Dear CYJ Family,
CYJ Midwest is a place where we take care of each other all year long. Just a few short weeks ago, the full time staff was prepping for camp programming, talking to families every day about the excitement of the summer and interviewing excited college students who were eager to take the next step in their camp journey. Now, as we continue to stay at home for the safety of our community, we are connecting online more than ever before. As many of us have shared with us, we are all dealing with something that does not have a playbook, and that brings with it the uncertainty of not knowing what to expect.
This is the letter I was hoping not to write - and for you, the letter you were hoping would not come in your inbox. After weeks of careful, thorough and thoughtful evaluation of the realities presented by COVID-19, we have made the heart-breaking decision to cancel all sessions of Camp Young Judaea Midwest for this summer. With the lack of testing, as well as the lack of federal and state specific guidelines, the CYJ Midwest Board of DIrectors and I feel that this is the best decision for the health and safety of everyone in our community. It was not what anyone was expecting for the 2020 summer.
To our community, we see that your hearts are broken for the hundreds of campers and staff who won’t get to have the formative camp experiences this summer that you remember. They will have to defer those dreams, at least until next summer, and we know that you feel the loss along with them. CYJ is a place where we take care of our campers, parents, alumni and community.
We love CYJ and what it has done physically, mentally and spiritually for ourselves, as well as our children, grandchildren, friends and family. We will persist and we will need your support to continue building for the future.
Please
consider making a donation
- for every dollar raised, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation will match it 50%
(for example, if you donate $1,000, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation will match $500, making your donation to camp $1,500)
.
Even though in 2020 we can’t be all together at CYJ Midwest’s site in Waupaca, we know we remain close to your hearts and you, ours. Our 50th season will run in 2021, and we will be together again. CYJ is a place where we take care of each other. CYJ is stronger together
We invite our entire CYJ Midwest family to join us this Friday evening, 6 pm CT, for a community
Kabbalat Shabbat/Shira Shketah
session. It will be a chance for all of us to spend time together as we head into Shabbat.
With love,
Robin Anderson, Director, CYJ Midwest
Brian Jaffee, President, CYJ Midwest
