I’m not a fool. I know that by writing this letter, I am setting myself up to become a punching bag on the very Whatsapp groups I am about to discuss. Since I had an up-close view of this tremendous camp challenge that was faced this week, I feel the need to express my feelings. I am not one to give mussar. That is definitely not my intention. I simply want to give over my impressions as someone who was personally involved in this crisis and to relate what I saw as an individual. I truly hope that this type of response to a problematic situation will not become the norm and will not be repeated in the future. A camp was stuck without a campus in the last minute, and they tried valiantly to work on an appropriate plan of action until things would fall into place. Clearly, the accommodations procured were very far from what parents or children would expect from a camp. Parents are responsible for their children’s welfare and safety. They have every right to expect that from the camp in which their child is enrolled. It is a fact that the parents and their children were let down, big time. But was THIS the solution to the problem? The entire idea of people’s serious problems “going viral” really creates a very terrible situation. First of all, it’s simply wrong. Secondly, it tremendously exacerbates the problems. If people really were so upset, a better way to use their energy would have been to try to help. This koach hatzibbur could have been utilized to try to correct the problem in a quicker and more thorough way, rather than using online forums simply to gossip and bash people. Let’s not forget that there were staff members who literally worked 48 hours straight, not eating, drinking or sleeping throughout this time. Why do they deserve to get publicly shamed? This negative feedback destroyed any energy that may have existed to try to get things right! Many mistakes were made. But taking pictures, sending them out and making the matzav look completely out of control just made things get even more chaotic. Without a doubt, the biggest challenge of the entire ordeal was dealing with those who spread negative information, rather than spending their time rebuilding. The biggest heartache was watching the wonderful Head staff, who were working so hard but were repeatedly getting slandered across the globe by people who offered no practical help. When did we become a community in which tolerance doesn’t exist? When did we become a community where not only are people not given a second chance – they don’t even get a first chance? Why is someone else’s failure “exciting?” We all could one day be in a position of “failure,” and we all would want to be given a second chance.  More importantly, we deserve a second chance. What we learn from this situation, is that blogs, WhatsApp groups and the negativity and motzi shem ra that is shared on these forums, destroy any potential good that people can accomplish. There were a number of parents who showed up to the camp livid about conditions they were hearing about through Whatsapp groups and on the Internet. Those same parents were present when […]