Most people in BBYO have been to a summer camp and say that it’s the best experience of their lives. I agree. I go to Beber Camp in Wisconsin. It used to be part of the B’nai Brith movement, so it shares many traditions with BBYO, which allows me to relive camp each time I go to events.

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My first summer at camp in 2018, Israeli dancing was very popular. My counselor first taught us Toy and Golden Boy, then later switched to Zeben Zeben and Zahav. Nothing can describe the feeling of getting on the basketball courts after Friday night shabbat with the entire camp and dancing your hearts out to songs you don't know the lyrics of. As the years passed, they introduced more and more dances. Israeli dancing was such a major part of my camp experience that I brought it back home to Atlanta and started teaching it at my Sunday school. Once I joined BBYO and went to my first convention, I realized Israeli dancing is a thing there too, even if the dances were different than mine. It was amazing to see a tradition I've had since I was a little kid be a part of my normal life.

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Havdalah has always been nostalgic for me. Every time I hear those familiar tunes, I get taken back to being eight and singing them with my friends. Smelling the spices was the sweetest experience. Doing it again, BBYO just made all of it an even better experience, bringing me back to one of my favorite places.

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