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Dec. 30, 2005
Formative youth experience
Summers at a Jewish camp means new friends and new learning.
EVA COHEN
To many Jewish youngsters, summer break means camp. Not a city
day camp, but a sleep-away camp that all their friends go to and
where they really learn about true ruach (spirit).
Some Jewish camps are more religious, while others have a very strong
Zionist philosophy. All across North America, parents spend thousands
to send their kids to camp – not just because the kids like
it, but because if they don't go, they're not "cool."
Many kids begin camp at a young age. They go for one week at a time
and stay at the same camp throughout all of their formative years.
The goal for many young campers is to someday be a counsellor, or
even camp director.
My camp story is a bit different. I didn't attend as a young child
and only went for the first time after Grade 5. I attended Camp
B'nai Brith-Riback for that first summer and the summer following.
It was there that I really learned about the camp experience. Every
morning we were awoken (at a time that always seemed to be far too
early) by "The Funk's Your Brother" on the camp speaker
phone. We began and ended every meal with prayers in Hebrew. To
me, this wasn't too unusual, because I grew up with Shabbat at home
and attended synagogue regularly, but I could see that to many,
camp was the learning ground for their fundamental knowledge of
Hebrew.
BB's activities make it a very diverse camp. It's located on Pine
Lake, near Red Deer, Alta., which is halfway between Edmonton and
Calgary. There are water activities and many land sports, such as
baseball and soccer. The camp is also lucky to boast a corral with
horses and a ropes course. I am scared of heights yet I still did
the ropes course – it is not often that you get an opportunity
to participate daily in activities like that.
The following year, I was looking for a change of pace and went
to Camp Hatikvah in the Okanagan.
At Hatikvah there were, of course, the unique rituals, songs and
activities, but at its heart, there was the same Jewish pride. The
three-week period was capped off by the Maccabiah Games, just like
at BB – a direct link to Jewish athleticism and competitiveness
around the globe.
My favorite part about Hatikvah was the water sports. The camp is
beautifully situated on a peninsula and there were dock activities
three times a day. This varied between canoeing, kayaking, sailing,
canoeing, swimming and water skiing. If you don't like water, this
camp isn't for you.
Hatikvah is affiliated with Habonim, so students completing Grade
9 are required to attend Habonim in the east for the summer if they
wish to come back the following year to become counsellors-in-training.
This plan didn't work out for me, so I went hunting for another
camp.
A few of my friends had ventured down into the States to attend
Camp Solomon Shechter in Washington and had really enjoyed themselves.
They said that it was a very different camp than B'nai Brith, because
you didn't really "rough it" there. Buildings were new
and had washrooms in each cabin. Such a luxury!
Others travelled to Gabriola Island to try out Camp Miriam. They
really enjoyed the social structure at the camp: a lot of ruach
and a tight-knit community. But they don't speak so fondly of the
"Camp Miriam shuffle." This routine involved the weekly
process of showering because water was so scarce on the island.
I decided instead to forge onward into unknown territory and go
to Camp Massad at Lake Winnipeg. If I thought I knew what ruach
was before, I was mistaken. This camp is not athletic and, although
it's across the highway from the lake, I went there maybe twice.
No, what this camp was about was spirit and the arts. Many days
were spent just painting and preparing sets for plays which would
be performed entirely in Hebrew. Well, actually, everything is in
Hebrew.
The camp is like a kibbutz and it provides a very unique living
experience. I liked the camp, but it's riddled with mosquitoes.
If you can cope with the bugs, then it's a great place.
In the three camps I attended, I met Jewish kids from all backgrounds
– from those who only went to synagogue on the High Holidays
to kids who kept basic level kashrut. We all learned what it's like
to be of one culture.
I never ended up being a counsellor and I won't become a camp director,
but I met lots of kids from across Canada with whom I still keep
in contact - and I learned a lot about teamwork. I wouldn't trade
in those summers for the world; it is what defined me as a Jewish
youth.
Eva Cohen is a freelance writer living in Ottawa.
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