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Article
for Parents
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What's
a Jewish Camp?
by
Carol Sorgen
Many
Jewish parents choose to sent their children to "Jewish"
summer camp. But ask them, or even camp directors, to define
a Jewish camp and you will hear a number of answers.
"Some say a Jewish camp is any place that has Jewish campers,"
says Steve Eller, director of Beth Tfiloh Camps. The private,
non-profit camps Airy and Louise, for example, are known
as Jewish camps because they were chartered for Jewish children
73 years ago and cater almost exclusively to Jewish campers.
However, while they have Shabbat services and are "Kosher-style,"
parents who want their children to have a strong Jewish
camping experience will send their kids elsewhere, says
executive director Ed Cohen.
"When others says Jewish camp, they mean a place where their
children can have a very intensive Jewish experience," Steve
Eller adds. "Basically, parents have to know what they mean
by Jewish camp.
"No one camp is perfect for everybody," Mr. Eller continues.
"As value-laden as religion is, parents have to know what
their relation to Judaism is."
To Mr. Eller, a Jewish camp might encompass seven aspects:
- General
programming
- Special
programming
- Staffing
- Dietary
considerations
- Hebrew
language
- Israeli
culture
- Campers
themselves
In
terms of programming, says Mr. Eller, a Jewish camp such
as Beth Tfiloh will try to incorporate Jewish content into
as many areas of camp life as possible. "Judaism is not
a subject as much as an atmosphere," he explains. "It affects
all of our programming, from using Hebrew words to identify
our groups and different camp sites, to having a treasure
hunt and searching for the missing afikomen instead of a
pot of gold."
When it comes to campcraft, Jewish campers will learn about
kosher outdoor cooking, while activities such as music and
dance lend themselves especially well to a Judaic or Israeli
theme.
"Adding a Jewish or Israeli element doesn't change the nature
of the activity," says Mr. Eller. "Our major intent at camp
is still recreational and educational. It just complements
the camping experience."
Mr. Eller notes that staffing a Jewish camp presents a unique
situation. "The staff at Beth Tfiloh, for example, is primarily
Jewish," he observes, "unless the skill is more important
than being Jewish. I'd rather have a highly skilled physical
education instructor who is not Jewish, than a moderately
skilled teacher who is Jewish. There aren't a lot of Jewish
phys. Ed. teachers around, so I do hire non-Jewish instructors."
Camp Milldale, operated by the Jewish Community Center of
Baltimore, an agency of The Associated, is another day camp
in Baltimore that considers itself a Jewish camp. Like Beth
Tfiloh, Camp Milldale uses the Hebrew language to name the
children's bunks and identify camp sites, incorporates Shabbat
programming into its Friday afternoon activities, brings
in visitors from Baltimore's sister city in Israel, Kiryat
Gat, and emphasizes Israeli culture, such as folk dancing,
songs, and the history and geography of Israel.
According to camp director Debbie Zylberberg, the campers
also start each morning not only with the Pledge of Allegiance,
but also with the singing of Hatikvah (the Israeli
national anthem). In addition, the staffers stress such
Jewish themes as charity by having the students from time
to time bring in an extra lunch to be sent down to a shelter
for the needy.
In an effort to make the campers' Jewish experience even
more complete, this year camp staff from Milldale and Beth
Tfiloh will meet with representatives of the Council on
Jewish Education Services to learn how to expand their Jewish
content.
"We think this is important," says Ms. Zylberberg, "because
we have non-Jewish staff members, and we also have Jewish
staffers who might not know as much as we should if we're
going to teach our campers."
Parents who are looking for a residential Jewish camp also
have a number of options throughout the country, including
Habonim D’or Camp Moshava, located just outside Bel Air
in Harford County.
"We're a camp that teaches Jewish values and Israeli culture,"
says Rachel Glaser, camp manager, noting that the camp's
philosophy is one of labor Zionism.
Catering to children from 9 through 16, Camp Moshava is
run as a kibbutz. "There are a lot of cooperative activities
here, so the children learn to share and take responsibility,"
says Ms. Glaser. That includes daily chores such as planting,
carpentry, sign painting, and kitchen duty.
"Our goal is to develp a sense of community among campers
and staff, just like a kibbutz," Ms. Glaser explains.
The camp also has a Jewish staff, a Kosher kitchen, and
emphasizes Israeli culture and Jewish values in all its
programming. "The Judaic and Israeli aspects permeate the
camp on an informal basis," says Ms. Glaser.
Perhaps surprisingly, Camp Moshava's young residents come
from a variety of religious backgrounds, from the "very
liberal to the very traditional," from those not involved
at all Judaically to kids from day schools and congregational
schools.
"For some of our campers," Ms. Glaser observes, "this is
the only Jewish involvement they have. That's why it's important
to us to give them a positive Jewish experience and to teach
them Judaically."
According to Lenny Silberman, a consultant on camping services
to the national Jewish Community Centers Association (JCCA)
in New York, the Jewish experience provided at Beth Tfiloh,
Milldale, and Moshava, is part of a national trend. Of 17
communally sponsored Jewish overnight camps (out of 30 in
the United States) that responded to a 1993 JCCA survey,
all reported that they had a Jewish educator or rabbi on
staff.
Mr. Silberman says an "interesting phenomenon" is going
on. Most camps have Jewish staff, Jewish programming, and
Jewish daily activities, such as saying a blessing before
meals and afterwards, and having a Jewish word for the day.
The best learning is accomplished, Mr. Silberman says, when
the Jewish staff members "just walk around camp, talking
to kids informally… it gives the children a different perspective."
"It can't be a Jewish camp today without this element,"
Mr. Silberman says. He also believes that it can't be a
Jewish camp without an extensive Shabbat experience.
"There clearly needs to be a difference in the day, from
Friday afternoon preparations for Shabbat to Saturday evening
Havdalah." The programs, activities, even leisure time,
he says, must point to Shabbat as a special time of the
week.
That is an important bonus. Harvey Finkelberg, the executive
director of Fresh Air Society, which runs the Jewish Camp
Tamarack in Detroit, believes that the Jewish events trigger
the strongest response from campers.
"Years later," he says, "our former campers tell us about
our Shabbat, Havdalah, or Tisha b'Av program they experienced."
Steve Eller of Beth Tfiloh Camps sums up the Jewish camp
experience by saying, "It's one place in the Jewish community
where kids can mix in a positive way with other Jewish youngsters
from a variety of backgrounds--Orthodox, Conservative, Reform
Reconstructionist, even unaffiliated. They get to learn
about each other and have fun in a Jewish atmosphere."
This article originally appeared in the Baltimore Jewish
Times.
Carol
Sorgen is a freelance writer in Baltimore, Maryland. Her
articles appear in newspapers and magazines across the country,
as well as on numerous on-line sites.
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