I still wanted to go back to camp to be with my friends, but my inspiration of becoming a better Jew was not there.
June 27, 2012. As the long awaited day finally came, my best friend and I were on our way back to camp. This year I thought, I am not going to get “brainwashed” again. I did not even attempt to keep the first Shabbos in camp, but as time went by the inspiration that stirred up in my body last year suddenly came back again.
In the summer of 2012 I really changed into the person that I am today. Last year I wanted to grow and I wanted to be a better person. I learned from my mistakes and started taking everything slowly. When I got back from camp I kept half of Shabbos for the first few weeks and soon I began keeping all 25 hours. Then I became interested in learning the beliefs of Judaism. To this day I am still learning and I know I will keep growing for a long time. When my friends in school ask if I’m religious I answer back “not yet.” The friends I made in camp help me each step of the way to become a better Jew and to understand my religion and I know they won’t judge me if I make a mistake.
This camp changed my view on Judaism. I never expected Jews to be so fun and understanding. I always thought that Jews looked down on me because I was not as religious. TheZone helped me see that no matter how religious you are, you are always a Jew and it is never too late to get closer to Hashem.