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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.

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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.

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