“Summer Camp” is The Jonah Maccabee Foundation’s summer fundraiser for 2015. Throughout June and July 2015, we’ll be remembering — through the writing of his friends as well as some who watched from the sidelines — experiences, both great and small, that were part of Jonah’s seventeen years (from age 1 to 18) at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. We’re hoping you’ll be inspired to help us help Kutz continue its wildly successful work of helping teens blaze a summer’s path to a whole, healthy life. Please consider making your tax-deductible gift at jonahmac.org. Thank you. You’re the best!

Kyleigh Banks remembers …

Hi! I’m Kyleigh Banks, and I attended Kutz Camp as a camper three times. The first year I majored in Song Leading and the next two years I participated in the Regional Board Track. I was extremely involved in NFTY following my first year at Kutz, and I am so blessed to have been a part of such a great movement of Jewish young adults. After graduating high school I participated in a Birthright trip to Israel. I fell in love with the country, and a boy, and have lived in Israel ever since!

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Jonah Dreskin and I met at Kutz in 2007. Jonah was going to be a senior and I was just going to be a sophomore. It wasn’t merely our age difference that made me look up to Jonah; it was the way he carried himself. He was so witty and had this I’ll-do-what-I-want energy that I would just feed off of. He cared so much about other people, but really didn’t care what they thought about him.

Kyleigh and Jonah @ NFTY Convention (Dec 2007)

In the summer of 2007, our group of friends would often sit in the grass and play guitar. Every day, all day, you could find us there. Jonah and I both brought guitars with us that year, and even though I was a beginner, I really enjoyed trying to keep up with him.

Along with my cheap guitar I also brought a guitar capo. It was a very old, icky looking capo. Jonah had this new, fancy guitar capo, and for some reason he insisted that we trade. I thought he was crazy for requesting this – as his was much more expensive – but I handed mine over nonetheless.

The years went by, we remained very close friends and always joked about the trade we made that very first summer. No matter how horrible of a trade it was for him, I am forever grateful that I have something tangible to help me remember my first summer at camp. To remember the best summer of my life. To remember some of the greatest people I have ever met. To remember Jonah.

Kyleigh

Do you have a memory of Jonah at Kutz? Share it as a comment below. And please donate to our “Summer Camp ‘15″ campaign at jonahmac.org/donate. Thanks!