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January 22, 2010
A lifelong connection
A deep bond between friends was forged at camp.
KAREN TWAIN
Just over 40 years ago, I won the Bible quiz at Sunday school. My reward: a partial scholarship to Camp Solomon Schechter. As I look back, this was one of the defining moments of my life. Going to camp changed my life.
Schechter taught me so many things – what being Jewish meant, how to interact with people from diverse backgrounds, how to be a leader. The most important gift that I gained from my summer camp experience was a group of friends who have become my extended family. To this day, I am still in touch with my Schechter pals; three of them exemplify for me the meaning of friendship.
I knew only one other camper before I arrived in Olympia, Wash. One of the first people I met was Shelley Huppin from Spokane. She was sweet and giggly and easy to be around. Shelley and I ended up going to camp every summer that we could so our friendship grew stronger every year. Along the way, we became close with Eva Corets from Bellevue and Wendy Friedman from Mercer Island. Eva was straightforward and practical with a heart of gold. Wendy was the all-around kid – pretty, fun, humorous and smart.
The four of us forged a bond at camp that continued when we all traveled to Israel on a United Synagogue Youth Israel Pilgrimage. We came from four different places, but we lived through letters and phone calls until we could meet up again at camp every summer.
Eva, Shelley and I were all counselors together at Schechter with Wendy, a year younger, visiting us regularly that summer. Wendy and I went on to live in Israel together in college and Eva and Shelley moved to different cities during our 20s. All the while, we stayed in close touch. As time went on, it was very clear to the four of us that we had something special.
Wendy married her camp sweetheart from Tacoma and Eva married the boyfriend that she met on Pilgrimage. We are in our late forties now and I am proud and amazed at the successes we have experienced. Shelley (now Rochelle) is a renowned chef and entrepreneur; Eva has done well for herself in Microsoft as a senior director in media strategy; Wendy is a leader in the community as a regional executive director for the American Jewish Committee; and I have carved out a name for myself as a school principal. Personally, we have nine children among us – all beautiful in their own ways (and all cherishing the stories that we share with them of our youth).
We have been there for each other through the good and the tough times. We feel tremendous pride when one of the children celebrates a bar or bat mitzvah, and we have all been there to experience the naches firsthand. When one of us receives an award or accolade, the others make an effort to be in the audience. A few years back, Shelley was honored by the National Council of Jewish Women for her philanthropy. Eva, Wendy and I flew to Los Angeles to be in the audience and give a standing ovation for our good friend.
We’ve shared difficult times as well. Wendy lost her father and my mom passed away. It was no surprise to us that our camp buddies were right there to help us through our grief. We were all devastated when Eva called a few years ago to say that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It didn’t take long to come up with a plan. I drove up to Seattle from Portland, Shelley flew in from Los Angeles to Seattle and I picked her up at the airport. We headed over to Eva’s house, where Wendy joined us in some serious cooking. We not only put away food for Eva and her family, but we sat down to a delicious dinner where we reminisced and shared stories. The laughter and the tears that night did wonders for Eva’s health and all of our spirits.
Through all of life’s ups and downs over the last 40 years, Shelley, Eva, Wendy and I have been there – together. I often think back to my summer days at Camp Solomon Schechter. I am so appreciative of what I gained at Schechter that I became a board member in order to give back. My children attend Solomon Schechter and, even at their young ages, they realize that they have come upon a Jewish experience that will have an impact on their lives now and in the future. My wish is that they will find friendships like I did at Camp Solomon Schechter, where, as the slogan says, “Judaism and joy are one.”
Karen Twain was raised in and still lives in Portland, Ore. There she is the principal of an elementary school and she is on the executive board for Camp Solomon Schechter. She lives with her partner and two children.
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