Camp season begins

KYLE BERGER

Though the snow has not yet said its final goodbye, it is officially camp season in Vancouver. Mid-winter is the peak time for summer camp registration and area camps were out in full force last Sunday at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver for the second annual Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver Camp Fair.

This year's event featured seven camps that serve the Pacific Northwest, including Camp Solomon Schechter, Camp Hatikvah, Camp Miriam, Camp Gan Israel, JCC Camp Shalom, Camp Kalsman and Camp Nageela.

"Camp Gan Israel is probably one of the oldest camps in the world," said Levi Mimoun of Vancouver's Camp Gan Israel. "There is one in every city in the world that has a Chabad representative there."

Levi explained that, at his camp, a day camp that calls Vancouver Talmud Torah's facilities home this summer, "We do some davening in the morning and we have a lot of fun.

"This year, we are going to try to make the camp a more European style by doing more activities outside and going on more trips."

Camp Solomon Schechter, based in Olympia, Wash., is now in its 55th summer. Veronica Klein, who drove in from Seattle for the fair, said her camp brought in new leadership last summer, along with several new counsellors, and a ton of fresh energy.

"It has really been a great trickle down effect because it is the excited, motivated staff that makes the summer really good for the kids," she explained. "We have also restructured our staff so that we could provide more specialized programming in arts, video and sports."

Klein noted that Schechter is a kosher, Shabbat-observant camp that really emphasizes Jewish traditions. "The campers really come away with a sense of tradition in their own way," she said. "Everyone remembers the songs that they sang with their friends from all over the Pacific Northwest."

Camp Kalsman, owned and operated by the Reform movement, is preparing for their third summer at their location north of Seattle. Representative Briana Holtzman said the camp hopes to improve this summer on the 65 per cent increase in registration it saw between seasons one and two, with close to 600 campers.

"Our 300 acres of land allows us to really do everything," she said. "We really focus on our adventure programming, with our 50-foot climbing tower, hiking and mountain biking. We tie it all together with a strong music program and a connection to Judaism."

At Camp Miriam, located on Gabriola Island, it's all about working together in a Jewish, Zionist environment, according to three of the camp's summer staff.

"Camp is kind of modelled off of a kibbutz," explained George Stephens. "It is meant to make everyone learn and live together."

Carmy Tint noted that Miriam's programming divides campers into groups of all ages and teaches them to respect and learn from each other: "Kids of all different ages engage in discussions together. So what the eight-year-old has to say is just as important as what the 15-year-old has to say."

Anat Fuxinboim, Camp Miriam's Israeli representative, commented that the Habonim D'ror-run program "... emphasizes Hebrew and puts a lot of attention on Zionism and programs related to Israel, which makes it more special to the campers."

Of course, the JCCGV's Camp Shalom also had representation at this year's fair. Director Shirly Goldstein said her camp's formula for success is very simple. "We are the most fun camp with the most amazing staff," she declared. "Our staff is all university-aged leaders who have been involved with us for years; they love children and they love what they do."

Camp Shalom, a day camp that operates out of the JCCGV, features a preschool camp led by trained early childhood educators, as well as various other programs for kids of all ages. This year, they are adding specialty camps in August, which will include soccer, cooking, art, robot science, health spa and softball programs.

Camp Hatikvah, one of the larger Canadian camps, with their property in Oyama, B.C., is affiliated with the Young Judaea youth movement. It features water sports like kayaking, waterskiing, wakeboarding, sailing and accredited swim lessons.

Camp Nageela was the one camp at the fair not located in the Pacific Northwest, calling 500 acres of rural Indiana home. With wide, open fields, forested trails and waterfalls, the camp has programming for those interested in horseback riding, woodworking, ceramic pottery and various off-site trips.

For more information, visit www.ganisraelbc.com, www.campschechter.org, www.kalsman.urjcamps.org, www.campmiriam.org, www.jccgv.com, www.camphatikvah.com and www.campnageelamidwest.org.

Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer living in Richmond.

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