, and moving stories that were shared, watching our very own girls from TheZone was heartwarming. They davened and sang (in another room of course) and created a happy atmosphere that was contagious. At times, I couldn’t figure out who was a camper and who was staff. It’s beautiful to see how far these girls have come in their Judaism!
As for the program, everything was planned with the greatest amount of detail and sensitivity. Every meal was filled with speeches that were both inspirational and just the right amount of time. The singing and dancing were truly uplifting and as anyone who has been to an Oorah event knows, the food was amazing. The dueling Rabbis kept everyone rolling with laughter, and being set up with Torah Mates truly accomplished the mission of why we were there: to both teach and inspire.
Outside of the incredible program, there were many opportunities to meet our “guest” families and to hear their stories. There were stories of triumph, stories of difficulties, and stories of how Oorah made a difference in their lives. It was so comforting for them to have someone to listen with a caring ear, a loving heart, without being judgmental, while offering words of encouragement. I hope to continue building on the relationships that my family and I formed with some of the “guests” and campers.
My Rosh Hashanah experience left me with a huge sense of pride to be affiliated with an organization whose actions are absolutely selfless, and whose agenda is figuring out how they can do more to bring Hashem’s precious children back to their roots!
