the opportunity to share her summer camp experience
with her children, Jeffrey, 20, and Carly, 17 — though
they do get to have some of their own independence,
too. Both attended Nock-A-Mixon for nine years. Jeffrey
spent one summer as a counselor, and Carly will follow that
same path this year.

“It’s such a great experience,” Silverman said. “I just feel so hon-
ored and so blessed that I was able to work at a camp so that my
kids were able to go to camp.”
She said the camp owners, Mark and Bernice Glaser, know every
single kid. Her son attended the camp before she started working
there, so she was able to see the other side of camp as a parent.

When she received the infamous summer camp letter from her
soon-to-be sixth-grader Jeffrey — with some lines like “I miss you,”
“I’m lonely” and “come get me” — she called the camp.

Within 10 minutes, both Glasers checked in on him and called
Silverman back, saying he was now walking up from the lake and
having a great time with new friends.

It’s the subtle behind-the-scenes extra care and attentiveness that
makes summer camp so special.

When she was a camper, the summer was all about being with
her friends and playing sports.

“Now, as an adult at an overnight camp,” Silverman continued,
“you just meet people from all over. One of the things I really like
about driving counselors on their off days is that [Nock-A-Mixon
has] staff from England, and the kitchen and maintenance staff is
from Hungary and Poland, so none of them have cars.”
When she drives them around, “we get to chat, and it’s just so in-
teresting learning about them. It kind of makes me feel young at heart.”
Susan Silverman’s job at Camp Nock-A-Mixon has varied over the years, but she is mainly in
charge of running the cooking class, where she and the campers make one or two recipes each
week based on a different theme.

Bart Davis is also young at heart and will be 69 by the time the
festivities start at Camp Galil in June. He has worked there for 21
summers, now going on 22.

Camp Galil, located in Ottsville, was founded by an international
youth movement, Habonim Dror North America, the progressive
Labor-Zionist youth movement.

Davis primarily works as a liaison between the camp and parents
See CAMP, Page 16
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