Whenever I meet Camp Interlaken alumni – like the alumni who preceded me at camp – I’m always asked about songbooks. Timidly, because I know they might be disappointed, I share the news: we don’t use songbooks at camp anymore. There’s usually a pause before they ask, “So…how does everyone know the words?”
When I arrived at camp in 2006, I remember songbooks being passed out at the end of each meal. They were housed in duo-tang folders that clearly had been loved by many over the years. They sat on the tables in the
chadar ochel, untouched, while the song leaders hyped the room up for song session. One by one, campers would stand up and walk to the center of the
chadar, ready to sing and dance their hearts out – without a songbook. Nobody was using them.
Still, we kept putting them out at every lunch and dinner. And every time, they just sat there, unopened, in the middle of the table, while campers left them behind to participate with ruach.
At the end of that summer, my predecessor, Howard Wagan, shared an idea he had seen at the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Cornerstone Fellow Conference: they projected the lyrics on a screen during song sessions. He loved the concept and brought it back to Interlaken.
Howard explained that most campers weren’t engaging with the songbooks anymore because they were already up and out of their seats.
Instead of looking down at pages, they were looking up and around – at each other, at their community. It was a win. We realized that if we could project the words, everyone could follow along, and our song sessions would be even more inclusive.
Instead of a projector and screen, we installed TV monitors and a computer in the
chadar ochel to bring this vision to life. We started with just three televisions, one computer, and a small library of PowerPoint slides with lyrics. Today, we have five TVs.
Unlike our songbook-loving alumni, who sat at their tables for song sessions in years past, today’s campers and staff are a little rowdier. They get up, they dance, they sing, they jump, they mosh (a little), they visit with friends, siblings, and cousins in other cabins, they climb on Ozrim – and they feed off the energy in the room.
Song sessions are still meaningful. They’re still powerful. They’re still super fun. And they’re still at the heart of camp. Music at Interlaken is everything.
We found a way to maintain the power of the song sessions in a way that is more relevant for current campers.
Bringing Back Songbooks for Connection and Fundraising
The truth is: Camp has evolved. It’s grown up – a little. But just like the lyrics of our favorite camp songs, the soundtrack of camp never really leaves us. It just finds new ways to show up.
And that’s why, for our 60th Anniversary celebration this June,
we’re bringing the songbook back. Not the exact duo-tang folder version, but a newly printed edition that honors the ones that once lived on our tables, got signed at the end of each session, and made their way home in duffels packed with bug-spray-soaked clothes and memories that took all year to unpack.
This new edition will look like the old songbooks – nostalgic, familiar, and full of heart.
It’s our way of reconnecting with the past while celebrating the present.
And in true Interlaken tradition, we want everyone’s names inside.
We’re inviting our entire community – alumni, campers, staff, families, and friends – to sign the songbook. Whether you’re attending the 60th celebration or not, you’re welcome to add your name. For $18, you can include your name and a message in this special edition. Every message will be printed, creating a forever keepsake that links generations of ruach-filled summers.
Those who won’t attend the 60
th Anniversary festivities in person can go online to sign the songbook and purchase one for $35.
Because even though we don’t pass them out at every meal anymore, the spirit of the songbook – and the songs themselves – is still very much alive. They’re in our voices, our hearts, our memories.
And this summer, they’ll be in our hands again, too.
What This Could Mean For Your Camp
First, are there traditions your camp is holding onto that could be made more relevant for current campers and families? Consider how to update those traditions while maintaining the core that makes it special to your camp.
Second, are there old traditions or symbols of camp that truly resonate with your past campers, staff, and families that could be brought back in a new way to engage them by making the past tangible again, like holding an updated songbook in your hand? Is there a way to help actively connect your alumni to your traditions or symbols, like having them add their name or memories to the upgraded songbook?
Finally, is there a fundraising opportunity in those old traditions that could be leveraged at your next reunion or anniversary event?
About Toni: Toni Davison Levenberg, the Executive Director of Camp Interlaken, joined the team in January 2006. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, she has actively been involved in camping and informal Jewish education since she was a camper at JCC Camp Arthur-Reeta. Toni has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies from The Spertus Institute of Jewish Learning and Leadership. Prior to working at Camp Interlaken, Toni was the Assistant Director of House in the Wood Camp serving inner-city Chicago children, the Sales & Operations Manager of Camp CHI’s Perlstein Resort & Conference Center, and a Software Engineer with two consulting firms. In 2007, Toni was selected as one of 12 resident camp directors to be a Mandel Senior Fellow in the Lekhu Lakhem program through the JCC Association’s Mandel Center for Jewish Education. Also, Toni graduated from the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s prestigious Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) in 2019. Toni currently serves as a member of the Wisconsin BBYO FAN Commission, and she is an advisor for Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority at University of Wisconsin. Toni lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband Jonah and her children Jaron (13) and Nava (10). Toni is looking forward to her 20th summer at Camp Interlaken.
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