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January 24, 2003
New director at Miriam
Sharna Hurwitz was inspired by Birthright Israel trip.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
One of the hopes of the Birthright Israel program, which sends
young adults on an all-expense-paid tour of Israel, is that participants
return with a greater connection to Israel and their Jewish community.
Habonim Dror Camp Miriam has already benefited from that plan as
they recently announced the hiring of their 2003 summer director,
Sharna Hurwitz. Hurwitz attended Camp Miriam as a youngster but
had since lost much of her interest in Judaism, until she spent
10 days in Israel in February 2000.
"After Birthright, I felt a renewed interest in Judaism and
a strengthened connection to the people," she said. "It
seemed like a logical connection to return to Miriam so I applied
to be a counsellor.
Hurwitz has since completed her degree in education at the university
of British Columbia (UBC) and serves as a teacher-on-call for the
Coquitlam School District. When school is out, however, Hurwitz
will be very busy turning her experience with children into a positive
Jewish camping experience.
"Teaching has helped me out with long-term planning and being
able to meet objectives when I'm putting programs, activities or
lessons together," she said of one of the strengths she will
bring to Camp Miriam.
Combined with her own passion for the camp's Labor Zionist movement
setting, Hurwitz hopes to give her campers the same opportunities
for growth that she had as a camper.
Camp Miriam is "more than just a summer camp for the kids to
have a chance to be on their own and make new friends," she
said. "It's also about learning about Israel, socialism and
Zionism and really thinking about what you believe in."
Hurwitz told the Bulletin that one of the changes she hopes
to influence this summer is an increase of outdoor activities like
the use of the waterfront and sports.
"There has always been an emphasis on education and I still
want to keep that as a high priority, but I want to try and balance
[the programming] out," she said. "We're right on the
ocean and it's a shame that we're not using the waterfront more."
Hurwitz has worked as a day camp counsellor at Eitz Chaim Synagogue
in Richmond and was also actively involved in UBC's Hillel House.
Camp Miriam, located on Gabriola Island, is operated based on the
Israeli kibbutz concept. Campers participate in a wide variety of
programming, such as Israeli dancing, singing, hiking, arts and
crafts and sports, as well as education in Habonim Dror's labor
Zionist ideologies and philosophies. In addition, Hebrew language
is integrated into every aspect of a camper's daily routine. For
more information about the camp, call Barb Winberg at 604-266-2825.
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