BJH: Rabbi Beren and Rabbi Baldinger, please tell us a little about yourselves.
Rabbi Beren: I attended Yeshiva of Greater Washington and later received semichah, a
Master’s in Education, an MBA, and a law degree. I’m currently living in Baltimore with my wife and family. Rabbi Baldinger also received semichah from YGW and a Master’s in Education from George Washington University. He was a Rebbe in Memphis and at the Torah School of Greater Washington and now lives in Silver Spring with his family.
BJH: How did the two of you meet and decide to start this organization together?
Rabbi Baldinger: We first met at GWU grad school, where we both pursued a master’s in education. We also got to know each other at Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Washington.
We had noticed that there were many local middle school aged boys who were off of school without any structure in the summertime. Rabbi Beren and I both grew up going to camp and recognized the importance of growing and being productive in the summer. We felt that we could make a difference in these children’s lives by starting a local day camp.
So, around 15 years ago, we started Jewish Teen Camp intended to promote unity among campers, inspired by Harav Aharon Lopiansky and Rebbetzin Yaffa Lopiansky’s vision of one day opening an overnight camp.
BJH: What made you decide to dedicate yourselves to children and combating bullying, among all the other important causes and issues in our community?
Rabbi Baldinger: When we decided to make the big transition from day camp to overnight camp, we asked ourselves the following questions:
- How do we identify ourselves as leaders and role models?
- What makes our camp special and unique beyond the typical fun and activities?
- What are some issues in Klal Yisrael that we feel we can help resolve through camp?
We knew we wanted to be a place where children felt good about themselves. We knew we wanted our camp to be a place of achdus and warmth.
After a few successful summers, we noticed and heard from parents that so many children in Camp Chaverim experienced an incredible boost in self-confidence over the summer. The positive effect of camp was palpable to all of our staff.
We took some time to reflect and analyze what exactly we were doing that was helping so many individual children feel special and valued. We were able to identify some concrete steps towards building up children and preventing/stopping bullying, which we ultimately turned into a program called Buildup. After running Buildup in camp for a few summers, we brought it into schools, which has also made a tremendously positive impact, Baruch Hashem.
BJH: Can you give me an example of how Reyus has impacted a child’s life?
Rabbi Beren: There was a boy who applied to Camp Chaverim a few years ago, who had significant social/emotional challenges in school. With the implementation of our Buildup program, this boy had remarkable growth in his ability to relate to others, and manage challenging situations. This growth enabled him to become socially accepted and appreciated by his peers. Buildup turned around his life, and he Baruch Hashem, continues to flourish not only during the summer in Camp Chaverim, but the entire year!
BJH: Just this past year you’ve taken your program national. What made you take the leap at this time? How has it been going?
Rabbi Beren: Thank G-d, we have successfully implemented Buildup in eight different schools in the Baltimore/Washington area. We recognized that it was time to expand and to give schools in other cities and communities the opportunity to benefit from this program.
Thank G-d, we have already been able to connect with 3 schools that are outside of Maryland. We hope to continue to broaden Buildup to more schools across the country!
BJH: What inspires you to stay passionate and dedicated to this work?
Rabbi Baldinger: With Hashem’s help, we have been given an opportunity to teach and model for children how they can feel good about themselves and appreciate others. It’s hard to think of something more meaningful and satisfying than to watch your hard work truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.
Reyus is dedicated to building up children and recognizing their individual value to empower them to live with confidence and joy. Their groundbreaking programs, Buildup and Camp Chaverim, counteract and prevent the destructive consequences of bullying by allowing children to appreciate their own distinctive value and provide them with the tools to succeed. To learn more or make a donation, go to reyus.org.
