Austin Zoot & Dori Singer
URJ Kutz Camp
When/how/where at camp did you meet?
We met at the URJ Kutz Camp in 2010 at NFTY Mechina, when we were both serving on regional board.
Was it love right away?
Absolutely not! It took summers of friendship to finally come around to the idea that maybe, just maybe, everything we had been looking for in a partner was right there in front of us all along. Austin figured it out much faster than Dori did…then he had to convince her it was a good idea. Here we are, and she has to admit he was right!
Do you find that your time at camp has influenced your relationship/marriage/family?
Camp has served as the foundation for who each of us are, as well as the underpinning of our life’s work. Austin is studying to be a rabbi and Dori is the NFTY Ohio Valley Regional Advisor, and we both live out the values that Jewish camp taught us every single day. As a couple, we speak the language of Jewish camp in our home, and are shaped as a couple by our shared experiences at camp and our mutual love of the values and purpose that guides us.
What happened between you when camp ended that summer?
At the end of each summer, we had invested the time in our friendship to grow even closer, and ensure that it was always a “l’hitraot,” a “see you later,” and never a “goodbye”. It was on our way to a summer at camp that Austin asked Dori to marry him and to make sure that that summer would last a lifetime.
Did you have any camp themed thing at your wedding?
Our wedding, which will be in May, is going to take place at Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI) and will be entirely camp themed! From a Maccabiah rehearsal dinner to a campfire and s’mores, we have found countless ways to show our family and friends just how important our camp experiences were to crafting who we are. #ZootFamilyCamp
Will you send your kids to camp?
Camp made us who we are, and we are so excited to one day share that with our children, who will have camp to thank for helping us to start our family.