My Kehillah Kedoshah

It's been a while. I've accepted a new position here at the Academy, which means that I officially started working on Friday. It's the first time since I was four that I am not a camper or working at a camp. It doesn't actually feel as weird as I expected it would. I'm excited to see what this year brings. I'm currently in a state of transition. I moved out of my Fellow apartment into another temporary Fellow apartment until my Houseparent apartment is ready. I half unpacked so I could feel somewhat comfortable for the time being, but didn't do much because I know that I will be moving soon. I came across old journals. I started to read my BCI journal from last summer. It is filled with notes from speakers I found interesting, observations about the community I was a part of, and lots of writing prompts from my Theater workshop.

This particular entry from that journal (I think) was just me reflecting on all that BCI had me thinking about:

I like to try and imagine myself in my ideal Jewish community. What kind of label would I give myself? I like to say that I would like to live in a pluralistic community, but really I want to experience a shomer shabbat community. I want to know what it is to be surrounded by observant, educated (I'm well aware that the two don't necessarily go hand in hand) Jews all the time. I want to understand and experiment with how flexible halakhah can be. I want to take on more mitzvot. I need a community that helps me to grow in that way. I want to keep my liberal ideals. I want to learn to appreciate all forms of Jewish expression, not just the ones that appeal to me. I want to fit into a community, yet be challenged by it.
-BCI 2010